Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor

Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor by Frédéric Chopin, catalogued as Op. 31, is a work for solo piano in B-flat minor. Composed during the Romantic era, it forms part of the composer's enduring contribution to the keyboard repertoire and is freely available in the public domain through archives such as IMSLP.

Frédéric Chopin wrote almost exclusively for the piano. His preludes, études, nocturnes, ballades, scherzos, polonaises, mazurkas, and waltzes invented the Romantic piano vocabulary almost single-handedly — pedal as colour, rubato as breathing, the singing right-hand line over a flexible accompaniment.

The work is suited to virtuoso-level pianists. As with all repertoire from this period, study editions vary; the public-domain engravings linked here are based on the most widely-circulated nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century editions and are sufficient for serious study, recital preparation, and recording.

About Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric Chopin wrote almost exclusively for the piano. His preludes, études, nocturnes, ballades, scherzos, polonaises, mazurkas, and waltzes invented the Romantic piano vocabulary almost single-handedly — pedal as colour, rubato as breathing, the singing right-hand line over a flexible accompaniment.

Key character — B-flat minor

Funereal and grand. Chopin's Marche Funèbre and Rachmaninoff's Second Sonata draw on its dark gravity.

The Romantic Era

The Romantic era turned the piano into an orchestra under ten fingers. Chopin, Schumann, Schubert, Liszt, Brahms, and Mendelssohn pushed expression toward the personal and the poetic, exploiting pedal, color, and virtuosity in equal measure.

About the Scherzo form

Italian for 'joke,' the scherzo originated as a fast triple-meter movement replacing the Classical minuet. Chopin's four scherzos, however, are anything but humorous — they are dramatic, almost symphonic single-movement works.