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musicians. Most classically‐trained
musicians are acquainted with the
mazurka only through the music of
Chopin. He, however, used the term
loosely to mean three different Polish
dances in triple metre, the oberek, mazur
and kujawiak. This was by no means
ignorance on Chopin’s part – he was well
acquainted with these dances, and
according to McKee, was a fine and
enthusiastic dancer himself.
In the simplest terms, the kujawiak is the
slowest of the three, with a smoother,
lyrical feel, the mazur or mazurka is the
lively dance that is most related to those
found in the ballet repertoire, and the
oberek is a faster, more athletic dance.
Within the Mazurkas by Chopin,
examples of each of these types can be
found. It should be noted, also, that the
mazur existed both as a folk dance and
as a dance for the nobility. Throughout
Europe and America, it also became
popular in the ballroom. The more one
examines the rhythmic structure of
Chopinʹs waltzes, the more they, too,
appear to have many characteristics of
the mazurka than of the waltz, although
this can also be accounted for by the fact
that the waltz of Chopinʹs time was more
likely to be of the early German type.
Our understanding of the polonaise also
suffers a little from the legacy of Chopin,
who wrote tremendous, grand
polonaises for the concert hall which
were both an experiment in the musical
form, and a vehicle for the virtuoso
performer. These are generally too slow
or complex for the purposes of dancing,
and are exceptional works, rather than
typical examples. As with the mazurka,
the polonaise is dance with both folk
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origins, and an extended life in the
ballrooms of the gentry and nobility.
Before reaching the ballroom, where
instrumentalists would be hired to
accompany the dance, the polonaise
would have been accompanied by
singing, like the Polonaise from Halka
already mentioned. The glossary of
rhythm types in Appendix 1 explains
more about the rhythmic characteristics
of these dances.
E35: Hop heel hop toe and galops
Intro: 4
Title: Dalej bracia, do bułata
Composer: Suchodolski ZKP p.27
TS: 2/4 (2/4)
E36: Pivot and half break
Intro: 4
Title: Krakowiaka (ʹtune no. 2ʹ)
Composer: Trad. Polish PFD p.240
TS: 2/4 (4/4) Rhythm: Krakowiak
E37: Holubetz in 3/4 time
Intro: 2 (6)
Title: Ostatni Mazur (The last Mazur)
Composer: Tymulski, PFD p.515
TS: 3/4 (3/4) Rhythm: Mazur(ka)
E38: Stamp and clap with galops
Intro: 4
Title: Miala Baba Koguta
Composer: Trad. Polish ZKP/76
TS: 2/4 (2/4)
E39: Dance
Intro: 8
Title: Krakowiak ʺNa Krakowską Nutęʺ
Composer: PFD p.652
TS: 2/4 (2/4) Rhythm: Krakowiak