Marches caractéristiques in C major D886 (c 1826)

The Marches caractéristiques for piano duet are scarcely, in spite of their title, characteristic marches. They are both in 6/8 time and, at their Allegro vivace tempo, sound more like brilliantly reckless scherzos than marches. The outer sections have a two-in-a-bar pulse, it is true, but there is an insistent six-quaver rhythm in every bar, while the fanciful trio sections have still less in common with standard 2/2 march time adopted by Schubert in his Marches militaires.