Chopin's Mazurkas - Part 9

This article is part 50 of 52 in the 2022 music project series.

This article is part 9 of 9 in the Reviewing Chopin's mazurkas series.

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Trois Mazurkas

Opus 63 brings a close to this series. Technically there are the posthumous mazurkas but after this I'll have listened to and vaguely analyzed 41 of Chopin's mazurkas and frankly, that's enough for a lifetime.

Trois Mazurkas

For à Madame la Comtesse L. Czosnowska.

Op. 63, No. 1 in B major

Starts off very minuet-ish with lots of passing tones in 3rds.

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no1-theme.png (image/png · 576x158 · 7,933 bytes) — Main theme of Op. 63, No. 1

The beginning is fairly straightforward until a little modulation into E and then E♭, which ends with another one of those "spelling ties" that I enjoy so much.

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no1-eflat.png (image/png · 787x167 · 17,330 bytes) — Modulation to E♭ and a fun enharmonic tie

The B section kind of reminds me of Return to the Heart by David Lanz ¹, since the first beats match rhythm and tone and are in the same key. Op. 63 No. 3 also starts very similarly.

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no1-b.png (image/png · 348x129 · 4,080 bytes) — B section in Op. 63, No. 1

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no1-b-lanz.png (image/png · 413x153 · 5,065 bytes) — Opening to David Lanz's *Return to the Heart*

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no1-b-no3.png (image/png · 304x123 · 4,131 bytes) — Opening to Op. 63, No. 3

The coda has a nice little vibe with switching the beat from 3 → 2 and a little chromaticism in the right hand.

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no1-coda.png (image/png · 632x150 · 7,403 bytes) — Descending chromatics in the coda

Op. 63, No. 2 in F minor

I liked the parallels in the main theme between the first eight measures and the last eight measures. The first eight in C and the second eight end in F minor with similar passages.

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no2-theme-1.png (image/png · 412x134 · 4,513 bytes) — Ending of the first eight bars

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no2-theme-2.png (image/png · 427x138 · 4,598 bytes) — Ending of the second eight bars

The B section has a nice little fugue-esque countermelody as it kind of almost rotates around the circle of fifths (G → D → G → C → F).

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no2-countermelody.png (image/png · 652x148 · 7,740 bytes) — A little countermelody in the right-hand

Overall very short and sweet. This was like the perfect length for a mazurka: very little monotony or repetition. Just some nice melodies.

Op. 63, No. 3 in C♯ minor

The main theme features the classic V of the V progression, going D♯ → G♯ → C♯m.

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no3-5-of-5.png (image/png · 502x129 · 4,730 bytes) — `V` of the `V` (D♯ → G♯ → C♯m) in the A section

The return to the A section throws in a little deceptive cadence/picardy 3rd with a transition to C♯ instead of C♯m. Which then of course leads to the V of the V to get us back to the tonic.

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no3-deception.png (image/png · 649x142 · 7,270 bytes) — Deceptive cadence with some more `V` of the `V`

And it comes to a close with some truly Liszt-esque jumps. And also a left-hand crossover just to impress your audience, I guess.

50-chopin-mazurkas-09-op63-no3-end.png (image/png · 695x195 · 9,409 bytes) — Chopin does a *La campanella* to end his collection of mazurkas ²

Earlier this year I recorded some of his pieces
The ones published while he was alive, anyway.