scherzando

Playfully, jokingly — a term indicating a light, humorous, teasing character. In Burgmüller's L'Arabesque (Op. 100 No. 2), the marking 'Allegro scherzando' tells the performer that the etude should feel like a game: witty, fleet-footed, and never heavy.

Scherzando requires physical lightness — raised wrists, quick finger release, and a bright rather than warm tone. The humour is in the precision of the articulation: if the staccatos are not crisp, the joke falls flat.