<glacius:metadata>

    <title>Chopin's Mazurkas - Part 5</title>

    <description>Once again I listen to Chopin's Mazurkas (part 5)</description>

    <category>Piano</category>

    <category>Music</category>

    <category>Classical music</category>

    <category>Chopin</category>

    <series order="29">2022 music project</series>

    <series order="5">Reviewing Chopin's mazurkas</series>

</glacius:metadata>

<p>

    It's <glacius:link page="music/projects/chopin-mazurkas-part-4">been a while</glacius:link>

    since I've done this as I got a mild obsession with 

    <glacius:link category="Music recording">covering guitar solos</glacius:link>. But that's

    over for the moment and I'm excited to pretend to be excited about Chopin's

    700 mazurkas. I can't believe I'm only up to Opus 33.

</p>

<h2>Quatre Mazurkas</h2>

<p>For <em>à Mlle la Comtease Mostowka</em>.</p>

<h3>Op. 33, No. 1 in G&#x266f; minor</h3>

<p>

    This one is super short and straightforward and I don't much to say. It has some neat

    little descending chromatic diminished chords that lead into the main theme. The same

    motif returns a few bars later and it turns out it was diatonic all along. What a tease.

</p>

<glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no1-descending.png" type="image">

    <caption>Descending diatonic scale to the tonic</caption>

</glacius:figure>

<p>

    The B section is in the relative major and not very interesting. Yawn.

</p>

<h3>Op. 33, No. 2 in D major</h3>

<p>

    This one sounds like a stereotypical waltz. The main theme starts in D in forte, repeats

    in a pianissimo, then modulates to A in forte, then piannisimo, then back to D. It's

    very pleasant but not much to say.

</p>

<glacius:grid cols="2">

    <div>

        <glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no2-main-theme.png" type="image">

            <caption>Main theme in D</caption>

        </glacius:figure>

    </div>

    <div>

        <glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no2-main-theme-dominant.png" type="image">

            <caption>Main theme in A</caption>

        </glacius:figure>

    </div>

</glacius:grid>

<p>

    The B section modulates to B♭ with some dotted eighth/sixteenth patterns. Some

    jazzy chords in the right hand allow for the left hand to take over the melody in some

    classic <code>V</code> of the <code>V</code> shenanigans of which I am so fond.

</p>

<glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no2-lh-melody.png" type="image">

    <caption>Left-hand takes over the melody while the right hand does jazz hands</caption>

</glacius:figure>

<p>

    An interesting modulation takes place after the first time through the B section,

    where it throws in a D♭ (B♭ minor instead of B♭ major) and

    does some classic Chopin trickery to end up in D♭.

</p>

<glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no2-modulation.png" type="image">

    <caption>Modulation to B&#x266d; minor</caption>

</glacius:figure>

<p>

    And then there's more modulation! Suddenly we're in F♯ major-ish. I guess that's

    the enharmonic of G&#x266d;, and we ended on a D&#x266d; chord which is the <code>V</code>

    of G♭/F♯. Sure. This fun modulation transitions to E which is the 

    <code>V</code> of A which is the <code>V</code> of D and we're back to the beginning in 

    classic mazurka style. It was so nice I want to listen to it twice or five times.

</p>

<glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no2-return-to-main-theme.png" type="image">

    <caption>And back to the main theme in D</caption>

</glacius:figure>

<p>

    For the ending we get a Ballade-ish agitato Coda. And then it ends with some

    more implied <code>V</code> of the <code>V</code> with a scale in the higher

    registers. Overall a fun little piece, although it's a little repetitive. But

    such is the mazurka.

</p>

<h3>Op. 33, No. 3 in C major</h3>

<p>

    The main theme involves an interesting deceptive cadence, where it makes you

    think you're going to end up in A minor (the relative minor of C) but in fact

    you end up in A major. This results in the ultra rare <code>V</code> of the

    <code>V</code> of the <code>V</code> progression to get back to C (A &#x2192; D

    → G → C). This is why we all studied the circle of fifths.

</p>

<p>

    For some god-awful reason the performance I'm listening to repeats the

    main theme even there's definitely no repeat in the score. What a ripoff.

    This calls for some research.

</p>

<glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no3-deceptive.png" type="image">

    <caption>Deceptive cadence followed by &#x00bc; of the circle of 5ths</caption>

</glacius:figure>

<p>

    The B section modulates to A&#x266d;. It opens with, surprisingly, <em>not</em>

    a <code>V</code> of the <code>V</code>, but in fact a reverse <code>V</code>

    of the <code>V</code>. I'm sure this has some kind of name but I'm not

    going to look it up (I guess it's a <em>plagal close</em> kind of, but

    it's not <em>closing</em> anything).

</p>

<glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no3-key-change.png" type="image">

    <caption><code>iv</code> &#x2192; <code>I</code> progression to start the key change</caption>

</glacius:figure>

<h3>Op. 33, No. 4 in B minor</h3>

<p>

    This one also starts off with that <code>iv</code> &#x2192; <code>i</code>

    progression we just saw in the previous mazurka. That's followe by

    some interesting right-hand solos in the main theme, along with some

    fun harmonies with F♯ minor and F♯ major.

</p>

<glacius:grid cols="2">

    <div>

        <glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no4-rh-iv-i-opening.png" type="image">

            <caption><code style="color: #9999FF">iv</code> &#x2192; <code style="color: green">i</code> opening</caption>

        </glacius:figure>

    </div>

    <div>

        <glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no4-rh-solo.png" type="image">

            <caption>RH solo and some F&#x266f; minor/major harmonies</caption>

        </glacius:figure>

    </div>

</glacius:grid>

<p>

    The B section gets a little weird with the right hand crossing over

    the left with some kind of bluegrass reel. I wasn't expecting that.

</p>

<glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no4-bluegrass.png" type="image">

    <caption>A brief bluegrass crossover, pun intended</caption>

</glacius:figure>

<p>

    Then he channels Rachmaninoff from 50 years in the future to get back

    to the A section.

</p>

<glacius:grid cols="2">

    <div>

        <glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no4-rachish.png" type="image">

            <caption>6-5-1 in a minor key in Op. 33 No. 4</caption>

        </glacius:figure>

    </div>

    <div>

        <glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no4-rach.png" type="image">

            <caption>

                6-5-1 to open up Rachmaninoff's famous 

                <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prelude_in_C-sharp_minor_(Rachmaninoff)">Prelude 

                in C&#x266f; minor, Op. 3, No. 2</a>

            </caption>

        </glacius:figure>

    </div>

</glacius:grid>

<p>

    A mildly thunderous C section mimics the Hammerklavier opening and Chopin

    remembers there are 88 keys on the keyboard. Then basically the whole thing boringly 

    repeats, and it ends with a variation of the main theme in a major key. Just kidding I 

    thought it ended but there are more pages. Eventually the left hand gets a solo for what

    seems like an eternity before transitioning via some ascending chromatics 

    back to the A section and mercifully ending.

</p>

<glacius:figure glacius:src="29-chopin-mazurkas-op33-no4-lh-solo.png" type="image">

    <caption>I bet you thought I wouldn't notate the entire thing</caption>

</glacius:figure>

<p>

    All in all, not that bad, but like many mazurkas, way too repetive, and unlike

    many mazurkas, this was too long.

</p>