Dring Scherzando -from 12 Pieces In The Form Of Studies- Apr 2026

Madeleine Dring’s Scherzando is a minor masterpiece of mid-20th-century British piano literature. It belongs to a lineage of “character studies” that includes Schumann’s Kreisleriana and Debussy’s Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum —pieces that use pedagogical frameworks to explore psychological states.

For the pianist, mastering Scherzando requires not just digital dexterity but a sense of comedic timing. It teaches that rhythm can be flexible, dissonance can be charming, and that the highest level of technique is the ability to sound like you are falling apart—deliberately. In an era of sterile, perfect recordings, Dring’s Scherzando remains a rebellious reminder: music’s greatest power is to laugh at itself. dring scherzando -from 12 pieces in the form of studies-

The climax of the piece (bars 45–52) is a descending chromatic run in double-sixths—an objectively difficult technical maneuver. However, just as the pianist executes this feat, Dring marks perdendosi (losing itself) and smorzando (dying away). The loud, impressive run collapses into a whispered, out-of-tune-sounding trill on the dominant. Madeleine Dring’s Scherzando is a minor masterpiece of

This is not atonal chaos, but rather a theatrical wink. It is the sound of a character trying to maintain a polite smile while stepping on a rake. The “study” aspect here is pedagogical: teach the student that dissonance is not a mistake, but a color. For the pianist, mastering Scherzando requires not just

The Irony of Velocity: Dring’s “Scherzando” as a Study in Controlled Chaos Subtitle: Re-evaluating Pedagogical Wit in 12 Pieces in the Form of Studies