Capriccio is a male Pegasus from Detrot, Equestria. He is a recent graduate of The Manechester College of Music, where he studied composition and theory. He currently lives in Ponyville. He also answers to Ricci, Cap, Blondie, Seg, Green Genes, Cappuccino, or The Jolly Green Giant.
Background & Special Talent
Capriccio was born in the city of Detrot to Stradivarius, his father, and Minuetta, his mother. His name was given to him by his mother, and she took it from the title of a piece by her favorite composer, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Despite being a Pegasus, he spent most of his early years living the life of an Earth pony. His father comes from a long line of full-blooded Earth ponies; Stradivarius was the first in his family to marry a different species of pony, which remains a point of contention with some of his family members to this day.
Owing largely to his Earth pony pedigree, Capriccio spent most of his early childhood on the ground. Living in close proximity to his cousins, he was often mocked for having wings, and as such was very hesitant to use them for fear of outright rejection by his father's family. He spent most of his early years participating in traditionally Earth-pony activities; however, his mixed genetics left a bit lacking when it came to the strength and endurance typically seen in most Earth ponies. Additionally, him being a "late flyer" caused him to be the target of several jokes by a few of his winged peers, as he could not partake in typical Pegasus activities. It wasn't until he was nearly 10 years old that Stradivarius, tired of trying to appease his family, insisted that Capriccio's mother teach her son how to fly "like a normal Pegasus should." Although he picked up on the basics of flying very quickly, Capriccio never pursued any of the advanced techniques of flying, nor did he learn many of the weather-related traits that most Pegasi learn growing up.
Capriccio grew up in an environment surrounded by music. Both his mother and father were members of the Detrot Symphony Orchestra, and he was exposed to classical music at a very early age. His mother began piano lessons with him at the age of 5, and his father began teaching him to play the violin when he was only 7 years old, but Capriccio abandoned that in favor of the trumpet after a year. His talent for composition became evident after he had written a few short pieces on piano for a performance at an elementary school recital. The end of the recital saw him earn his cutie mark, and ornamented segno symbol. In high school, he continued to write music for himself while also playing trumpet for his school’s orchestra and concert band.
Capriccio's cutie mark
Upon graduation from high school, Capriccio was accepted to the Manechester College of Music, where he earned his degree in composition and theory. He currently only plays a little bit of piano, having set the trumpet aside to focus on his composing, although he enjoys fiddling around on guitar in his spare time. After completing his undergrad in Manechester, and after spending some time working in a record shop in Detrot, he enrolled in Manechester's graduate program, and after completing his master's degree, he decided to move to Ponyville, where he figured he could get a decent job and live relatively peacefully while he worked on his music.
Ponyville
Capriccio began his stay in Ponyville just towards the end of March, a few days before Ponyville's annual Winter Wrap Up. Eager to get involved and make some friends, he volunteered and was assigned to the Bird Retrieval division of the weather team, headed by Thunder Crackle. His experience was considerably soured by an encounter with an angry flock of blue jays, and his day ended with more than a few cuts and scrapes.
Capriccio has made friends with several of the local Ponyville residents since he first arrived. He spends a good amount of his time with Glass Desire, whom he considers the closest friend he made since he moved to Ponyville, and Bolèro, whom he has a bit of a soft spot for and treats him like a younger brother, even though he annoys Capriccio to no end. He also has a friendship and somewhat of a budding rivalry with Eventide, at least when it comes to spicy food. Other ponies he enjoys hanging out with include Roseluck, Kiwi Blitz, Firefly, Cupcake Sprinkle, and Ninja Star.
Vogelsong
Vogelsong (sometimes "Vogie" or just "V") is Capriccio's tweetbird, which he's had since the day he arrived in Ponyville. Vogelsong's personality can best be described as irreverent; he tends to not take Capriccio very seriously, and will often give him a hard time about the tasks he is asked to do. A common response to a comment or request from Capriccio is a raspberry, which he will also not refrain from offering to other ponies he comes across (including Princess Twilight Sparkle). Despite his mild impertinence, he and Capriccio are still friendly with each other, and he always dutifully performs the tasks assigned to him by his owner in a very timely fashion.
