The last of the mazurkas from opus 7 in A flat major is: [...an unquestionable cliché of folk music...Tadeusz Zieliński wrote that this Mazurka was ‘taken note for note from folklore’] according to professor Mieczysław Tomaszewski, This Mazurka was dedicated to Paul Emile Johns, a composer, known as the first who performed a Beethoven piano … Continue reading Chopin: Mazurka Op.7 No.4
Mazurka Op. 7 No. 2 was composed by Chopin in a minor key. It has an intimate sound and sometimes tends to be grateful. The central part instead seems to evoke a piece of medieval festival music with a trumpet ring. In fact, in the album of Elsner's daughter, Emilia was found in a previous … Continue reading Chopin: Mazurka Op.7 No.2
This Mazurka is in B flat major, Szulc wrote that ‘it has hired the length and breadth of Poland. This mazurka is similar in character to the ‘drinking song’ titled ‘Hulanka’. This Mazurka has the form of a rondo. The refrain, of unconventional design, thrusts its way upwards, swinging and swaggering, before falling back down … Continue reading Chopin: Mazurka Op.7 No.1
This Mazurka is in B minor. It has a peculiar music character that combines a minor key with a moderate tempo. The opening theme is based on a play of dynamics, alternating between piano and forte. In its wake, a curiously breathless motif comes to the forte, repeated insistently, on ever-higher degrees of the scale. … Continue reading Chopin: Mazurka Op.30 No.2
This Mazurka, in E flat minor, is the last of the opus 6 mazurkas composed by Chopin. It appears to be a memory of a lyric Kujawiak instead of a real piece of dance. Chopin gave this Mazurka a quick tempo - presto ma non troppo - quick but not too quick. A lot of pianists play it very … Continue reading Chopin: Mazurka Op.6 No.4
The Mazurka Op.6 n.2 is in C-sharp minor. It has the rhythm of a Mazur a little bit melancholic. This mazurka manifests all its power and its force only in the cadence. In the trio, we find a contrast of shades and character with the entry of a new joyful melody of a Kujawiak, according to … Continue reading F. Chopin: Mazurka Op.6 n.2
Mazurka The Mazurka, in Polish Mazurek, is a couple dancing with widespread triple rhythm across Europe. The etymology of the word Mazurka is of Polish origin and derives from Mazury, Mazury in Polish, or Mazovia, names of two Polish regions, to Mazurek, a village near Warsaw, where the first 500 originated this dance, or Mazur, … Continue reading Chopin: Mazurka Op.6 No.1
Gustav Merkel was a German organist and composer. He was born on November 12, 1827, in Oberoderwitz, Kingdom of Saxony and was dead on October 30, 1885, in Dresden. He studied piano with Schumann's father in law, Friedrich Wieck. He spent most of his career in Dresden, concentrating on organ-playing from 1858. A Lutheran himself, he nevertheless … Continue reading Merkel: Berceuse Op.18 No.4
The Waltz Op. 69 n. 1 is a waltz for solo piano was written by Frédéric Chopin in September 1835 and is also known by the title apocryphal Waltz farewell. According to Wodzinski's book in the volume Le Trois Romans De Frédéric Chopin, the piece was inspired by the composer Maria Wodzińska when he was … Continue reading Chopin: Waltz Op. 69 No. 1
Gustav Lange was a German composer known mainly for his wonderful melodious salon music. He was born in Schwerstedt near Erfurt, on August,13 in 1830 and was dead in Wernigerode on July,20 in 1889. He received initial musical training from his father on the piano and organ, followed by conservatory studies in piano, organ, thorough … Continue reading Gustav Lange: Blumenlied Op. 39 (Flower Song)
Dario Gatto / Pianist & Composer 