As a respite from the great forms explored by Beethoven and his contemporaries, the first half of the 19th century witnessed the emergence of new musical forms with a more reserved, intimate character, usually destined for the fashionable instrument in the homes of the rising middle class, the piano. As never before, these miniatures allowed the exploration of an idea, a feeling, or an emotion in a short time of two or three minutes. Amidst preludes, nocturnes, and impromptus, Chopin's mazurkas, of Polish ancestry, also made their way, triumphant, into the Paris salons of the 1830s.
Three Polish folk dances merge in Chopin's mazurka: the obereck, the kujawiak, and the mazur, from which it takes its name. With a 3/4 rhythm, they can be sung, danced to, or sung while dancing, without neglecting that the accents will go on the weak beats of the measure, usually on the second, a requirement of the dance choreography. The themes are mostly his own, Chopin's own because even when the melodies are reminiscent of popular tunes, they respond mainly to the inventiveness of the Polish genius. Chopin brought popular dance to the salons but stylized and transformed into a new and unique genre.
The mazurkas of Opus 33
Throughout his life, Chopin wrote 57 mazurkas, the first at the age of fourteen, the last in the last year of his life. Four of them, in different keys, make up Opus 33, dedicated to Miss Róza Mostowska, probably a pupil, we do not know, but certainly, a lady belonging to the circles of exiled Polish aristocrats for whom literature, poetry, and music are matters of the utmost importance.
1838, the year Chopin was in danger
In one of these salons, in the late autumn of 1836, Chopin met George Sand. The master is still mourning Maria Wodzinska, but Sand is patient and wants nothing more than to come to understand with all her soul this pale and complex being, her Chopinski. In October 1838, she takes him to Majorca, on a curious "family" vacation. What will come of it all? Never mind, along with other pieces, the mazurkas of Opus 33 have just gone to press in Leipzig.
Mazurka in D major, Opus 33 No 2
According to scholars, an undeniable "Oberek". Marked "vivace", it is an elegant and impetuous piece, joyously rhythmic and joyful, an A-B-A scheme, with almost comically irregular accents, in its just under three minutes duration. A little gem, the most popular of the series.
The rendition, remarkable, is by the young American pianist Ruta Kuzmickas.
