It just sounds so far ahead of its time in mood, melody, harmony, and structure. A true masterpiece. The way Chopin brings it back to the opening bars, the transitions are wonderful.
Today I decided to watch every YT video on this mazurka. So grateful that I found this channel. The comment about the jazz improvisation made me shout an enthusiastic YES! How did he do that almost a century ahead of its time? And the last section could only have been written by someone familiar with death, even seeing one's own on the horizon. That high A always gets me. I'll look for your Japanese performance of this piece. So happy I found your channel.
Hi!!!!! I'm so happy to see that super enthusiastic comment of yours! Nice to meet you! You will find more than 170 videos like this one, about every single Chopin's piece!! Enjoy!
@@gregniemczuk Looking forward to all of them. Deep in my lessons on this one right now though I am focussed on it. Your analysis touched my heart as my impression of this mazurka is that it's about reminiscing an entire lifetime with a view towards the end of it. Much love!.
After first discovering this channel I came back to check if Greg had anything to say on another of my favorite Chopin mazurkas, and I was not disappointed. A really fantastic exposition and I love Greg's interpretation. Thank you Greg for sharing your knowledge and insights. You certainly have a pedagogical gift!
@@gregniemczukyou are such a lovely person, if only you can be my teacher in person! Appreciate you so much, God bless 🙏✝️ P/a I feel we are soulmates musically as all your musical expressions I can feel and agree with you instantly!😅
I fell in love with this mazurka when I first heard Horowitz played it. My reaction then was how can anyone compose such a beautiful and touching music. Your in depth analysis is just simply amazing! Thank you.
Thank you Greg for explaining this piece. This mazurka and the waltz in op64 no 2 in c# minor is my favorite pieces from Chopin. It's incredibly beautiful and intimate.
This was the Mazurka I turned to first in your series, as I feel it the most deeply. Your obvious love of the music and also the way you play it are inspiring. Looking forward to more.
Fantastic interpretation and analysis of this beautiful mazurka, Greg! Its emotional sadness. Really like how you explain the middle section, like a dream coming from far away, then suddenly interrupted, back to sorrow. Thank you so much! 🙏
It was the first lecture I started to know about you, so great and wonderful explanation for this nice piece, Greg, I was deeply touched by the music and your illustrations... Thank you so much for all your working on Chopin since the last 2 years...
Chopin is my favourite artist ALL Arts combined. Italia never had a sensitive Maestro exactly like Chopin. Never! It's unique. Poland is so lucky to have had such an Artist!
True! But Chopin many melodies can make the female opera voice sublime. Imagine if Chopin had been healthier, motivated and lived 5, 10, 15, 25 + more years. What other masterpieces would he have composed? Perhaps opera? We don't know. 🙏
When I listen to all the mazurkas, this is the one that makes me tear up. This one and the very last ones that were not published. I have a tear in my eye just from hearing it in your analysis. I had no idea this was thought to be composed when Chopin was 14. I too believe it's impossible. I only hear a sick old man in this, who has experienced every form of sadness in life.
Dziękuję Grzegorzu. To jest cudowne! (I'm not fluent in Polish but the language appeals to my ear. This is one of my favourite mazurkas by Chopin and your analysis helped me appreciate this composition all the more.)
Your series about Chopin's Mazurkas is outstanding, superb, and very impressive. It's quite hard to believe that a 14-year-old Chopin composed this piece as its sadness and melancholy are out of range. But, honestly, if a 14-year-old composer can do it, is Chopin. Be that as it may, congrats once again.
My humble interpretation of Chopin's intentions- while the middle voice in the opening that goes B-C-D represent melancholy, the other voice-that goes A,F-A,F-A,F (F major- not considered to show sadness) and so on... attempts to prove how Chopin desperately wanted his joyous times in Poland, back (if he had written this in France), I mean, he could have written something like the 4th Prelude, that is still of the same nature as this piece, but he wrote a Mazurka to anchor his Polish roots to his mind very resolutely! What a genius!
The middle voice becomes the melody as sadness dominates happiness (or longing for happiness, just as he adds some C major chords in the last measures end ends the piece with an e minor chord in the 4th prelude, just for a comparison).
Thank you for another great analysis of this beautiful mazurka. Now that you have played in Tokyo please plan to come to the US, specifically the Kennedy Center here in Washington. We wait for you. Soon!!
