Chopin, Frederic : Scherzo no.3 cis-moll Op.39
Work Overview
Publication Year:1840
First Publisher:Breitkopf und Härtel
Dedicated to:Adolpho Gutmann
Instrumentation:Piano Solo
Genre:scherzo
Total Playing Time:8 min 00 sec
Copyright:Public Domain
Commentary (3)
Author : Oshima, Kazumi
Last Updated: March 3, 2022
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Author : Oshima, Kazumi
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) composed four standalone works titled Scherzo during his lifetime: Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20; Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31; Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39; and Scherzo No. 4 in E major, Op. 54.
Scherzo, derived from the Italian word meaning joke or humor, began to be used in music history from the 1780s onwards as a middle movement in multi-movement forms such as symphonies and chamber music.
A key musical characteristic of the scherzo is its adherence to features of the minuet, which was frequently inserted as a middle movement, such as a 3/4 time signature and a lively tempo. It is often written in ternary form (A-B-A) or compound ternary form, with the middle section, or trio, featuring a melody that contrasts with the preceding and following musical ideas. Following this tradition, Chopin also incorporated scherzos into works such as his Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35; Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 58; and Piano Trio, Op. 8.
In addition to these, Chopin attempted to complete the scherzo as a standalone work, thereby pioneering new ground in the history of piano music. It can be said that the scherzo, conceived by Chopin as an independent piano work, is one of the musical genres that he brought to artistic completion.
The four scherzos are fundamentally structured with fast tempos, a 3/4 time signature, and ternary form, but their forms are more complex, with some approaching sonata form. Emotional and expressive qualities, along with the demand for advanced technique, are also among their primary characteristics.
Chopin did not explicitly state the specific meaning or philosophy behind these scherzos. However, a connection to the literary and artistic trends of the 19th century can be glimpsed in their titles and the clear "light and shadow" structure of the pieces.
In the late 18th century, dissatisfaction with the traditional absolutist regimes grew in Europe, leading to an awakening of "freedom." Innovative activities flourished in the realm of expression, and in literature, works freely and explicitly expressing emotions such as love, ideals, disappointment, and disillusionment began to be written. Attempts to define humor and the scherzo also took place within this context.
Literary figures across Europe offered various views on the meaning of humor. For example, the German writer Jean Paul (1763-1825) stated:
"For humor, there are no individual follies or individual fools; there is only folly and a foolish world. (...) If man looks down upon this world from an unearthly realm, this world appears petty and vainly bustling. If, as humor does, one measures the infinite world by the scale of this small world and connects it with the small world, laughter arises, and in this laughter, there is still a certain pain and a certain greatness."
The human being, laughing and crying between two opposing emotions or two dimensions, is one of the main themes of the scherzo in the Romantic era. It is even a strong irony directed at humans who, despite the beautiful world shown by God, cannot escape a reality steeped in desire.
These words will be a great hint in understanding Chopin's scherzos. The four scherzos prove that Chopin understood the concept of the scherzo, as contemplated by literary figures, more deeply than anyone else.
Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor was composed in Mallorca in 1838 and published in 1839. Upon publication, Chopin dedicated this work to his beloved pupil, Adolf Gutmann (1819-1882). Works composed around the same period include:
Composed in the sacred space of the Valldemossa Monastery, this work blends orderly beauty with strange distortion, and mystical religiosity with passion bordering on madness.
Presto con fuoco. Similar to the previous two scherzos, the first theme is presented, preceded by an introduction. The 24-measure introduction casts a gloomy shadow, repeating capricious modulations. Four notes embedded within the 3/4 time signature announce the beginning of an eerie story. The first theme, launched with powerful octaves, is filled with energetic dynamism. A fierce descending unison figure, repeated in unison, eventually transforms into an accompaniment, while the right hand plays a gently ascending melody.
