r`–), Polish national dance that spread to England and the United States at the beginning of the 19th cent. Danced by four or eight couples and characterized by stamping of the feet and clicking of the heels, it is in moderate triple meter and permits improvisation. Chopin composed more than 50 mazurkas for piano.mazurka
Polish folk dance in ³⁄₄ time for a circle of couples, characterized by stamping feet and clicking heels, traditionally danced to the music of bagpipes. Originating in Masuria (northeastern Poland) in the 16th century, it became popular at the Polish court and spread to Russia and Germany, reaching England and France by the 1830s. The 50 piano mazurkas by Frédéric Chopin reflected and extended the dance's popularity. It had no set figures and allowed improvisation among its more than 50 different steps.
mazurka, mazourka
Mazurka
a Polish folk dance that originated among the Mazurs and later became a popular national dance. The mazurka has a quick tempo and is written in ¾ or ⅜ time. The music has syncopated rhythm, sharp leaps in the melody, and a capricious accentuation, with the accent often falling on the beats of the measure that are usually weak. It became a ballroom dance in the 19th century. The mazurka is danced by couples in a circle. Among the composers who were influenced by its rhythms were F. Chopin, S. Moniuszko, H. Wieniawski, M. I. Glinka, P. I. Tchaikovsky, and A. K. Glazunov.
REFERENCES
Paskhalov, V. V. Shopen ipol’skaia narodnaia muzyka. Leningrad-Moscow, 1949.Ivanovskii, N. P. Bal’nyi tanets XVI-XIX vv. Leningrad-Moscow, 1948.
Miketta, J. Mazurki. Kraków, 1949.
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