Mazurka

History

Its name comes from " mazur" and " mazurek" (small " mazur") at the 18th century. Contrary to an generally accepted idea, the mazurka does not come from the province of the Mazurie, (Prussian of 1640 to 1945), but is originating in the people of the " mazurs" living in the plains of Mazovie around Warsaw. Declining itself in a cycle of variations, (the mazur or mazurek moderated, the fast obertas or oberek, the slower kujawiak of Kujawy) , it was always preceded ou/et followed by a gone dance: the chodzony, ancestor of the Polish .

Mazurek Dąbrowskiego (the mazurka of Dąbrowski), made up in 1797, is the National anthem of the Poland.

Characteristics

One of the characteristics of the mazurka is also in its rhythmic with the accents sometimes surprising or “unforeseeable”. To assign the accent at the 3rd time is not a rule and Chopin had perfectly integrated this characteristic in his own mazurkas. One of the examples more striking is in its Mazurka opus 33, n° 3 , and the examples abound where the accent goes on agreements identical not finding the same place of a measurement to the other.

The traditional mazurka

Transcended by the erudite music, the composition of 51 mazurkas at Frederic Chopin is not stripped of nationalist intentions, although the musical language is there incontestably erudite, even very advanced, in particular on the harmonic level (agreements of 9th and modal inflections). At the 20th century, Karol Szymanowski, Alexandre Tansman or Stanisław Moniuszko in its opera S also wrote mazurkas.

Traditional repertories

It passed in the repertory of the ball haversack and the dance Folk at the end of the 19th century. As much of dances of living room, the mazurka was also included in the dances folks, in particular in the Breton Danse, the dances of the center of France and the dances of the Guianese carnival. It is a component of the music and traditional dances of Martinique, heritage of the slave period. According to the soils, the steps differ . Formerly, the airs were rather uniform, but the musicians folks vary the repertory and it became a rather fluid dance allowing many alternatives (rocking, suspension, turned, etc).

The mazurka is generally danced on 12 times (twice six times - twice a step of mazurka and three small steps) but it exists alternatives at nine times (a “swinging” is added as in the waltz at 5 times).

The Gascon mazurka

She dances herself in couple, in modern position of dance, the two partners, face to face. The right hand of the boy in the back of the girl, idem for the left hand of the girl in the back of the boy; the left hand of the boy in the line of the girl, arm to horizontal, flexible.

She dances herself to 4 measures at 3 times. The dancers must follow the tempo of the musicians.

Details of the dance: over time 1, the boy leaves the left foot and the girl of the right foot, they take a step of with dimensions. For each G (left) or D (right) without comment, that means that the dancers defer the weight of the body on this foot, by taking a small step. At the end of the figure, the dancers start again at the beginning.

Description (for the rider; the lady reverses the supports):

measurement 1 (1-2-3): 2 pas (G - D), rising foot G
measurement 2 (1-2-3): 3 pas (G - D - G) by carrying out 1/4 of turn in the anti-clockwise direction
measurement 3 (1-2-3): 2 pas (D - G), rising foot D
measurement 4 (1-2-3): 3 pas (D - G - D) by carrying out 1/2 turn clockwise to measures 3 and 4.

N.B. : this description basic generally applies to all the mazurkas, at least with regard to the supports. The local and regional alternatives consist especially in the position of the couple and the direction and the amplitude of the turns. Néammoins, the practices revivalists tend to leave to the dancers a greater margin of improvisation. One finds lâchers and the pastourelles ones, as in waltz of style known as " américain". These figures are placed by convenience to the second and fourth measures. Also, according to the music, the dancers can change the supports and their stressings. '

Revivalism

The tendency revivalist gave birth to from the mazurkas to 8 and 11 times, known as asymmetrical or odd. Their principal characteristic and their interest for the dancers resident in the change of supports to each musical sentence (2 pas de la last measurement allow this change).

Mazurka at 8 times

Description of the bases (for the rider; the lady reverses the supports):

measurement 1 (1-2-3): 2 pas (G - D), rising foot G
measurement 2 (1-2-3): 3 pas (G - D - G)
measurement 3 (1-2): 2 pas (D - G)
measurement 1bis (1-2-3): 2 pas (D - G), rising foot D
measurement (2a) (1-2-3): 3 pas (D - G - D)
measurement 3bis (1-2): 2 pas (G - D)
etc (freedom with the dancers to choose the direction and the amplitude of their turns)

Mazurka at 11 times

Description of the bases (for the rider; the lady reverses the supports):

measurement 1 (1-2-3): 2 pas (G - D), rising foot G
measurement 2 (1-2-3): 3 pas (G - D - G)
measurement 3 (1-2-3): 2 pas (D - G), rising foot D
measurement 4 (1-2): 2 pas (D - G)
measurement 1bis (1-2-3): 2 pas (D - G), rising foot D
measurement (2a) (1-2-3): 3 pas (D - G - D)
measurement 3bis (1-2-3): 2 pas (G - D), rising foot G
measurement 4bis (1-2): 2 pas (G - D)
etc (freedom with the dancers to choose the direction and the amplitude of their turns)

Note

Random links: