Chopin's Mazurkas - Part 7[source]

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<glacius:metadata>
    <title>Chopin's Mazurkas - Part 7</title>
    <description>Once again I listen to Chopin's Mazurkas (part 7)</description>
    <category>Piano</category>
    <category>Music</category>
    <category>Classical music</category>
    <category>Chopin</category>
    <series order="38">2022 music project</series>
    <series order="7">Reviewing Chopin's mazurkas</series>
</glacius:metadata>
<p>
    I was planning to cover the guitar solo from <em>Days of the New</em>'s
    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch,_Peel_and_Stand">Touch, Peel and Stand</a>,
    but I'm in the process of migrating my recording computer to a more powerful
    laptop, and also switching from Xubuntu to
    <a href="https://ubuntustudio.org/">Ubuntu Studio</a>, and it has not gone as
    swimmingly as I had hoped. So most of this week was spent debugging Ardour crashes
    and buying USB hubs with a power supply.
</p>
<p>
    So I'm going to do what I always do in these situations: give up and listen to
    <glacius:link page="music/projects/chopin-mazurkas-part-6">more mazurkas</glacius:link>.
    Luckily there are only three in
    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazurkas,_Op._50_(Chopin)">Opus 50</a>,
    so I can smash through them in the next 24 hours and not feel like a loser for missing
    a week.
</p>
<h2>Trois Mazurkas</h2>
<p>For <em>à Mr. Léon Szmitkowski</em>.</p>
<h3>Op. 50, No. 1 in G major</h3>
<p>
    Some interesting passing tones in the A section here. Very minuet-like.
</p>
<glacius:grid cols="2">
    <div>
        <glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no1-passing-tone-1.png" type="image">
            <caption>Passing tones in the left hand</caption>
        </glacius:figure>
    </div>
    <div>
        <glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no1-passing-tone-2.png" type="image">
            <caption>A passing tone stands and ends this phrase</caption>
        </glacius:figure>
    </div>
</glacius:grid>
<p>
    After repeating the A/B sections twice there's a very abrupt modulation
    to C minor as the left hand takes over the melody.
</p>
<glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no1-abrupt-cminor.png" type="image">
    <caption>Not-so-subtle modulation to C minor</caption>
</glacius:figure>
<p>
    Some kind of neat diminished triads lead into the Coda involving the
    <code>iv</code> (C minor). Like a Picardy third variation. I'm sure
    there's a music theory name for it.
</p>
<glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no1-dim-triad-coda.png" type="image">
    <caption>
        Diminished triads resolve to D which is the <code>V</code> of G which 
        is the <code>V</code> of C minor
    </caption>
</glacius:figure>
<h3>Op. 50, No. 2 in A&#x266d; major</h3>
<p>
    A slow and subtle lead in reminded me of the intro to Chopin's
    3rd Ballade. But there aren't really any similarities beyond starting
    on the same note in the same key.
</p>
<glacius:grid cols="2">
    <div>
        <glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no2-intro.png" type="image">
            <caption>Intro to Op. 50, No. 2</caption>
        </glacius:figure>
    </div>
    <div>
        <glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no2-intro-ballade.png" type="image">
            <caption>Intro to Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major</caption>
        </glacius:figure>
    </div>
</glacius:grid>
<p>
    This mazurka strikes me as kind of a cross between a Waltz and
    a Nocturne. It's got the Waltz meter and rhythm but it's kind of
    melancholy, like many of his nocturnes. And then it modulates to
    D&#x266d; and now it's a Polonaise. And of course it just repeats
    for a while, in case you forgot it was actually a mazurka.
</p>
<glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no2-polonaise.png" type="image">
    <caption>A quick polonaise-like diversion in D&#x266d;</caption>
</glacius:figure>
<p>
    This was very pleasant and nice, and actually looks like it might
    be fun to play.
</p>
<h3>Op. 50, No. 3 in C&#x266f; minor</h3>
<p>
    I really like the intro on this piece. Kind of a call-and-response
    between left- and right- hands, featuring my favorite <code>V</code>
    of the <code>V</code> stuff, of course. And then it ruins it by
    just blindly repeating.
</p>
<glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no3-intro.png" type="image">
    <caption>Intro/main theme of Op. 50, No. 3</caption>
</glacius:figure>
<p>
    Then comes some Polonaise-like pounding on the keyboard, which is followed
    up with some truly beautiful left-hand phrasing.
</p>
<glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no3-lh-phrases.png" type="image">
    <caption>Very nice left-hand phrases with lots of accidentals</caption>
</glacius:figure>
<p>
    The C section modulates to the <code>V</code> in B major. This section ends
    with a nice transition to G&#x266f; which leads back to the intro/A section
    motif in C&#x266f; minor. This intro motif is expanded into what appears to
    be a four-voice fugue. It sounds very cool. Probably hard to play, though.
</p>
<glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no3-bmajor-to-intro.png" type="image">
    <caption>C section in B major leads back to C&#x266f; minor</caption>
</glacius:figure>
<glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no3-intro-fugue.png" type="image">
    <caption>Suddenly a four-voice fugue</caption>
</glacius:figure>
<p>
    Some interesting ascending chord pregressions in the D section (or whatever).
    Rachmaninoniff basically ripped off this chromatic technique in every
    one of his concertos.
</p>
<glacius:figure glacius:src="38-chopin-mazurkas-op50-no3-chromatics-coda.png" type="image">
    <caption>
        Rachmaninoff clearly used this chromatic part as inspiration for everything 
        he ever wrote
    </caption>
</glacius:figure>