Musical Analysis: Bernstein on Schumann, Symphony No. 2, Op. 61 - V. "In The Marvellous Scherzo That Follows..." (2nd Movement)

Текст песни Leonard Bernstein - Musical Analysis: Bernstein on Schumann, Symphony No. 2, Op. 61 - V. "In The Marvellous Scherzo That Follows..." (2nd Movement)

In the marvelous scherzo which follows, the violin section is
Treated to a real test. It is a virtuoso piece of the first order
Requiring great skill, accuracy, and endurance from every last
Violinist. And this, mind you, hard on the heels of a first
Movement in which the violin section has been given no quarter
It is merciless, but it is great music. The scherzo begins this way

Many critics dismiss this as un-violinistic. That is, they
Claim it is properly piano music which has been given to the
Violins to play, the theory being that Schumann was basically
A piano composer and that his orchestral works suffer thereby
This is simply untrue. Any pianist can testify that it is just
As difficult to play on the piano. And again, difficulty of
Performance is no criterion. As the scherzo goes on and the
Violins climb to higher positions, it becomes even more difficult

But now it is becoming difficult also for the woodwinds
And for the conductor. Did you notice that little slowing
Down at the end and the immediate picking up of tempo? Most
Difficult to do for all concerned, but what charm it has

There are two trios, or middle sections, in this movement
Both contrastingly delicate and chamber-music-ish in
Quality. The first trio makes especial use of the winds
Again providing a resting point for the overworked strings

The second trio, however, uses the strings in a new way: sustained
Lyrical, and intimate. And this is perhaps the most important point
Of all to be made about the performance of Schumann's orchestral
Music: that there are infinite ways in which the strings can be
Made to sound, and should be made to sound. For example, in this
Trio, by using only a very small portion of the bow and a very fast
Vibration of the left hand, a sonority can be produced which is so
Different from the string sounds previously heard in the symphony
That it is almost like a different choir of instruments playing

That's the kind of variety Schumann needs, not a re-orchestration
In the style of Wagner. Listen and see if you can hear the sound
Of the strings change completely, as if to a choir of human voices
So Schumann's so-called overuse of strings is more than justified
By the variety of ways in which he handles them. This beautiful
Passage we just heard achieves that degree of sweetness and intimacy
Because Schumann has treated the strings in the manner of a string
Quartet, omitting the double basses and writing the cellos in a
High register. This, combined with the performing technique I
Described above, lends a new sound to the string body. The brilliance

Of this scherzo is unrivaled for its time, and the coda, with all
The violins, firsts and seconds, joining in the final virtuoso fling
With, of course, the brass motif recalled from the introduction
Capping the climax, has been known to bring audiences to their feet
Clamoring for an immediate repetition of the whole movement