Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....

 composed his Scherzo No. 4 in E major

E major

E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....

, Op

Opus number

An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...

. 54, the fourth and the last of his scherzo

Scherzo

A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...

s, in 1842.

The scherzo was published in 1843. Unlike the preceding three scherzi (Op. 20, Op. 31, Op. 39), the E-major is generally calmer in temperament. The scherzo is in sonata rondo form

Sonata rondo form

Sonata rondo form was a form of musical organization often used during the Classical music era. As the name implies, it is a blend of sonata form and rondo form.- Structure :...

, moving to a trio in C-sharp minor, based on a Polish folk song.

Structure

The fourth scherzo's primary theme is first introduced with a humorous melody played by both hands, in an E major key signature and marked with the tempo Presto. The melody of the main theme is mostly played in chords, until it reaches a faster section where some of the melody is played in quaver notes. The key signature changes from E major to A-flat major and then back to E major in the middle of the main theme. After the main theme ends, the secondary theme is introduced with a slow melody, in C-sharp minor key signature, marked Più lento and mainly accompanied by arpeggios played in quarter notes. The second theme is somehow melancholic in tone, which contrasts the main theme as the opposite of the secondary theme. In the middle of the secondary theme, the key signature is changed to D minor for 10 measures and then back to E major. This change happens three times in the secondary theme. The melody grows louder in the end and is then followed with a transition between the secondary theme and the repetition of the main theme. This transition is in forms of quick arpeggiated quaver notes and tremolos at the end of the transition. After the transition, the tempo is back to the main tempo. The main theme is repeated but in a louder and livelier tone than the first with more companion notes for the left hand such as tremolos and chords. In the middle of the repetition, the same change of key signature as the first theme is repeated. After this change, another change of key signature from E major to E-flat major occurs. The scherzo ends with a coda in E major and is closed with a six-octave E major scale followed with E Major chords.