Meaning & use
scherzo
Last updated
a lively, playful movement in a piece of classical music, typically in triple time, often the third movement of a symphony or sonata.
See it in a sentence
The symphony's scherzo bounced along with unexpected rhythmic twists.
Beethoven often replaced the traditional minuet with a faster, more energetic scherzo.
A note on using this word
Scherzo is Italian for 'joke,' reflecting the movement's typically playful, lighthearted character in contrast to slower symphonic movements.
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