Malipiero's short opera is a homage to the spirit of Venice in the 1700s, and of its music. It is an example of the sudden interest in the Italian Baroque on the part of many composers including Igor Stravinsky. Unlike Stravinsky's "Pulcinella," Malipiero's "The Fake Harlequin" is not an adaptation of actual music of the period, but it uses melodies clearly patterned on the music of the period, set with something of the same harmonically piquant approach found in Stravinsky's work. The second movement in particular (the prelude to the opera's scene 2) is very nearly a pastiche of various evocations of the 18th century. The third movement is bright and flavored with tart dissonances. The finale, with a pompous, mock fugue that introduces a grotesque entrant in a song-contest.

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