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Introduction to Scherzo

Scherzo, also known as Scherzo, is a three-beat instrumental music. Its main characteristics are brisk speed, active and clear rhythm, often sudden contrasts between strengths and weaknesses, and dance and dramatic characteristics. It often appears as the third movement in suites such as symphonies, replacing the court-style minuet. ?Joking? means using music to express humorous and humorous tastes. Now I will give you a detailed introduction to the scherzo.

Scherzo was originally a kind of non-title music, but later title music often adopted the scherzo genre. Title music is an instrumental piece with a title to describe its content. For example, "The Little Wizard" by the French composer Duka is a title music work in the scherzo genre. The title of the work is based on Goethe's narrative poem. In the introduction of the scherzo, Adagio and Allegro appear alternately, expressing a mysterious atmosphere and the naughty character of the little wizard. French horns and trumpets played the incantation theme in obstrusive sounds, and brooms stood up to fetch water. The main part of the scherzo is in triple time, Allegro, describing the broom to fetch water, the flooding and the impatience of the little wizard. The music is not only very fast, but also uses a "three-bar rhythm", which makes it extremely lively. The so-called "three-bar rhythm" means that there is a downbeat every three bars. This was used as a means of increasing momentum in Beethoven's scherzos. Scherzo is a lively and lively instrumental music full of humor and banter. It is developed and evolved on the basis of minuet. The scherzo follows the minuet's three-beat rhythm and complex triad structure. The complex three-section form means that a piece of music is divided into three major sections, and each large section contains several small sections. The third section is a repetition of the first section. Scherzo is faster than minuet, has an active rhythm, and often uses unique tones, unusual rhythm patterns, unexpected modulations and contrasts of strength and weakness, sudden repetition of previous themes or the introduction of new themes, sudden ending of a paragraph or The ending of the whole song and other techniques create a humorous and interesting effect.

Scherzo is a variation of dance music. Its predecessor is a three-clap minuet. Therefore, scherzo is often combined with some dance music in three beats or three progressive beats, namely six beats and nine beats, to form a dual genre. For example, Tchaikovsky has a piece for violin and piano called "Waltz - Scherzo", which has both the rhythm of a waltz and the unrestrained and lively character of a scherzo. ?Joking? means using music to express humorous and humorous tastes. As a piece of music, it is characterized by a 3/4 beat and a fast and lively rhythm. So it's kind of similar to a minuet, but a little faster.

From the 17th century to the 19th century, the scherzo became a very popular genre and was often used as a movement of a classical suite. Many classical composers have also applied this genre to symphonies, usually as the theme of the third movement. Beethoven introduced the scherzo in the third movement (sometimes in the second movement) of sonatas, symphonies, and quartets to replace the minuet. The musical form structure is the same as that of the minuet, using a trilogy with a three-part middle section; however, the development method often has the nature of dynamic development, and the reproduction part is subject to change. Later, it evolved into independent instrumental music in the works of Chopin and Brahms. The four piano scherzos composed by Chopin are large in scale and profound in content; Brahms composed the piano piece Scherzo in E flat minor (Op. 4). Scherzo is often combined with other instrumental music genres, such as Dvo?ák's orchestral music "Scherzo - Caprice" (D flat major, Op. 66), Chabrier's "Scherzo - Waltz", Proko Fiev's opera "March and Scherzo" etc.

The musical form structure is the same as that of the minuet, using a trilogy with a three-part middle section; however, the development technique often has the nature of dynamic development, and the reproduction part is subject to change. Later, it evolved into independent instrumental music in the works of Chopin and Brahms. The four piano scherzos composed by Chopin are large in scale and profound in content; Brahms composed the piano piece Scherzo in E flat minor (Op. 4).

