The Scherzo-Type in the transitional fin-de-siècle period (roughly 1890s to 1910s) is one of the more generically malleable and aesthetically ambiguous aspects of the symphonic repertoire. The present study aims to illustrate the different approaches to the Scherzo-Type among composers of different generations and aesthetic contexts within the period, laying focus on the ways they deal with the aesthetic premises of the type in terms of micro- and macroform, timbral organisation, and rhythmic outline of the pieces. The examples I use for this are Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, Anton Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony, and Gustav Mahler’s Tenth Symphony. The sound qualities and tempo dramaturgies used by these composers shed light to the perception of the Scherzo-Type during the fin-de-siècle and demonstrate both elements of common ground and divergences between these composers and the traditions they represent.

The various versions of the Scherzo of Bruckner’s 9^th symphony provide evidence of an evolving sonic quality which encompasses several distinct characters (Göllerich / Auer 1922; Carragan 2024). The two middle movements of Tchaikovsky’s 6^th symphony call for different approaches of the dance-types: the second movement is based on the ternary form and uses the unusual 5/4-time signature, while the third movement is a hybrid form of scherzo and sonatina (Kohlhase 1983; Jackson 1999; Taruskin 2009). Finally, Mahler’s multifaceted approach to the Scherzo-type reaches its zenith with his 10^th symphony (Karbusicky 1978; Micznik 1994). Despite Mahler dying prior to finishing the entire symphony, the score and short score drafts provide evidence to a three-movement scherzo-structure within the symphony (Op de Coul 1986; Rothkamm 2000, 2003 and 2011).

Ludwig van Beethoven’s extensive use of the Scherzo in his symphonies, developing on the Scherzo-Type established by Joseph Haydn, as well as his innovations in terms of macroform and timbral construction provided the composers of the 19^th and 20^th century with a valuable space for experimentation with musical parameters such as rhythm, metric manipulations, and melos. This paper, through close analysis of metre and the invocation of different dance types, unearths the ironic manipulations of the symphonic Scherzo-Type in the fin-de-siècle period.