Study score 0-571-55729-5 (fp) on sale, full score and parts for hire

David Matthews (b. 1943): Scherzo Capriccioso, op. 52 Commissioned by the Bath Festival, Scherzo Capriccioso was composed in 1990 for the Young Musicians of Bath. The title refers to Dvorák only in so far as the piece is dedicated to two Czech friends. Though after I had decided on it, I discovered that the rhythm of the opening theme of Dvorák’s Scherzo Capriccioso is fortuitously echoed near the start of my own piece. My Scherzo Capriccioso is an expanded reworking of the second movement of my Second String Quartet. That was called simply ‘scherzo’: the capricious element is introduced in a new section which is the only part of the piece to move away from the anchoring tonality of C. The harmonies and rhythms of the opening are influenced by rock music, and everything else in the piece is derived from this elemental material.

© David Matthews