The Mazurkas, Op. 6 contained four of the first
mazurkas that
Chopin published.
No. 1 in F minor
Dedicated to
Grafin Pauline Plater, this mazurka uses Polish
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
rhythms and modes and has a metronome mark of 132, making it one of Chopin's slower mazurkas. It is of moderate difficulty: the
ABRSM
The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualification ...
system assigns a grade 7. The piece starts with a
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
section in which the central
theme
Theme or themes may refer to:
* Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work
* Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos
* Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...
is stated. This revolves around
oscillating
Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...
triplets and brings heavy accents on the third beat of each bar. A second theme,
fortissimo
In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer dependin ...
, offers a passage full of sforzandos and wedge accents. The original theme then returns, forte, but quickly decrescendos. These passages end with repeats. The third theme enters as an
ostinato under a thundering accompaniment with a grace note before every chord. There is use of the Lydian mode, and the accents are even heavier than in the second section. After several percussion chords, the central theme returns and the mazurka gradually dies away.
No. 2 in C minor
The second mazurka of the set, in
C-sharp minor
C-sharp minor is a minor scale based on C, with the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of four sharps.
The C-sharp natural minor scale is:
:
Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale ar ...
, is played faster than the previous one, with a more lively theme.
No. 3 in E major
The third mazurka of the set, in
E major, features a happier theme than the rest, with a "waltz-esque" rhythm.
No. 4 in E minor
The final mazurka in
E-flat minor
E-flat minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature consists of six flats. Its relative key is G-flat major (or enharmonically F-sharp major) and its parallel key is E-flat major. ...
is the shortest one of the set. The mazurka features a repeating theme.
Bibliography
* Chopin Mazurkas, ABRSM, Edited by Thomas Fielden and Harold Craxton
* CHOPIN FRYDERYK - Mazurki (1) - z serii DZIEŁA WSZYSTKIE wyk. Henryk Sztompka; op.6 (fis-moll, cis-moll, E-dur, es-moll, C-dur)
PolishMusic.ca
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazurkas, Chopin06
Mazurkas by Frédéric Chopin
Music with dedications