''"Scherzo à la russe"'', Op. 1, No. 1, is part of the first published work of

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...

in 1867, ''Two Pieces for Piano'', Op. 1. It is based on a Russian folk tune in B-flat major, that the composer had earlier used in his first attempt to write a string quartet. It was first called ''Capriccio'' (Italian, "whim") but was later changed to "

Scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often re ...

à la russe". The other piece in the work was called "Impromptu" in E-flat minor, Op. 1, No. 2.

References

Compositions by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1867 compositions Compositions for solo piano Compositions using folk songs {{classical-composition-stub