Like with his waltzes, Chopin’s mazurkas progressed from stylized concert pieces not far remove from the traditional dances to elaborate formal compositions that intricately and subtly entwined the characteristics of the dance with an increasingly complex musical structure. Here in these later pieces, expression took precedence over formal considerations and the elements of the dance became only the boundaries of a large blank canvas to be filled by the composer’s imagination.
The three mazurkas of opus 63, composed in 1846, make up the last set published during Chopin’s lifetime. By this time, his relationship with Aurore Dudevant, better known by her pseudonym George Sand, was crumbling and his frail health was rapidly deteriorating. The somber mood which must have hung over the composer’s mind during this time is evident in the latter two mazurkas of the set, particularly the middle dance in F minor.
Standing apart from the rest of the set, the first piece in B major possesses a happy mood with a lilting opening melody accompanied by a more subdued, but charming, middle section. The middle piece, on the other hand, in F minor is tormented by dark shadows. Opening on a dissonant dominant minor ninth, the mournful melody struggles to rise against the downward pull of its melancholic demeanor. The middle section momentarily brightens the mood in a shift to A-flat major but, at each major cadential point, the music is inevitably drawn into C minor—like the brief appearance of a happy thought but, nevertheless, unable to dispel the gloomy clouds that hang overhead.
The final mazurka, in C-sharp minor, begins with a graceful tune tinged with a bit of sadness. The brief central episode changes to the key of the tonic major and, like the previous mazurka, attempts unsuccessfully to usher in a brighter and more energetic mood. In the reprise, Chopin masterfully presents the last statement of the principal melody in canon at the octave with only the distance of a quarter-note between the two contrapuntal voices. As if drawing energy from this interplay of voices, the mazurka builds into an agitated ending and rises to a dramatic forte—the only instance of the dynamic in the piece. Joseph DuBose
Classical Music | Piano Music
Frédéric Chopin
Mazurka Op. 63, No. 3, in c-sharp minor Play
Recorded on 09/01/2009, uploaded on 09/01/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Like with his waltzes, Chopin’s mazurkas progressed from stylized concert pieces not far remove from the traditional dances to elaborate formal compositions that intricately and subtly entwined the characteristics of the dance with an increasingly complex musical structure. Here in these later pieces, expression took precedence over formal considerations and the elements of the dance became only the boundaries of a large blank canvas to be filled by the composer’s imagination.
The three mazurkas of opus 63, composed in 1846, make up the last set published during Chopin’s lifetime. By this time, his relationship with Aurore Dudevant, better known by her pseudonym George Sand, was crumbling and his frail health was rapidly deteriorating. The somber mood which must have hung over the composer’s mind during this time is evident in the latter two mazurkas of the set, particularly the middle dance in F minor.
Standing apart from the rest of the set, the first piece in B major possesses a happy mood with a lilting opening melody accompanied by a more subdued, but charming, middle section. The middle piece, on the other hand, in F minor is tormented by dark shadows. Opening on a dissonant dominant minor ninth, the mournful melody struggles to rise against the downward pull of its melancholic demeanor. The middle section momentarily brightens the mood in a shift to A-flat major but, at each major cadential point, the music is inevitably drawn into C minor—like the brief appearance of a happy thought but, nevertheless, unable to dispel the gloomy clouds that hang overhead.
The final mazurka, in C-sharp minor, begins with a graceful tune tinged with a bit of sadness. The brief central episode changes to the key of the tonic major and, like the previous mazurka, attempts unsuccessfully to usher in a brighter and more energetic mood. In the reprise, Chopin masterfully presents the last statement of the principal melody in canon at the octave with only the distance of a quarter-note between the two contrapuntal voices. As if drawing energy from this interplay of voices, the mazurka builds into an agitated ending and rises to a dramatic forte—the only instance of the dynamic in the piece. Joseph DuBose
More music by Frédéric Chopin
Mazurka Op. 33 No. 1 in g-sharp minor
Prelude in F major, Op. 28, No. 23, Moderato
Waltz Op 34 N° 2
Mazurka Op 67 N° 4
Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2
Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp Minor, Op. 66
Impromptu no. 3 in G-flat major, op. 51
Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60
Mazurka Op 63 N° 2
Fantasy, Op. 49
Performances by same musician(s)
Nocturne
Etude No. 12 in d-sharp minor Op. 8
10 Impromtus for Piano Solo, Impromtu N1 C minor
Mazurka Op. 33 No. 1 in g-sharp minor
Nocturne Op 9 No. 2 in E-flat Major
Mazurka Op. 33, No. 3, in C Major
Mazurka Op. 67 No. 3, C major
Mazurka Op. 30, No. 3, in D-flat Major
Autumn, from The Snow Storm
Mazurka Op. 63, No. 2, in f minor
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