A beautiful analysis punctuated by awful Simply Piano advertisements.. The contrast couldn’t be stronger! Thanks for this beautiful insight and analysis. My favourite Chopin piece alongside ballade 1
Thank you so much for this lecture it's so beautiful to hear a musician's insight. A thing that always amazes me in this Mazurka, I think it is what you mean as in the mist/fog at the beginning, we don't really know we are in a minor until we get to the end of the first full statement of the melody, does the sadness come from this feeling of not knowing where "home" is?
One doesn't have to know anything about Chopin's private life and historical circumstances to understand the beauty and crystallized depth of melancholy of this piece's main theme. Sometimes just thinking about it or or trying to revive the melody in my head makes me tear up. To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, "The most beautiful tunes are the sad ones."
I love this video. You make such an interesting and wise comparison between Schubert and Chopin. I often wonder whether Chopin knew of Schubert's many published waltzes and dances. I believe that Chopin visited Vienna not long after Schubert died, and also he was well acquainted with Franz Liszt in Paris (who was very interested in Schubert's music). I wonder whether you feel that Chopin's music, the waltzes in particular, were inspired by Schubert? Anyway, thanks for the amazing video.
In fact the dance is very very simple technically speaking and rarely ballet tricks, turns, high legs are displayed. Your analysis would certainly help dancers who have to perform this piece!
Great video. Thank you. The printed music I've seen for this says "crotchet = 152" but nobody ever plays it anywhere near that speed - it is always significantly slower than that. Would you please explain why that is.
And I would recommend the interpretation of Makarova and Barishnikov. No one can dance like this today honestly...here is the whole performance. The video is old but worth watching. I am immensely thankful to your lecture. ua-cam.com/video/dKYUAp9nxmc/v-deo.html
I do not see how it is not possible that Chopin has not been "able" or quite mature to composing this Mazurka at an early age. Mahler, for an instance, composed his Quartetto for piano when he was only a student at Wien Conservatory...
beaaautiful channel!! I'm gonna check more Mazurkas in your channel. Thank you. And yes, we japanese people are very connected with Chopin´s heart❤️
I miss Japan!!!! Yes, welcome! I'm now doing videos about All the Chopin's pieces!
@@gregniemczuk wow, amazing!!! Looking very much forward to it and I'll keep following your updates🙏🏻
@@mayukomiyata1839 Sorita... Kobayashi... Shindo...... Yamagata...... How right you are!
Polish pianist explaining Chopin's Mazurkas, subscribed
It just sounds so far ahead of its time in mood, melody, harmony, and structure. A true masterpiece. The way Chopin brings it back to the opening bars, the transitions are wonderful.
Love this piece, one of my top favourite Chopin pieces. Still trying to learn it properly. 💓
Today I decided to watch every YT video on this mazurka. So grateful that I found this channel. The comment about the jazz improvisation made me shout an enthusiastic YES! How did he do that almost a century ahead of its time? And the last section could only have been written by someone familiar with death, even seeing one's own on the horizon. That high A always gets me. I'll look for your Japanese performance of this piece. So happy I found your channel.
Hi!!!!! I'm so happy to see that super enthusiastic comment of yours! Nice to meet you! You will find more than 170 videos like this one, about every single Chopin's piece!! Enjoy!
@@gregniemczuk Looking forward to all of them. Deep in my lessons on this one right now though I am focussed on it. Your analysis touched my heart as my impression of this mazurka is that it's about reminiscing an entire lifetime with a view towards the end of it. Much love!.
A lot of jazz style and harmony are coming from Chopin, Debussy, and Ravel.
Beautiful mazurka. Intimate. Well constructed. Filled with pathos. And your presentation, your enthusiasm are both charming and engaging. Thank you.
Thank you Luke. Nice to have you here watching! I invite you to watch my other videos as well!
After first discovering this channel I came back to check if Greg had anything to say on another of my favorite Chopin mazurkas, and I was not disappointed. A really fantastic exposition and I love Greg's interpretation. Thank you Greg for sharing your knowledge and insights. You certainly have a pedagogical gift!
You made me so happy and thankful by writing this here! Thank you!
@@gregniemczukyou are such a lovely person, if only you can be my teacher in person! Appreciate you so much, God bless 🙏✝️
P/a I feel we are soulmates musically as all your musical expressions I can feel and agree with you instantly!😅
I fell in love with this mazurka when I first heard Horowitz played it. My reaction then was how can anyone compose such a beautiful and touching music. Your in depth analysis is just simply amazing! Thank you.
