A work from 1952. It is based on the sixth movement, "Finale," of the secular cantata Le Bal masqué (The Masked Ball) for baritone (or mezzo-soprano) and chamber orchestra, composed in 1932.

Poulenc created several works from Le Bal masqué. The second movement, "Intermède," was individually published as a piano solo piece, and the "Finale" was also published as Capriccio in C major for Piano, both in 1932. Furthermore, the fourth movement, "Bagatelle," was re-arranged from its orchestral accompaniment for piano and published as Bagatelle No. 1 for Violin and Piano, also in 1932.

Unlike these pieces, FP 155 was undertaken 20 years after the composition of Le Bal masqué. Due to its much later date of creation compared to the original, the Capriccio FP 155 is considered a separate, independent work in Schmidt's complete catalogue of Poulenc's works, unlike the piano solo Capriccio also based on the "Finale," and is assigned a different catalogue number from the original.

The work is dedicated to the American composer Samuel Barber, and a copy of Poulenc's autograph manuscript is held in the Barber Collection at the New York Public Library. While the exact date of its formal premiere is unknown, it is known that its New York premiere took place on January 25, 1964, approximately one year after the composer's death, performed by Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale, who frequently performed Poulenc's works for two pianos in the United States.

In arranging the piece, Poulenc did not alter the musical structure but rather transcribed the original work directly for two pianos. Consequently, not only the parts of various instruments that create the original's diverse expressions but also the vocal part appearing in the latter half were transcribed into the piano score. This can be seen as an example demonstrating how Poulenc, who considered the "recycling" of his own works as one of his compositional methods, self-quoted not only parts of melodies but also entire works.