Mazurkas Op.33 and Op.41: Piano Solo

Mazurkas, Op. 33 are a set of four Mazurkas for piano by Frédéric Chopin, composed and published in 1838. Mazurka in G-sharp minor, Op. 33, No. 1, the opening mazurka of the set, has a tempo marking of Lento. This mazurka has an emotional melody, accompanied in the left hand with a waltz pattern. The mood changes many times throughout the piece, and to good effect. This intimate piece is occasionally considered less complicated than many of Chopin's other mazurkas. Mazurka in D major, Op. 33, No. 2, the second piece of the collection, is one of the most popular mazurkas. It has a fast tempo and strong irregular accents. The piece begins with the happy and joyful main theme, decorated with ornaments. After a second theme is introduced, the main theme is repeated for a second time. The mazurka concludes with a separate coda section that introduces a new theme, this concludes with a melody ascending high into the upper register. An average performance of this mazurka lasts around 3 minutes. Mazurka in C major, Op. 33, No. 3, the third of the set, has an expression marking of semplice. This miniature is simple and warm, showing a different approach to the mazurka genre. Slightly accented second beats are used to keep the mazurka characteristics. Mazurka in B minor, Op. 33, No. 4, the final mazurka of the set, is one of the longest mazurkas at nearly 5 minutes in length. The piece is written in an ABABCA structure, similar to a rondo form. The piece begins with a captivating main melody, decorated with grace notes and trills. This melody has been repeated a total of eight times throughout the piece; between it, different melodies appear, but the main melody always returns. A B♭ major section follows the theme, which is the B section. The C section is in B major, which is the parallel key to B minor. Mazurkas, Op. 41 is a set of four mazurkas for piano by Frédéric Chopin, composed and published between 1838 and 1839. A typical performance of the set lasts about nine and a half minutes. The set is dedicated to Chopin's friend Stefan Witwicki, a minor poet, ten of whose poems Chopin set to music as songs. The first mazurka is in C-sharp minor and has a time signature of 3/4. It also has the tempo marking: Maestoso. The Mazurka op.41 no.4 in C sharp minor should really have a subtitle: in the Phrygian mode for this is the special quality of its main theme and the crowning climax at the end. How Chopin incorporates the mode into the piece is fascinating: The mazurka starts with an outlining of the Phrygian scale as a solo right-hand melody, only then repeating it with harmonization and then subjecting it to harmonic development in E major. Various episodes introduce new key areas, all very clearly marked off from one another, many developing the dotted rhythm idea from the main theme. The big dominant build-up to the climax is quite awe-inspiring both in its length (14 bars) and its ubiquitous use of dotted rhythms. In the 13 bar coda, Chopin takes us back to C sharp minor and we enjoy the minor scale without the characteristic flattened supertonic of the Phrygian mode. The second mazurka is in E minor and has a time signature of 3/4. It also has the tempo marking: Andantino. The third Mazurka is in B major and has a time signature of 3/4. It also has the tempo marking: Animato. The final mazurka in the set is in A-flat major and has a time signature of 3/4. It also has the tempo marking: Allegretto.