Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 01/02/2013, uploaded on 06/17/2013

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Arriving in Paris in late September 1831, Chopin was uncertain whether he would ultimately call the French capital home. Political uncertainties in the aftermath of the November Uprising prevented him from returning to his native Poland, though he harbored hopes of one day returning. This dream, however, was never realized and Chopin became one of the many Polish expatriates that came to call France home.

It was around this time that he began to compose the bulk of his Mazurkas and Polonaises—concert pieces heavily influenced by the traditional dances of Poland. In some, it is easy to detect Chopin’s longing to return to Poland and it is likely that their composition was his way of keeping the image of his homeland alive. Indeed, the many Polish exiles in France were likely drawn to them for this very reason. On the other hand, he could not have been completely unaware of their novelty to the French public who were perhaps enthralled by the exotic dances from Eastern Europe.

The four mazurkas of opus 24 were composed in 1835. Praised for his performances on the piano, Chopin was also rising in stature as a composer with the successful publications of his music. Opus 24 is one of his more popular sets from his early years in Paris, particularly the first mazurka in G minor. Nostalgic and somber, the beginning melody certainly finds Chopin in a moment of wistful longing. Shifting to the key of the relative major, the middle portion of the mazurka becomes livelier with triplet rhythms, attempting to lift the melancholic mood of the opening. An animated and fervent section in E-flat follows the repeat of both the opening theme and B-flat major episode. However, it gives up in resignation to a final statement of the G minor melody, bringing the piece to a wistful close.      Joseph DuBose

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.