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Romantic · scherzo

Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31

Frédéric Chopin · Level 9, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A scherzo dedicated to Adèle de Fürstenstein. Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31 is a scherzo by Frédéric Chopin from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 9, an estimate.

On this page
  • scherzo
  • Romantic
  • playful
  • stormy
  • block chords

Also known as Scherzo No. 2 (F.Chopin Op. 31).

History

The Society dates the Second Scherzo to 1837 and records its dedication to Countess Adèle de Fürstenstein. The bibliography lists French and English issues in 1837, with the German issue in 1838. Its history is therefore more precise when national editions are kept separate.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. A low-register opening gesture

    Both staves begin the same contour an octave apart, moving from a held note into a short triplet. Keep the parts together and the triplet clear without making the held note feel hurried.

  2. The silence belongs to the phrase

    A short note releases into rests, followed by a complete bar of silence. Keep counting through the gap; it is written musical space, not missing content or an ending to trim.

  3. A sudden change of register

    A short low gesture gives way to a much higher, fuller chord. Prepare the change of position while keeping the intervening rests and the new chord attack clear.

  4. Full chords lead back to the opening figure

    Broad chord sounds continue, then shorter chord changes lead into the return of the low triplet gesture. Keep the changing note lengths distinct and hear how the opening material reappears.

How to practise it

Keep the two opening lines together and let their rests make space.

  1. Coordinate the octave-separated lines.
  2. Keep the short figure clear.
  3. Do not fill the ending rests.

How hard is it

Level 9, estimated

The concert-oriented proposal concerns the full scherzo's contrasted character, dependable coordination and sustained performance arc, not a single familiar gesture.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Frédéric Chopin, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Licence
CC0
Source
musescore.com

More by Frédéric Chopin

  1. Prelude in A major, Op. 28 No. 7Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
  2. Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52Level 10, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Keep the two opening lines together and let their rests make space.

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