Chopin's Folk Dance Music

                Chopin wrote music for six genres of dance music, but in three of the genres 
        he wrote on one piece of music.  We are concerned with the works for the three 
        genres in which he wrote many pieces.  They are the waltz (about 20 Chopin 
        waltzes still exist), the polonaise (about 16 exist), and the mazurka (56 still exist).

                 The first thing to know about the piano works that Chopin developed from 
        folk dance music is that you cannot dance to them.  Chopin's waltzes, polonaises,  
        and mazurkas are for concert listening.  To make them more interesting to listen 
        to, he speeds up, slows down, and he staggers the beat.  He also adds pauses, all 
        for dramatic effect.  


Krakowiak  (not really a genre, but a dance rhythm)

        The Krakowiak or Cracovienne is a fast, syncopated Polish folk dance in 
        duple time (double time - one-two, one-two) from the region of Kraków 
        and Lesser Poland.  The folk outfit worn for the dance has become the 
        national costume of Poland, most notably, the rogatywka peaked hat 
        with peacock feathers. 

        It became a popular ballroom dance in Vienna ("Krakauer") and Paris 
        ("Cracovienne") where, with the polonaise and the mazurka, it signaled 
        a Romantic sensibility of sympathy towards a picturesque, distant 
        and oppressed nation.

              Rondo à la Krakowiak, Op. 14  (1828)  this is a rondo form genre 
                                                                              with a Krakowiak beat. 

              The last movement of Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 (1830)  
               (also a rondo)



Tarantella  

        The is a group of various folk dances characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, 
         usually in 6/8 time accompanied by tambourines.  It is among the most 
         recognized forms of traditional southern Italian music.

                Tarantella in A flat major, Op. 43 (1841)


Bolero  

         Bolero refers to two distinct genres of slow-tempo Hispanic music and 
         their associated dances.  The oldest type of bolero originated in Spain 
         during the late 18th century as a form of ballroom music, which influenced 
         art music composers around the world, most famously Maurice Ravel's 
         Boléro, as well as a flamenco style known as boleras.

                Boléro, Op. 19 (1834)

                Ravel's Bolero  -  Vienna Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, cond.  (play)  (17:00)                      

       Waltzes  (19)     


       Polonaises  (16)    


       Mazurkas  (56)