Example 7:
Modulation from the Trio to the Scherzo in the second movement
The next important section of Leichtentritt's analysis,
one that has been repeated ad nauseum
by hosts of other writers, is that of explaining the absence of the first
subject at the beginning of the recapitulation section of the first movement.
Leichtentritt maintains that the first subject generates such a significantly
large portion of the development section that to recapitulate it would be
repetitive and ungainly.
Apart from the Finale, which will be examined in Chapter
Ten, the final point of Lechitentritt's analysis worth highlighting is that of
Chopin's manner of linking the Scherzo and the Trio, a feature examined
previously in the work of Herbert Weinstock on page 25. Leichtentritt maintains
that the beginning of the Funeral March is prepared by the slow ending of the
Scherzo, by means of an expertly placed ritardando
(beginning bar 277) at the end of the Scherzo and the changing of time
signature from 3/4 in the Scherzo to 4/4 in the March. The effect of this is
that the March is heard as a continuation of the ritardando of the Scherzo owing to the stretching of the time
signature and broader tempo.
This is illustrated in Example 8:
