Scherzo, sometimes also referred to as Scherzo in G minor, is one of Igor Stravinsky's earliest works for piano. It was composed in 1902.

Composition

In 1902, when Stravinsky composed the piece, he was studying law at

St. Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter t ...

.Sadie, Stanley and Tyrrell, John (eds.) (2003)
''The New Grove Stravinsky''
p. 3. Oxford University Press. Truslove, David (2008)
Liner notes: ''Stravinsky: Piano Music''
Naxos Records He met Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's son Vladimir there. At this time, Stravinsky's ambition was to become a composer, since his father,

Fyodor Stravinsky Fyodor Ignatievich Stravinsky (russian: Фёдор Игнатьевич Страви́нский), , estate Novy Dvor (Aleksichi), Rechitsky Uyezd, Minsk Governorate ) was a Russian Bass (voice type), bass opera singer and actor. He was the fathe ...

, was also a successful bass opera singer, but studied law out of being pressured into it by his family. However, he started coming to Nikolai's house in order to learn composition and orchestration. Very few juvenalia works from this period still remain, but some of them, presumably the ones he kept in his portfolio, survived. This was the case for his Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor and, also, this

scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often re ...

. After composing just a handful of works in these years, Stravinsky would not produce anything significant, but continued to attend private classes with Rimsky-Korsakov until the latter's death in 1908. Stravinsky never mentioned the Scherzo specifically in any of his autobiographical writings. However, he made references to his early piano works in his conversations with

Robert Craft Robert Lawson Craft (October 20, 1923 – November 10, 2015) was an American conductor and writer. He is best known for his intimate professional relationship with Igor Stravinsky, on which Craft drew in producing numerous recordings and books. ...

. In ''Expositions and Developments'', he described them simply as "andantes, melodies, and so forth". In ''Dialogues'', Stravinsky noted that Rimsky-Korsakov's biographer had mentioned a 1903 concert of his pieces, but he stated "I have no recollection of these bagatelles". With the fall of the Russian Empire most of these early works were presumed to be lost or kept hidden somewhere. Stravinsky himself went to Russia many years later, but nobody seemed to know that the manuscripts of most of his early works were in the safekeeping of several public libraries in the Soviet Union. The manuscript score for the Scherzo was held in the Leningrad State Library in the archives of the pianist Nicholas Richter (1879–1944). Richter was an old acquaintance of Stravinsky and the dedicatee of the Scherzo. The first known publication of the score was a facsimile of the

holograph An autograph or holograph is a manuscript or document written in its author's or composer's hand. The meaning of autograph as a document penned entirely by the author of its content, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by a copyist o ...

which appeared in Valery Smirnov's 1970 book ''Tvorcheskoye formirovaniye I. F. Stravinskovo'' (''The Formative years of I. F. Stravinsky''). A facsimile version of the piece was also published by

Faber Music Faber Music is a British sheet music publisher best known for contemporary classical music. It also publishes music tutor books, and in 2005 acquired popular music publisher International Music Publications. Faber Music has close relations to ...

in 1972, just a year after Stravinsky's death. Taruskin, Richard. (2016)
''Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions''
Vol. 1, p. 100. University of California Press. The Scherzo did not receive any formal premiere. According to musicologist Charles M. Joseph, there has been speculation that it may have been performed privately for

Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

in the summer of 1902 when Stravinsky was hoping to be accepted as his pupil. There is no evidence that Richter ever publicly performed the work, although he is known to have premiered the Piano Sonata in F sharp minor, another of Stravinsky's pieces which were dedicated to him.Joseph, Charles M. (January 1981)
"Stravinsky's Piano Scherzo (1902) in Perspective: A New Starting Point"
pp. 83–84. ''

The Musical Quarterly ''The Musical Quarterly'' is the oldest academic journal on music in America. Originally established in 1915 by Oscar Sonneck, the journal was edited by Sonneck until his death in 1928. Sonneck was succeeded by a number of editors, including Ca ...

'', Vol. 67, No. 1. Retrieved 22 February 2018 .

Structure

This scherzo is scored for solo piano and has a duration of only two minutes. As is customary, the scherzo has an ABA structure and is in . The scherzo part itself starts in

G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. According to Paolo Pietropaolo, it is the con ...

, initially marked '' Allegro'' by Stravinsky, but later changed to ''Vivo'', probably by Richter himself. The trio is marked ''Moderato'' and modulates to

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable composi ...

. During the recapitulation, the piece modulates again to G minor. It ends, after presenting the theme once more, with a short coda.

Recordings

Since the Scherzo's rediscovery, it has appeared on several recordings including: *Stravinsky: ''Piano Music''. Victor Sangiorgio, pianist (first released by Collins Classics in 1993; re-released by Naxos Records in 2007) *Stravinsky: ''Works for Solo Piano''. Martin Jones, pianist (released on

Nimbus Records Nimbus Records is a British record company based at Wyastone Leys, Ganarew, Herefordshire. They specialise in classical music recordings and were the first company in the UK to produce compact discs. Description Nimbus was founded in 1972 by ...

in 1997)'' Gramophone'' (9 January 2013)
"Review: Stravinsky Works for Solo Piano-Martin Jones"
Retrieved 22 February 2018.

Composition

Structure

Recordings

References

Further reading