How hard is Scherzo in F Major to play?

Its passages grade from level 6 to level 9 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 1–24 at level 9.

Is there an easy part of Scherzo in F Major for beginners?

Its easiest passage is level 6, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 1–4 for the right hand alone, the level-6 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 6 because it runs fast figuration.

What key and time signature is Scherzo in F Major in?

Scherzo in F Major is in F major, 1 flat. The engraving on this page is in 2/4 time.

Who composed Scherzo in F Major?

Joseph Haydn, Austrian classical (1732–1809). This Scherzo is the closing movement of Haydn's early keyboard sonata in F major, Hob.

Can I practice Scherzo in F Major online for free?

Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 14 graded passages from Scherzo in F Major in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.

It is an Italian word for a joke, and in Classical music it means a quick, light movement, often with surprises.

Which work is Haydn's Scherzo in F from?

It is the third and final movement of Haydn's F major keyboard sonata Hob. XVI:9, which is also called a divertimento.

Is Haydn's Scherzo in the public domain?

Yes. Haydn died in 1809, so the music is public domain, though modern editions and fingerings may carry their own copyright.

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Scherzo in F Major

Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) · sheet music

Key F major
Time 2/4
Levels 6–9
Passages 14

Your turn · both hands

Preparing your passage…

Joseph Haydn, Austrian classical (1732–1809). The reading release has 14 passages from this piece at levels 6–9; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 1–4 for the right hand alone.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 1–24 at level 9.

Your practice path

Learn it the way teachers do: each hand on its own, then together, then the hard bars. Each step is a real graded passage of Scherzo in F Major.

Right hand alone · bars 1–4 level 6
Hands together · bars 1–4 level 7
The hardest bars · bars 1–24 level 9

How to play Scherzo in F Major

Tempo:Keep it quick but not breathless: the Scherzo should dance, so choose a pace where short notes stay light and clear.
Right hand:Play the melody with a light, clear touch; separate the detached notes cleanly and connect the slurred ones fully.
Left hand:Keep the left hand shorter and quieter than the melody, as in a chamber piece where the bass accompanies.
Hands together:Aim to land the hands exactly together on the strong beats, and practice the places where they move at different speeds hands separately first.
Rhythm:Count two beats to the bar and give rests their full value, since silence is part of the humor.
Dynamics:Use clear contrasts between loud and soft phrases, which is typical of Haydn and easy for an audience to hear.
Practice:Practice the trickiest bar or two in short loops with a metronome, and speed up in small steps.
Reading:Read in F major with one flat, and watch for accidentals when the music turns to other keys.

Common mistakes

Letting detached notes turn into a legato blur. Fix: Play them short and light with a relaxed wrist.
Rushing through rests. Fix: Count them silently and keep the beat steady.
Playing loud, heavy accents. Fix: Use a quick, light accent in the fingers instead of the arm.

Structure: rounded binary

As printed on this page, the Scherzo has a short opening section in F major, a middle section that moves toward C major over running left-hand sixteenths, and a return of the opening music to close in F.

A · Opening section (F major): The right hand runs in broken-chord sixteenths over steady left-hand chords; this is the music to learn first.
B · Middle section: Repeated eighth notes in the right hand over a left hand that now moves in sixteenths, heading toward C major with E naturals and a B natural to watch.
A · Return (F major): The opening comes back unchanged, ending firmly in F major.

About Scherzo in F Major

This Scherzo is the closing movement of Haydn's early keyboard sonata in F major, Hob. XVI:9, which is also called a divertimento. Its three movements are an Allegro, a Minuet and Trio, and this Scherzo. IMSLP dates the work to 1766, while other sources place it before that, perhaps as early as 1758; it was not printed until 1895.

Haydn later reused this music in his Piano Trio in F major, Hob. XV:39, where the Scherzo becomes the final movement and the Minuet appears without its Trio.

The word scherzo is Italian for a joke, and this one is short and good-humored: a busy sixteenth-note tune over simple chords. For students it is a classic piece for practicing clear articulation, crisp phrase endings and a steady two-beat pulse.

The work had to wait well over a century for its first printing, which IMSLP gives as 1895.
When the music was reused in the Piano Trio Hob. XV:39, the Minuet went in without its Trio.
IMSLP also lists the sonata under the German title Klaviersonate Nr. 3.

Why the first passage is level 6

That passage is level 6 rather than 5 because it runs fast figuration.

A quick two-beat dance in F major. Look for the contrast between detached and slurred notes, and count the rests carefully.

Questions about Scherzo in F Major

How hard is Scherzo in F Major to play?: Its passages grade from level 6 to level 9 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 1–24 at level 9.
Is there an easy part of Scherzo in F Major for beginners?: Its easiest passage is level 6, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 1–4 for the right hand alone, the level-6 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 6 because it runs fast figuration.
What key and time signature is Scherzo in F Major in?: Scherzo in F Major is in F major, 1 flat. The engraving on this page is in 2/4 time.
Who composed Scherzo in F Major?: Joseph Haydn, Austrian classical (1732–1809). This Scherzo is the closing movement of Haydn's early keyboard sonata in F major, Hob.
Can I practice Scherzo in F Major online for free?: Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 14 graded passages from Scherzo in F Major in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
What is a scherzo?: It is an Italian word for a joke, and in Classical music it means a quick, light movement, often with surprises.
Which work is Haydn's Scherzo in F from?: It is the third and final movement of Haydn's F major keyboard sonata Hob. XVI:9, which is also called a divertimento.
Is Haydn's Scherzo in the public domain?: Yes. Haydn died in 1809, so the music is public domain, though modern editions and fingerings may carry their own copyright.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 14 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 6: bars 1–4 right hand · bars 5–6 right hand · bars 17–20 right hand · bars 21–24 right hand
Level 7: bars 1–4 both hands · bars 13–16 both hands
Level 8: bars 1–8 both hands · bars 5–8 both hands · bars 9–16 both hands · bars 9–12 both hands · bars 21–24 both hands
Level 9: bars 1–24 both hands · bars 17–24 both hands · bars 17–20 both hands

More pieces to sight-read

Score: public-domain engraving from the corpus (pdmx), graded by the piano-reading-v2-20261023-identity-audit reading release.

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