Frédéric Chopin
Scherzi

About Frédéric Chopin's Scherzi

Contrary to their name, the four scherzos are not light-hearted compositions, and the first three, in particular the Scherzo in B minor, have very strong dramatic accents.
The first and last make the most of the ternary form, with extreme contrasts between the outer sections, full of restless motion, and the melodious middle episodes. The second and third scherzos shows Chopin’s ingenuity in creating new complex and dramatised forms, full of astonishing changes, sudden pauses and contrasts.
The most popular of these pieces is the B-flat Scherzo, Op. 31. Chopin himself used it in his teaching and admonished his pupils to play the famous first bars in a manner that evoked the image of a mortuary.

ID:106
Preview TitleKey Year Level
Scherzo 1 Op. 20  in B Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAB Scherzo 1 Op. 2036 B Minor 1833 8+
Scherzo 2 Op. 31  in B-flat Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAC Scherzo 2 Op. 3134 B-flat Minor 1837 8+
Scherzo 3 Op. 39  in C-sharp Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAD Scherzo 3 Op. 395 C-sharp Minor 1839 8+
Scherzo 4 Op. 54  in E Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAE Scherzo 4 Op. 5413 E Major 1843 8+

Forum posts about the Scherzi by Frédéric Chopin

Rank these pieces by difficulty by hpiano
Hello! Haven’t posted here in a while. I’m curious how you all would rank these 15 major Romantic works by difficulty, since I plan to study...

the best coda of chopin scherzi by piabanoch
personally the 3rd one is the best...

Favourite piece of the Chopin Ballades and scherzi by resurrectcodeblack
Would love to hear your opinions on these pieces. I'm really not very familiar with them and am excited to hear what you all have to say...

What should I take on before tackling a Scherzo/Polonaise by goethefan69420
Gonna keep this brief. I can play scales forward and contrary fast almost all major, c minor, and some other ones hands together, I can lea...

Chopin Scherzo's by aweshana21
My teacher said I can either play one two or three what are the differences between difficulty and technique between them?...

Note discrepancies in Chopin by tinctoria88
I have a question about note discrepancies in music of Chopin.  Was Chopin upset about different publishers printing "variations&q...

Favorite sets/albums? by beethovenfan01
I'm talking about sets of pieces that are commonly played together in concert. I love the Schubert Impromptus Op. 90 and 142, Chopin�...

Your Dream Concert by rubinsteinmad
If you could attend a concert where your favorite pianist performed your dream program, what would it be ? Here's mine: Pianist: Kryst...

Chopin Scherzos: Obligatory Topic by dnephi
Discuss the following about all 4. 1. Character 2. Form 3. Technique- How demanding is it?  In what ways?  How much would you say...

Can you grade difficulties of these pieces from easiest to hardest? by redrum232
  Chopin: Ballade no 1, Ballade no 2, Ballade no 3, Scherzo no 3, Scherzo no 2, Berceuse, Polonaise Heroique  , Beethoven: Waldst...

Pick a Chopin scherzo for me! (Or at least help me decide). by lagin
Okay guys, which Chopin scherzo should I learn and why?  And does anyone know about how many pages each of them are?  (Want to pre...

chopin by elevateme
just a bit of fun...

Chopin Scherzos by lagin
Hey guys, I don't have access to the scores, but do any of the Chopin scherzos have repeats in them?  This is important, because I...

Chopin Scherzi by TheChosenOne
I want to learn a Chopin Scherzo, but I'm not sure which one.  My teacher says the 4th is the most difficult.  I like the sec...

Chopin Scherzi and Ballades by Fotios_Darcey
Could anyone suggest  recordings apart from Idil Biret (who does a beautiful job) of these pieces. Im looking for interesting interpret...