Grade 7

Chopin - Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 68 No. 2

The mazurka is a stylised Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with strong accents on the second or third beat. Chopin wrote over 50 mazurkas and this is an example of a slower one - there needs to be some leeway with the prescribed metronome speed of 116, given the lento marking. Sad and wistful in character, the mood changes when the music moves briefly into C major, requiring a new colour. The middle section in the brighter key of A major requires a flexible approach to the new (faster) tempo. Pedal markings require some tweaking to make sense on our modern pianos and legato changes will give a smoother result than the direct pedals given in the score.

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