Views And Reviews: Dvaorak's Scherzo Capriccioso
...As it was, Dvorak married folk to form, a union whose progeny were not only memorable but also durable, and a procession of works utilising Czech folk models streamed from his pen,..
Paul Serotsky introduces us to one of the finest of Dvorak’s “colourful pieces’’.
Dvorak (1841-1904) – Scherzo Capriccioso
Having left school at 11 to learn the family trade, Dvorak might have become a butcher. Fortunately – for posterity and possibly the butchers’ trade – his musical talents were recognised and he was dispatched to Zlonice for more appropriate studies. After graduating from the Prague Organ School, while working as a violist in a band which became the core of the Provisional Theatre Orchestra (est. 1862), he came under the sway of Smetana, a decisive influence on this voraciously impressionable youngster.
Once he had cottoned on to the rich potential of Czech folk-music, with its bouncy open-air vigour and gracefulness, he never looked back. This influence burrowed into every corner of even his more formal works – chamber music and symphonies – but, had his innate lyrical talent not been cross-fertilised with another major influence, Brahms, Dvorak might have remained merely a “folksy tunesmith”.
As it was, Dvorak married folk to form, a union whose progeny were not only memorable but also durable, and a procession of works utilising Czech folk models streamed from his pen, including the Slavonic Dances op 46 and Slavonic Rhapsodies (1878), the Legends op 59 (1881), the overture My Home and a choral piece, Amid Nature (1882). 1883 saw the Hussite Overture and the Scherzo Capriccioso. Gratifyingly, regarding formal ingenuity his colourful pieces seem to be afforded the same attention as the “heavy stuff”.
The Scherzo Capriccioso is possibly the finest of these “colourful pieces”, but does it live up to its title? Let's see. The latter part, “whimsical” is easy: Dvorak indulges his flair for melodic invention and bright orchestration to the full, happily tossing in all sorts of “throwaway” snippets, just as the fancy takes him. Q.E.D.
But the “scherzo” part – well, that suggests a particular musical form, typically ABA(BA)-CDC-ABA. Just as we are cheerfully settling into the swing of scherzo, the expected third statement of A goes AWOL! Hmm – does this imply it’s a sonata exposition? Not so – C and D come toddling in, advocating a trio section. Until, that is, a sonata-style development of A and B imposes itself.
Now fully alert, we anticipate (or think we should) C's reappearance, but it doesn't happen! The music romps into a recapitulation of A and B, then muses capriciously (with even a brief harp cadenza), before plunging into a breathtaking coda based on A and saucily garnished with extract of C (on lower brass), sounding for all the world like a broad wink at those of us still waiting for C – or possibly a Number 11 Bus.
This is brilliant! Is Dvorak taking “scherzo” literally, as the Italian for a “joke”, and then teasing us with the vague similarity of Scherzo and Sonata forms? If so, many of us (including me, as a rule) miss the point, because it's hidden inside such deliriously luscious music.
© Paul Serotsky
