No. 2 is
charming. In A flat, it is a perfect specimen of the aristocratic
Mazurka. The D flat Trio, the answering episode in B flat minor,
and the grace of the return make this one to be studied and
treasured. De Lenz finds Bach-ian influences in the following, in
C sharp minor: "It begins as though written for the organ, and
ends in an exclusive salon; it does him credit and is worked out
more fully than the others. Chopin was much pleased when I told
him that in the construction of this Mazurka the passage from E
major to F major was the same as that in the Agatha aria in
'Freischutz.'" De Lenz refers to the opening Bach-like mutations.
The texture of this dance is closer and finer spun than any we
have encountered. Perhaps spontaneity is impaired, mais que
voulez vous? Chopin was bound to develop, and his Mazurkas,
fragile and constricted as is the form, were sure to show a like
record of spiritual and intellectual growth.
Opus 56, in B major, is elaborate, even in its beginning. There
is decoration in the ritornelle in E flat and one feels the
absence of a compensating emotion, despite the display of
contrapuntal skill.
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