What does molto capriccioso mean?

[Falcieri]

I think it means very impulsive or unpredictable. I have found it in a Venetian document of the 1830s.

Ciao!

Claudia

[PeterTimber]

Very capricious (whimsical is the Italian dictionary translation of Capriccioso).=Peter=

[elba]

Just plucking one word from a text often makes it very difficult to offer a translation.

Capriccioso does mean whimsical (among other things) and so 'maybe' in a 19th century Venetian document that may be in the right context. But certainly if used in a colloquial manner, even today, it can also be attributed to the behaviour of an unruly or extravagant person, or even someone who is prone to sudden mood swings... A good example is where one would describe a naughty child as 'capriccioso'!

[PeterTimber]

Elba then why doesn't the Italian dictionary further extend the translation to cover those additonal attributes?? The translation for whimsical in Italian is "aver grilli per il capo", bizzarro and fantastico. =Peter=

[misbris]

Even in English, capricious can have both negative and positive connotations. It can mean carefree and whimisical, or it can mean arbitrary and unthinking. If Claudia is interpreting in context, her translation is probably correct.

[PeterTimber]

Elbas translation is indeed correct within the context but like 17th and 18th century musical descriptions such as "andante" or "allegre" whose meanings are known but not the actual tempo of that period and how that music was originally played is unknown to modern musicologists since there are no recordings as to how the actual tempo was intended to be played.

Thus similar to Capriccioso no one knows what the original meaning of the word was intended to convey. =Peter=

[BillieDeKid]

From Dizionario Italiano-Inglese

capriccioso:
Definition | Conjugator | in context | images

capriccioso:
Principal Translations/Traduzioni principali:
capriccioso adj fickle
capriccioso adj whimsical

Additional Translations/Traduzioni aggiuntive:
capriccioso adj outlandish
capriccioso adj ornery

[Gina501]

Definitions of bait:

tease: harass with persistent criticism or carping; "The children teased the new teacher"; "Don't ride me so hard over my failure";
anything that serves as an enticement
lure, entice, or entrap with bait
something used to lure victims into danger
attack with dogs or set dogs upon


It seems that every thread I read on this board, Peter Timber is trying to BAIT someone into a mental battle of wits. Why is that? I, personally, find it very exhausting..... I am just here to learn about genealogy. Not get a full-fledged historical account of every moment in history.

[PeterTimber]

My point is that no one knows whatis the original meaning of the word Capriccioso. In todays world it has gained appendages olf meanings making the word irrelevant without contexting its meaning.=Peter=

[elba]

Capriccioso:
Cassell's Italian Dictionary: Whimsical, fickle, unruly

adj. Music: Lively and free. Used chiefly as a direction.
From 'caprice'

Caprice: n.
1.
1. An impulsive change of mind.
2. An inclination to change one's mind impulsively.
3. A sudden, unpredictable action, change, or series of actions or changes: A hailstorm in July is a caprice of nature.
2. Music. A capriccio.

[French, from Italian capriccio, from caporiccio, fright, sudden start : capo, head (from Latin caput) + riccio, curly (from Latin ?ricius, hedgehog, from ?r).]

Above - some of my terms of reference... Plus my personal 'knowledge of life'!

[Edmondo]

Dear all,

It seems to me that the initial question Claudia raised, has been answered enough. Let's try to respect each others contributions to make this a great informational forum. It seems to me, reading this discussion, there are enough people with lots of wisdom and knowledge. In the end, if reading through the irritiation, Claudia got a very complete answer. You all did this together. Compliments for that.

Edmondo

[Falcieri]

Hello all, Yes I think I got the jist of this. I think I will go with the older translation as in the context in which it was said I don't think the speaker would have referred to the person concerned as unpredictable etc etc.

Many thanks all, very interesting reading!

Regards,

Claudia