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
The Fuga is one of the most complex and original compositions of J.S. Bach. This genre is characterized by the imitation where voices enter like a “relay race”. We can find in it the exposition in the first 6 bars, the counter-exposition at bars 7-10, the six Stretti, a tonic pedal at bars 24-27 and … Continue reading J S Bach Fugue No. 1 in C major, BWV 846, from Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier
The Mazurka Op.7 n.3 is the only one in the set to feature no repeats. It returns to a folkish and rustic surround. The scene opens pianissimo with a sound like a bagpipes, then an Oberek appears as the principal theme. This is followed by a Kujawiak, interrupted by the violent entrance of a Mazur … Continue reading F. Chopin: Mazurka Op.7 N.3
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
This Mazurka in E major has rustic melodies and motives that dominate all the pieces. In this piece the gesture rhythms of Mazur change in a Kujawiak melody. The Mazur (traditional Polish folk dance from Masovia) has two themes: the principal theme, returning like a refrain, and the secondary is an episodic theme. Kujawiak appears, floats … Continue reading Chopin: Mazurka Op.6 No.3
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
Dario Gatto / Pianist & Composer 