Page "Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)" Paragraph 56

The second movement, a scherzo and trio, is also in D minor, with the introduction bearing a passing resemblance to the opening theme of the first movement, a pattern also found in the Hammerklavier piano sonata, written a few years earlier.

At times during the piece, Beethoven directs that the beat should be one downbeat every three bars, perhaps because of the very fast pace of the of the movement, with the direction ritmo di tre battute (" rhythm of three bars "), and one beat every four bars with the direction ritmo di quattro battute (" rhythm of four bars ").