Scherzo Allegretto Vivace:
Nobody would have dreamt of calling this movement a scherzo if Beethoven had not explicitly done so. The scherzo, in 2/4 time, begins on a lively march with a characteristic emphasis on the last eighth note of each bar. The bass recalls the Largo of Op.7 and the Andante of Op.28. And with the simplest of main themes, which nevertheless went through five or six main versions in his 1802-3 sketchbook before assuming its final form.This scherzo is a sonata movement with a strong rondo suggestion. The certain staccato effects are common in his later works. The whole dynamic scheme of the scherzo should be carefully noticed, which gives it a restless character. Harmony also has a good deal to do with this character. The sudden outburst of F major, like the crack of a whip, is where the transition to the second subject begins. The second subject itself, in E flat major, tries to be more amiable. There is a very brief coda, ingeniously made from a perfectly natural continuation of the second subject and humorously clinched by bare dominant and tonic octaves. In conclusion, the whole movement is a strikingly original exhibition of humorous fantasy illustrated by a master of virtuosity.
Scherzo implies "joy".
(1) It is in a lively tempo.
(2) A movement of a symphony, sonata, or quartet in quick triple time, replacing the minuet.