The third part is a reprise of the first part. In the epilogue, the fragments of the first theme are contrasted in three tones, thus showing the entanglement of three impressions. The three keys are F major, D flat major and A major. F major is the key of the first theme, D flat major is the key of the third theme, and A major is the key of the second theme. Although the music only contains fragments of the first theme, the tones belong to three different themes. Along with the contrast in tonality, there is also a contrast in timbre: woodwind instruments belong to the second theme, while string instruments belong to the first theme. In this scherzo, there are three themes expressing three images, each with its own melody, its own timbre and its own tonality. In the ending, not only different melodies, but also different tones and different timbres are used to mix and overlap the three themes to express complex psychological and emotional states. The second movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony not only uses a "three-bar rhythm", but also a "four-bar rhythm". Starting from measure 177, there is a three-measure rhythm, with a downbeat every three measures. Starting from measure 234, there is a four-measure rhythm, with a downbeat every four measures.

Duka used the same technique as Beethoven. In the main part of "The Little Wizard", there is a rhythm of three bars throughout. The main part of the scherzo is divided into two stages, gradually increasing the intensity and speed, and develops towards the climax. After the music reaches the first climax, it suddenly drops from the climax, which means that the little wizard tries to stop the flood and splits the broom in two. Then the music develops to the second climax, describing the greater flood; That is until the Master's incantation theme appears in the epilogue. The incantation theme in the epilogue is carried out with the opposite melody to the incantation theme in the introduction.

Polish composer Wieniawski's violin and piano piece "Scherzo - Tarantella" is also a piece of music with dual genres. Tarantella in 6/8 time is originally a very active dance music, but the music of this piece is sometimes moving and sometimes quiet, sometimes has the characteristics of dance music, sometimes has the characteristics of song, sometimes is light, sometimes is warm, thus showing It has a humorous taste, so it is called "Scherzo - Tarantella".

Bach's "Scherzo" adopts a two-part form, A minor, Allegro, 2/4 time. The main theme has obvious characteristics of fast dance music (Fragment 1). This is a very famous melody. , the bright and light playing of the flute shows vivid and lively emotions, and the sluggish strings echo it in the bass area, making the music appear humorous and light. The piece does not require high performance skills, so it has become a favorite piece for many amateur flutists.

Chopin’s Scherzo is a single-movement piano solo with contrasting musical images and a large structure. It is the product of Chopin's inescapable passion and fantasy. He developed this form that was subordinate to other genres into an independent musical form. These scherzos are different from the previous scherzo genres. They are no longer limited to playfulness and playfulness but contain profound and complex ideological content. The four scherzos have different characteristics. These works are generally considered to be simple triplets, consisting of a scherzo and a strongly contrasting middle section.

Scherzo originally means joking, but there is no outstanding joking in this set of works by Chopin. Instead, they are mostly melancholy and personal resistance, which actually contain ridicule and sarcasm of oneself. Liszt believed that this set of scherzos expressed intense anger and despair, sometimes with bitter sarcasm and stubborn self-esteem. ?This set of scherzos has 4 pieces:

No. 1, B minor, Op. 20, composed in 1831, dedicated to Abrecht. The first theme is as violent as a storm, and the second movement has weird chords in the slow part. Nicks explains this piece like this: Isn’t this a cry of disappointment (referring to the first two bold dissonant chords)? Then comes the soul imprisoned by the environment, trying to break through it, but failed and despaired. In the end, I was exhausted and fell into the beautiful dream of the countryside. But when the energy is restored, it means that the struggle will begin.

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No. 2, in B flat minor, Op. 31, composed in 1837. This is the most famous of the four, dedicated to the daughter of the Sistine Count Fesden. It starts with the first phrase of the first theme, which is presto and half-volume softly. Fenlonzi thinks it is a question. Then it is light and graceful, then "indulged in longing, surprise and longing", and the ending is powerful and passionate.

No. 3, C sharp minor, Op. 39, composed in 1839, dedicated to Adolf Goodman. It begins with a bold Presto, which Nicks said is "significantly moody". The first theme has a rare passion, and the second theme has a choral style.

No. 4, E major, Op. 54, composed in 1842, dedicated to Miss Jeanne de Karaman. This work was composed in Chopin's later years, when Chopin's health was in extremely bad condition, but the work is unrestrained and full of joy. The main theme is rhythmic and full of brilliance. This No. 4 was played the longest.