scherzo

American  

[skert-soh] / ˈskɛrt soʊ /

noun

Music.

plural

scherzos, scherzi

1. a movement or passage of light or playful character, especially as the second or third movement of a sonata or a symphony.

---

scherzo British  

/ ˈskɛətsəʊ /

noun

1. a brisk lively movement, developed from the minuet, with a contrastive middle section (a trio) See minuet

---

Etymology

Origin of scherzo

First recorded in 1850–55; from Italian: literally, “joke,” derivative of scherzare “to joke,” of Langobardic origin (compare German Scherz “a joke, jest”)

Explanation

A scherzo is a very fast section of classical music, often within a larger composition. A scherzo is usually upbeat and sometimes even humorous. The plural form of scherzo is scherzi. Many symphonies and sonatas include scherzi, often in their second or third movements. The scherzo developed from the minuet, another lively musical form which itself came from a French dance. In Italian, scherzo means "joke" or "sport," from the root word scherzare, "to jest or joke," and this describes the lighthearted mood of many scherzi.

Example Sentences

Ditto the scherzo — a sprint of 16th notes that he articulated with brilliance and clarity.

From Washington Post • Apr. 19, 2023

His scherzo had a wonderfully light air about it.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2022

The scherzo, too, was uniquely dispatched, the conductor switching between characters on his stage, especially during its ravishing trio.

From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2022

Next, because the continuation of a phrase also needs to follow a certain musical form, whether it's a scherzo, trio or fugue, the AI needed to learn Beethoven's process for developing these forms.

From Salon • Oct. 9, 2021

Once at a small theatre I did the whole of the Mendelssohn music to the Dream, excepting the scherzo, on a band of eighteen, and it didn't sound half bad.

From Shakespeare and Music by Wilson, Christopher