Scherzo No. 1 (Chopin)

Scherzo No. 1 (Chopin)

The Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20 is a composition for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) in 1835 and dedicated to Thomas Albrecht.

The First Scherzo is the most strictly conventional of the four Scherzi, as far as adherence to the traditional structure of the piece as canonized by Haydn and Beethoven. However, the content of the piece is far removed from that of its predecessors. The opening of the piece is heralded by two strident chords held for four bars apiece, fortissimo, followed by a fiercely chromatic, surging theme which immediately departs from the tradition of the scherzo as a light, playful interlude. As the main body of the scherzo closes, bells toll ominously, and the tension of the harmony resolves quietly. The development section continues the repetitive nature of the scherzo and the mood of obsessive intensity. In the central section where the key changes to the B major, Chopin quotes from an old Polish Christmas song, "Sleep, Little Jesus, Sleep," one of his few uses of genuine folk material. This forms a calm contrast to the restless outer section, but this, too, in a moment of stark realism, begins to twist and turn dark before the two strident chords from the opening signal the reprise of the scherzo. The scherzo and development section play out once more largely unchanged, followed by one last reprise of the scherzo leading into a tumultuous coda. Broken chords emerge from the depths of the piano and rise towards the heights, reaching a climax in an augmented G sixth chord over an F# pedal, repeated nine times, resolving into a cataclysm which ends the piece in a final, shattering outburst of despair.

External links

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* [http://gardnermuseum.libsyn.com/media/gardnermuseum/chopin_op20.mp3 Performance by Cecile Licad] from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format


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