In Caprice No. 13, precise articulation gives the chromatic thirds their playful character. An artistic interpretation informed by Paganini’s likeness in Ingres’s portrait. i Work Information Composer: Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840) Title: Caprice No. 13 in B-flat major, from 24 Caprices for Solo Violin , Op. 1, M.S. 25 Year of composition: By 1817; the individual caprice cannot be dated precisely First performance: Not established Genre: Caprice for solo violin Musical period: Early Romanticism Structure: Ternary A–B–A design, with a central Minore and a da capo return Duration: approx. 2–3 minutes Instrumentation: Unaccompanied violin First publication: Milan, Giovanni Ricordi, 1820, plate 403 In Caprice No. 13 , Paganini makes violin virtuosity sound like a distinctive musical character. The opening presents two notes at once, moving down in closely spaced chromatic steps and producing the playful effect later associated with laughter. A vigorous passage in G minor intervenes ...