He
fumes and frets, but upon his countenance is che precious fury of
the sibyls. We see the soul that suffers from secret convulsions,
but forgive the writhing for the music made. These four Scherzi
are psychical records, confessions committed to paper of
outpourings that never could have passed the lips. From these
alone we may almost reconstruct the real Chopin, the inner
Chopin, whose conventional exterior so ill prepared the world for
the tragic issues of his music.
The first Scherzo is a fair model. There are a few bars of
introduction--the porch, as Niecks would call it--a principal
subject, a trio, a short working-out section, a skilful return to
the opening theme, and an elaborate coda. This edifice, not
architecturally flawless, is better adapted to the florid
beauties of Byzantine treatment than to the severe Hellenic line.
Yet Chopin gave it dignity, largeness and a classic massiveness.
The interior is romantic, is modern, personal, but the facade
shows gleaming minarets, the strangely builded shapes of the
Orient. This B minor Scherzo has the acid note of sorrow and
revolt, yet the complex figuration never wavers.
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