Many of Szymanowski's piano works are considered to have connections with literature.

The Masques suite, which includes "Tantris le Bouffon," is one such example.

Masques consists of three pieces: "Shéhérazade," "Tantris le Bouffon," and "Sérénade de Don Juan." Among these, there is a view that "Tantris le Bouffon" derives its title from the play of the same name by the German writer Ernst Hardt (1876–1894).

Each expressive nuance in Szymanowski's music, such as sonorities that seem to foreshadow a tragic conclusion or successions of dissonances that portray the uneasy sentiments of the narrative's characters, can be interpreted in conjunction with literary themes.

It is also a highly intriguing work as an homage to the music of Debussy and Ravel, whom Szymanowski is believed to have encountered the year prior to commencing its composition.

An ideal performance would evoke a sense of primary colors and a sensual enactment of the narrative.