Thank you! Yes, Horowitz's interpretation is very touching!
Me, too☺️
This is such a great opus. Greg, your storytelling ability really shines with this piece.
Thank you!!!
Thank you Greg for explaining this piece. This mazurka and the waltz in op64 no 2 in c# minor is my favorite pieces from Chopin. It's incredibly beautiful and intimate.
Thanks for watching! Indeed they're extremely beautiful! I plan to record videos about waltzes as well!!
I love your playing it's very sensible, congratulations
Thanks!
Wonderful explanation and playing. Thank you for your work!
Thank you Laura!
This was the Mazurka I turned to first in your series, as I feel it the most deeply. Your obvious love of the music and also the way you play it are inspiring. Looking forward to more.
Probably the best interpretation video I've seen so far
Fantastic interpretation and analysis of this beautiful mazurka, Greg! Its emotional sadness. Really like how you explain the middle section, like a dream coming from far away, then suddenly interrupted, back to sorrow. Thank you so much! 🙏
Thank you Per!
It was the first lecture I started to know about you, so great and wonderful explanation for this nice piece, Greg, I was deeply touched by the music and your illustrations... Thank you so much for all your working on Chopin since the last 2 years...
Thank you so much for this comment! Enjoy all the other videos. It was such a hard work for me....
Greetings!
I absolutely love your channel. Thank you so much for this!!!
Learning this piece for my Grade 8 but didn't appreciate it's signicance, sadness or beauty until watching this video. Thank you 💙
Thank you! I'm so happy to read that! Good luck!
I heard this mazurka in Ingmar Bergman’s “Cries and Whispers”, since then I’m obsessed with this one, so thank you for such a great piece of analysis.
Chopin is my favourite artist ALL Arts combined. Italia never had a sensitive Maestro exactly like Chopin. Never! It's unique. Poland is so lucky to have had such an Artist!
But you have many fantastic Opera composers!!!
True! But Chopin many melodies can make the female opera voice sublime. Imagine if Chopin had been healthier, motivated and lived 5, 10, 15, 25 + more years. What other masterpieces would he have composed? Perhaps opera? We don't know. 🙏
@@micheltoscano5880 I think so too!!! If he had power to compose the opera, it would be sooooo great!!!
Inspirational !
Thank you! I just started learning this ABRSM grade 8 piece and found this channel. How wonderful! I am from Hong Kong 🙂
Fantastic!! I have online students from Hong Kong! Good luck!! And sometimes you can watch my other videos as well!!!
When I listen to all the mazurkas, this is the one that makes me tear up. This one and the very last ones that were not published. I have a tear in my eye just from hearing it in your analysis. I had no idea this was thought to be composed when Chopin was 14. I too believe it's impossible. I only hear a sick old man in this, who has experienced every form of sadness in life.
Yes!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you for your comment
Fabuloso!me encanta que describas todo lo que hay detrás de la pieza 🤓
Dziękuję Grzegorzu. To jest cudowne! (I'm not fluent in Polish but the language appeals to my ear. This is one of my favourite mazurkas by Chopin and your analysis helped me appreciate this composition all the more.)
Thank you so much!!!! Welcome to my musical world!
I absolutely love how you present pieces.. Awesome!! I'm playing this mazurka next week!!
Fantastic!! Good luck! I'm glad I inspired you!
Such a helpful channel. Thank you for your insights!
Thanks for watching!
wonderful playing and explaination!
Your series about Chopin's Mazurkas is outstanding, superb, and very impressive. It's quite hard to believe that a 14-year-old Chopin composed this piece as its sadness and melancholy are out of range. But, honestly, if a 14-year-old composer can do it, is Chopin. Be that as it may, congrats once again.
Thank you so much!
@@gregniemczuk My pleasure.
THANKS MAESTRO💯❤🙋♂️
wow this is fantastic! thankyou for this :)
My pleasure!
My humble interpretation of Chopin's intentions- while the middle voice in the opening that goes B-C-D represent melancholy, the other voice-that goes A,F-A,F-A,F (F major- not considered to show sadness) and so on... attempts to prove how Chopin desperately wanted his joyous times in Poland, back (if he had written this in France), I mean, he could have written something like the 4th Prelude, that is still of the same nature as this piece, but he wrote a Mazurka to anchor his Polish roots to his mind very resolutely! What a genius!