The second theme is marked meno mosso, and the tension-filled musical idea suddenly becomes calm. Here, a quiet, chorale-like melody in D-flat major and the sparkling arpeggios that respond to it create a mystical world. The notes, like scattered fine jewels, evoke celestial beauty. Leichtentritt described these arpeggios as "the enchanting spell of a fairy, reminiscent of a thousand delicate voices."
The wild world unfolded by the first theme and the divine second theme contrasting with it—this complete expression of opposing worldviews was what Chopin attempted in his scherzos, and this contrast can be seen as Chopin's unique form of scherzo/humor.
This second theme is repeated three times in different keys. In the recapitulation, the second theme is abruptly restated following the first theme. The beautiful second theme in E major here modulates to E minor. As the gloomy shadow deepens, the chorale theme is played in C-sharp major, gently ascending and leading the piece to a peak of beauty. This moment of bliss does not last long, leading to the coda through a collapsing descending figure. Following stormy passages that sweep across the keyboard, heavy C-sharp major chords resonate with a divine sound, bringing the piece to a close.
References
(※All citations in the main text are based on these sources.)
- Chopin Scherzo Collection: New Edition with Commentary (Commentary by Kazumichi Oshima), Tokyo: Ongaku no Tomo Sha, 2015.
- Huneker, James, Chopin: The Man and His Music, New York: Dover Publications, 1966.
- Leichtentritt, Hugo, Frédéric Chopin, Berlin: Harmonie, 1905.
- Tomaszewski, Mieczysław, Chopin: Człowiek, Dzieło, Rezonans, Kraków: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne, 2005.
- Willeby, Charles, Frederic François Chopin, London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1892.
- The 18th Chopin Piano Competition/Compositions
Author : Asayama, Natsuko
Last Updated: July 1, 2008
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Author : Asayama, Natsuko
Chopin's Piano Styles: Lyrical vs. Narrative
There are several ways to observe the styles Chopin employed in his piano works, but one possible classification is into lyrical and narrative. Representative examples of the former are the Nocturnes and Mazurkas, while typical examples of the latter are the Ballades and Scherzos.
In lyrical compositions, individual phrases and motifs are often presented in a list-like manner, with very loose connections, whereas in narrative compositions, one can perceive a sense of "kishōtenketsu" (introduction, development, turn, conclusion) within a single piece. The reason for the emergence of clear dramatic qualities is, firstly, the clarity of harmonic progression, particularly the well-adhered-to dominant-tonic pattern (the section moving from "turn" to "conclusion"). Furthermore, individual motifs may develop through techniques such as variation, inversion, repetition, and expansion; even without the elaborate workmanship found in Viennese Classical sonatas, multiple themes are intricately combined to construct the piece.
In other words, works with a narrative structure, such as the Ballades, Scherzos, Barcarolle, and Bolero, create a dynamic and dramatic musical time that progresses inevitably from beginning to end, and these elements constitute key points for appreciation. (As an aside, in lyrical works, the listener's ear is allowed to wander within a kind of musical space, where the music lingers while subtly transforming, with no clear sense of return or progression.)
Distinguishing Ballades and Scherzos
Now, where lies the difference between the Ballades and Scherzos, of which four pieces each remain?
That these are adjacent genres within Chopin's oeuvre is most evident when examining the music itself. Moreover, it seems almost impossible to clearly distinguish between the two genres based on their form. One reason is that these are genres unique to Chopin; even examining the traditions of the genres from which they are thought to derive reveals nothing that connects the two. However, even if they cannot be distinguished by their external musical form, their respective musical content, or rather, the content of their "narratives," differs somewhat.
Characteristics of Chopin's Scherzos
"Scherzo" means "joke" in Italian, and traditionally referred to bright, light, small-scale pieces in a simple form.Beethoven incorporated it into the third movement of his sonatas as a replacement for the minuet, it was still given an extremely rapid and humorous character. Chopin's Scherzos, at first glance, seem to completely contradict this tradition, being dark, serious, and large-scale. However, when compared to the Ballades, it becomes clear how much humor the Scherzos actually contain. In all four Scherzos, more than one extremely rapid and leggiero motif appears, interjecting at various points. Furthermore, intense dynamic contrasts are specified in various sections.
