About this work
In Chopin’s Mazurka Op. 30 No. 2, a single note sets the dance in motion. A triplet animates the melody before two crotchets bring it back down. The left hand answers with a bass note followed by two chords: just a few notes give the two hands a clear lilt. The Vivace marking calls for this spring to last throughout the piece.
Give the motif lift without rushing
Start with the right hand alone, leaving out the grace notes and following the slurs. The triplet takes up one beat; avoid shortening the two crotchets that follow it. Add the left hand with chords lighter than the melody. Accents in the descending figures give the phrase direction, so let them register without making every note harsh.
In the passages marked poco a poco, chords move by semitones and long slurs span several bars. Bring out the upper voice, then put the hands together at a moderate tempo to prepare each change of position. Leave room for the crescendo: using all your strength in the first bar leaves the rising phrase nowhere to go. A poco ritenuto later provides a moment of relaxation among the motif’s returns.
What the document contains
The two-page PDF contains the complete solo piano mazurka in B minor and triple metre: 64 numbered bars preceded by an upbeat. It follows the digital transcription of the Breitkopf & Härtel first edition shared by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute through Chopin Scores, under CC BY 4.0. The edition credits are retained. The MIDI plays both hands and this edition’s pedal indications. The preview shows the older three-page Mutopia engraving; the downloadable PDF follows a different edition of the same work, with some differences in notation.
Compare other dance rhythms in Chopin’s Mazurka Op. 30 No. 1, Mazurka Op. 33 No. 1 and Waltz Op. 69 No. 2, available on LesPartitions.info.