“Scherzo Serioso” is Italian; it means “serious joke.”

A serious joke? Really?

Sure. The piece opens with that most serious of all musical statements: the famous first four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

It’s deeply serious. And yet when you hear MY piece opening with those same notes, you will know it’s a joke. You know that the famous motif will be turned on its head, viewed from a new direction. It will be rendered humorous.

Charles Ives (whose birthday is October 20, this coming Friday) would “get it” right away. In fact, he re-used Beethoven’s motif in several works of his own. He reasoned that Beethoven did not have exclusive rights to that four-note motif and that there remained a great deal more that composers might do with it.

Let’s consider what Beethoven did. Having stated those first four notes, he repeats the four-note motif a step lower.

But what if he had repeated those first four notes a step HIGHER?

In my piece, the shape is tentatively repeated a step higher, as if the musician is not quite sure whether or not this is allowed.

Nothing bad happens, so the shape is repeated a THIRD time, higher yet. And then the ruckus begins. Some of the famous Beethoven energy is there but without that dark intensity that only he could conjure. In this little piece jollity prevails.

Too, the Beethoven piece is scored for full orchestra while my little “joke” is scored for solo cello. Music for unaccompanied cello is almost always deeply serious because all solo cello music rests in the shadow of Bach’s great, deeply serious cello suites.

Back to my piece. A second theme is soon introduced. In sharp contrast to the jagged Beethoven motif, the second theme is lyrical and conjunct; that is to say, the notes of the melody move up and down in small steps rather than large, disjunct leaps. The impression is smoothness and serenity, quite the opposite of the bold opening motif I ‘swiped’ from Beethoven.

Now we have two elements of music, two themes, each very different than the other. We are intrigued and alert. We will follow what comes next and in the same manner that we would follow the words of a good storyteller.

A third element rises out of the music: the beloved American folk song “Shenandoah” is peeking out from behind a tree. Listen for it.

What is that tune doing in this piece?

The tune pops up in my music and not infrequently. Most of you know that “Shenandoah” is the name we chose for our daughter, one reason being that we both loved the song so much. The beloved folk song has many associations for me; it stirs me deeply. But it does not make me laugh. It is unfunny. In an otherwise humorous piece it has the effect of “tragic relief.”

Yes, tragic relief. It is there because it makes such a strong contrast with the other elements comprising the piece. It is another “opposite” to be reconciled, you see?

One of several cellist friends who have taken upon themselves the challenge of performing and recording the new cello pieces I’ve been writing is Randy Calistri-Yeh of Killingworth, CT.

To hear Randy’s splendid, hearty, chest-thumping performance of my “Scherzo Serioso,” click on the link above.

To see a PDF of the score, click on the link above.