Musical Humor and Beethoven's Symphonic Scherzi

This introduction to musical humor examines the historical importance of certain compositional choices, exemplified by Beethoven's symphonic Scherzi - translated to mean Jokes. Beethoven helped change formal and structural traditions by toying with expectations derived from established Classical Period models. This change is apparent in the decisions made by future composers who emulated his clever manipulation of conventional patterns. After discussing the nature of musical humor, this study covers Classical precedents, and the development and extensive imitation of Beethoven's symphonic Scherzi. However, once the wit and humor of Beethoven's Scherzi became standard methods of composition, the amusing qualities were stripped away as the unexpected became expected. Yet, the imitation and replication of Beethoven's techniques shifted the perceived boundaries of the stylistic traditions, and a new paradigm was formed.