YES! Thank you for that comment
The middle voice becomes the melody as sadness dominates happiness (or longing for happiness, just as he adds some C major chords in the last measures end ends the piece with an e minor chord in the 4th prelude, just for a comparison).
@@gregniemczuk you're welcome!
Merci
Thank you, this helped a lot!
I'm happy to hear that!
great. I practice this masterpiece right now, a lot of "tips" heard.... thanks!
my favorite mazurka!
Thank you for another great analysis of this beautiful mazurka. Now that you have played in Tokyo please plan to come to the US, specifically the Kennedy Center here in Washington. We wait for you. Soon!!
I'd love to. I just need a good lawyer to organize a visa to perform there .
A beautiful analysis punctuated by awful Simply Piano advertisements.. The contrast couldn’t be stronger!
Thanks for this beautiful insight and analysis. My favourite Chopin piece alongside ballade 1
Hahahahaha!! Well, I'm not responsible for the ad ! :).
Thanks for watching!!
Use an ad blocker!
Thank you so much for this lecture it's so beautiful to hear a musician's insight. A thing that always amazes me in this Mazurka, I think it is what you mean as in the mist/fog at the beginning, we don't really know we are in a minor until we get to the end of the first full statement of the melody, does the sadness come from this feeling of not knowing where "home" is?
Yes, definitely yes! It's so fascinating and so deep. Thanks for watching!
One doesn't have to know anything about Chopin's private life and historical circumstances to understand the beauty and crystallized depth of melancholy of this piece's main theme. Sometimes just thinking about it or or trying to revive the melody in my head makes me tear up. To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, "The most beautiful tunes are the sad ones."
Yes, you're absolutely correct
I love this video. You make such an interesting and wise comparison between Schubert and Chopin. I often wonder whether Chopin knew of Schubert's many published waltzes and dances. I believe that Chopin visited Vienna not long after Schubert died, and also he was well acquainted with Franz Liszt in Paris (who was very interested in Schubert's music). I wonder whether you feel that Chopin's music, the waltzes in particular, were inspired by Schubert? Anyway, thanks for the amazing video.
My favourite Chopin Mazurka (my second favourite Mazurka being the one dedicated to Emile Gaillard)!
In fact the dance is very very simple technically speaking and rarely ballet tricks, turns, high legs are displayed. Your analysis would certainly help dancers who have to perform this piece!
i like it! I do this one
Thank you very much for these videos. Theyre amezing! Do you also take requests?
Thanks! Tell me! But now I'm all into the Chopin's project.
@@gregniemczuk Alright no hurries! :) But id love to see Scriabins Poeme Op 32, F-sharp maj in the future!
From about min 6.00..... an irresistable reminder of Op28 #4....What do you think? Loving this series on Op 17 😀😀
Yes, indeed!!!
Bar 9 what chord is it thank u
Great video. Thank you. The printed music I've seen for this says "crotchet = 152" but nobody ever plays it anywhere near that speed - it is always significantly slower than that. Would you please explain why that is.
😊
Did the song modulate to another key ? Thank u
No, why?
@@gregniemczuk would be great to have the chords analysed 😀
I'm having trouble with the pedaling of the first bars. It sounds too marked, I don't like it. Do you have any suggestion? 😢😢
What speed should we play for this piece sir ? Exam says 152 crotchets beat per min but it’s lento
152 is definitely too fast to make it beautiful. Maybe in the middle section you can go faster and reach 152.
I read all your articles in japan magazine Chopin.
the Japanese techer cannot explain like Greg.
They say that it is written on score.
Wow!! Thank you so much! It means a lot to me.
Wow it says "Polish concert pianist Greg Niemczuk". I mistook him for an Italian because of his accent.
Yes I'm Polish 🙂
His name is definitely Polish not even Italian!😅
And I would recommend the interpretation of Makarova and Barishnikov. No one can dance like this today honestly...here is the whole performance. The video is old but worth watching.
I am immensely thankful to your lecture.
ua-cam.com/video/dKYUAp9nxmc/v-deo.html
I do not see how it is not possible that Chopin has not been "able" or quite mature to composing this Mazurka at an early age. Mahler, for an instance, composed his Quartetto for piano when he was only a student at Wien Conservatory...
Very good example. But I meant only this deep sadness, which Chopin didn't feel when he was in Poland.