Vogelsong possesses a couple of traits uncommon for many tweetbirds; he is fully capable of reading music, and his voice can simulate nearly every voice of the orchestra, even the entire orchestra as a whole. This talent has led Capriccio to use him in his composing process, and he will often ask Vogelsong to sing lines of music back to him in the appropriate voices. Additionally, Vogelsong has a very good memory, able to recall tunes that Capriccio has previously played for him. His owner will occasionally use these abilities in tandem to have Vogelsong act as a sort of portable record player when they are away from Capriccio's work space. His favorite tune to sing is "Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune" by Claude Debussy, and will often default to it if Capriccio does not specify which piece he would like sung.
*Player note: Vogelsong has his own Twitter profile now, @mlp_Vogelsong.
Personality
Capriccio claims to have the “best third impression ever,” which is generally how he earns other ponies’ friendships. Most ponies he meets follow the pattern of finding him very cordial on their first meeting, then finding him mildly sarcastic and a bit confusing on the second impression, but learning to understand his admittedly odd sense of humor the more time they spend with him. He has a tendency to combine the cordial with the irreverent in his daily mannerisms. He will often salute with a wingtip ponies he's either saying hello or goodbye to, and occasionally he will turn the salute into a bow with a flourish of a wing.
Likes and Dislikes
Classical music is Capriccio’s first love, and sometimes it can lead to him being somewhat of a hermit. He will occasionally prefer to hole up in his room with a record player and a copy of Neighthoven’s 5th Symphony or sit in the back corner of a coffee shop with a pencil and manuscript pad. His favorite composers are Sibelius, Beethoven (particularly the string quartets), Dvorak, Mahler and Debussy. He has also recently acquired a taste for the Caneighdian rock band Rush. He outright refuses to listen to country music, although he does enjoy bluegrass, and he firmly believes those are two entirely separate genres.
Because of Capriccio's Earth-pony-centered upbringing, most of the activities he participates in still tend to be on the ground. He likes going to sporting events, is a big fan of amusement parks, and loves to bowl and play Frisbee. He is also particularly fond of spicy food, going so far as to special-order jalapeno cupcakes from Sugar Cube Corner (and eating them with copious amounts of Sriracha). He will not eat eggs or mushrooms, something that annoys Bolèro to no end.
In addition to his passion for music, Capriccio has recently sought to become more of a "true Pegasus," as he describes it. Unlike his earlier years, Capriccio will take lengthy flights at least once a day, often bringing Vogelsong with him for musical accompaniment. While he used to see his genetic makeup as a disadvantage (he is very tall, and a bit heavier and bulkier than most Pegasi, yet sleeker and a bit more fragile than a true Earth pony), he has since come to grips with it and has tried to use it to his advantage. While he may not have the top speed of most Pegasi, he has a level of endurance that few of his winged compatriots possess, and in his peak physical condition, he can outlast just about anypony in a long-distance flight. He has recently begun training to join the Ponyville Weather Team.
Baseball
Despite being raised in the city of Detrot, Capriccio has been a lifelong fan of the Marewaukee Brayers. He owes his fandom to his grandfather, who took him to see a Brayers game in Detrot when Capriccio was just 5 years old, and Capriccio was able to get an autographed baseball from Marewaukee’s then All-Star closer and current Hall-of-Famer, Split Hoof. He has attended more than 50 Brayers games since then, and he claims his autographed Line Drive #35 jersey as his most prized possession. He still has yet to attend a game at the Brayers' home park in Marewaukee, but he did get his first glimpse of the park during his flight south on Winter Wrap Up 2013. Outside of watching baseball, he enjoys playing a pick-up game every now and then, typically as a pitcher or a second-basepony.