Thema: "Wir werden ausgelacht": Irritierende Momente in Bruckners Scherzo des Streichquintetts

Several of Anton Bruckner's works were not premiered until after his death, including his string quintet. The piece was dedicated to violinist Joseph Hellmesberger, who delayed its premiere because he thought that the public would find the piece unacceptable, especially the scherzo. The article analyzes the scherzo movement in an attempt to discover precisely what Hellmesberger perceived to be so irritating about this piece. The details that are analyzed include the harmony and harmonic rhythm, melody, rhythm, and contrasts. Several musical score excerpts are given.