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Definition of scherzo
scherzos
orscherzi
play \-(ˌ)sē\: a sprightly humorous instrumental musical composition or movement commonly in quick triple time
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Recent Examples of scherzo from the Web
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Alsop drew gorgeous playing from the strings in the slow movement, vivid work from winds and brass in the scherzo and finale.
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The second of two great septuagenarian pianists passing through New York this week brings with him an all-Chopin program, featuring two sets of nocturnes, a couple of ballades, a scherzo, a berceuse and the third of the composer’s sonatas.
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One of those passages is from the scherzo of Opus 135, 50 bars of an unchanging accompaniment that many point to as an early precursor of minimalist music.
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Underpinning the piece is the impatient rhythmic motif from the scherzo of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
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While Bruckner did have a certain affection for the flute (its shivering excitement in the trio section of the Ninth’s scherzo is one example), most of his wind melodies are generically windy.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scherzo'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of scherzo
Italian, literally, joke, from scherzare
SCHERZO Defined for English Language Learners
scherzo
playDefinition of scherzo for English Language Learners
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: a lively, humorous piece of music that is played quickly
Learn More about scherzo
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about scherzo
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