Contrast with Ballades
Such techniques are largely absent in the Ballades. Each motif and note is bound by its preceding and succeeding context, allowing no deviation. Somber themes appear one after another, accumulating to form a torrent, ultimately leading to a catastrophic conclusion. This stands in contrast to the Scherzos, which resolve this kind of stress with light motifs and even comical contrasts.
It is also worth noting that all four Ballades are written in compound duple meter, while the Scherzos are in triple meter, which could be considered their only external distinguishing feature. However, since most of the Scherzos form a phrase in two measures throughout, they still contain the strong driving force of duple meter.
Formal Analysis of Chopin's Scherzos and Their Relation to Sonatas
The Scherzos, with the exception of No. 4, adopt an A-B-A form. This follows the Scherzo as a replacement for the minuet movement, as used by Haydn and Beethoven. However, the appearance of two contrasting themes in the A section, and the almost complete repetition of the first half in the second half of the A section, suggest an inclination towards sonata form. Furthermore, a brilliant coda, including a stretto, further increases the scale of the piece and elevates its dignity.
Viewed in this way, Chopin's Scherzos can be considered as inheriting and elaborating upon the formal stature of the third movement of the piano sonata, as perfected by Beethoven. On the other hand, in his own Piano Sonatas No. 2 and No. 3, he took a step away from the Viennese Classical tradition by placing the Scherzo as the second movement. Especially in No. 2, Op. 35, a large-scale Scherzo with multiple themes is employed. Chopin probably did not write the Scherzos as character pieces and name them as such. Rather, they were a stepping stone for his own sonatas.
Detailed Analysis of Scherzo No. 3
While it is self-evident that Scherzo No. 3 has an introduction and coda, and two contrasting themes, there are various possibilities regarding the sectional structure one might identify. At first glance, one might consider a binary form of A-B-A-B-Coda.
However, in reality, the second theme gives the impression of a second subject in a sonata form exposition. This is because the transition from the first theme to the second theme does not create a clear cadential formula. The first theme is relatively short, around 130 measures, whereas the second theme is long enough to be further divided into three internal sections and a closing section. Therefore, if viewed as a sonata-allegro form like (A-B)-B'-(A-B)-Coda, the development section would begin from measure 236. From here, keys change successively, and from measure 327, the initial theme reappears like a bridge leading back to the exposition, and the tempo accelerates.
Nevertheless, if such a diagram feels forced, it is likely because the fundamental conception of this piece lies primarily in "contrast." At a very small level, dynamic contrasts are effectively used even within the first theme. Furthermore, the second theme is constructed by combining a motif that slowly ascends from the bass and a motif that rapidly descends from the highest register. At a larger level, the two themes are contrasting in every respect, and the keys chosen are closely related major keys: D-flat major (enharmonically C-sharp major) from measure 155 onwards, and E major (the parallel major) from measure 448, where it appears for the second time.
Viewed in this way, the diagram A-B-A+B+Coda seems most natural. That is, the so-called second B section (from measure 448 onwards) was introduced to further highlight the Coda when connecting the basic A-B-A scheme with the Coda. Here, the principle of contrast, as found in the minuet and trio, the original form of the scherzo, is alive. This is neither a binary form, which prioritizes repetition and establishment, nor entirely a sonata form, which posits struggle and triumph. And as can be seen from the other three pieces, "contrast" is indeed the fundamental principle in Chopin's Scherzos. In this sense, Scherzo No. 3 can be said to be a highly typical Chopin Scherzo.
Author : Ooi, Kazurou
Last Updated: March 12, 2018
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Author : Ooi, Kazurou
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