Symphony No.2 in D Op.36 III. Scherzo. Allegro

Beethoven
Cleveland Orchestra

Overall, after listening to the piece, I would have to give it a rounded binary form. The A section has an expository and translational function, the B section a developmental to terminative function. The piece begins with a heavy metric accent on one. Two follows with a triplet rhythm. The tempo is brisk, and in a major key. The extreme contrast in metric accent (between one and two) helps to create a compound duple time signature. The triplet rhythm serves not only as a way to establish metric accents but also to lead up to the repetition of the heavy metric accent on the beginning of the next phrase. The difference in timbre between the first and second beats only add to the contrast, the first beat being largely brass and the second strings (with a very soft dynamic). Combined, these elements have an effect of establishing a joyous texture, and the repetition of it also helps establish it as the motive. This motive, which is a total of two phrases long, is repeated twice. Because the heavy metric accent on one is heard four seperate times, it establishes a sort of pulse. The next section is a developmental one on the triplet, softer aspect of the theme. It also serves a translational function back to a repetition of the theme. After hearing the heavy metric accent at the beginning four seperate times, it would have been too monotonous to not break the theme. The theme is also a parallel period, I think, - it is organized very much like one (just repeated) but I wasn't sure of the cadences. The end of the second time the theme is repeated, (after it has been through the developmental function) enters a translational function where it modulates. It then enters a more melodic, developmental function. The B section ends with a more terminative function back to the original key and theme, ending on an IAC. There are many developmental functions throughout the piece that made it more difficult to put a definate structure to it. I liked the ending, it seemed to sort of combine all these functions, still managing to create the main theme, and end in on an effect PAC. Overall, the piece seemed to use a lot of timbre contrasts and rhythm contrasts. There was the liter, more melodic theme, and the heavy brass metric accent, that sort of fell randomly but created a nice structure.