This first Scherzo takes A-B-A-Coda form and begins with two chords in fortissimo. At tremendous speed, a series of dramatic outbursts in the
B minor tonic follows. Near the center of the piece, the music leads into a slower section in
B major; finally one hears a tangible melody in the middle register, surrounded by accompaniment in both the left and upper right hands. Chopin quotes here from an old Polish
Christmas song (
Lulajże, Jezuniu / Sleep, little Jesus); the tempo in this section is marked
Molto più lento. The B major area dissolves as the harmony mysteriously changes character via secondary dominants. The two chords from the beginning reappear, superimposed over vestiges of the middle section. Then the beginning presto repeats itself in the familiar minor tonic. The lead-in to the dramatic, virtuosic coda is similar to the approach toward the
Molto più lento, but slightly different (as it is with Chopin's Second and Third Scherzi). This final section incorporates dizzying
arpeggiated flights up and down almost the entire keyboard, suspended by a climactic series of nine ten-note chords (E diminished seventh (with diminished third) over a dominant (F#) bass pedal). After the resolution and a rapid chromatic ascent over four octaves in both hands, the piece comes to a resolute conclusion via a bold triple-forte (fff) altered
plagal cadence (C#m7b5/B - Bm) that strongly resembles an "Amen" ending to a hymn. In his rendition of the Scherzo No. 1,
Vladimir Horowitz famously duplicated the
chromatic scale near the ending into interlocking octaves, a technique he often used as his signature on other pieces. The interlocking octaves were meant to be played at the same speed as the original chromatic scale.
Franz Liszt was reputedly the first to play it this way.
Theodor Kullak in his 1882 edition added the comment: "most
virtuosos execute this scale in octaves". ==History==