“Polichinelle”: A Fritz Kreisler Miniature
Derived from the Italian “Pulcinella,” Polichinelle is a French puppet character. A staple of French street theater since the late 1500s, he is known to be a vulgar prankster. There is no vulgarity in Fritz Kreisler’s charming miniature for violin and piano, Polichinelle—only an undercurrent of scherzando mischief. Kreisler (1875-1962) wrote the piece, subtitled “Serenade,” in the United States in 1917. It comes two years before the Broadway opening of his operetta, …