Customer Reviews

Mazurkas (Dover Music for Piano)

There are many other editions of Mazurkas which I personally prefer to this available but I rate this book as a important reference to learn what the composer was intended. The editor Carl Mikuli was Chopin's piano pupil and many times he witnessed the performance of composer himself which were only to those of close to him. (Chopin did only a handful of public concerts and recitals in his life) However, intimate accounts of how his (Chopin)fingers were shaped during the passages could only be used as a sentimental knowledges which has little use for today's performance standard.

Nonetheless, we could keep in mind that what composer himself tried to express and teach his students his music as a great way to express our feeling through these beautiful works. Many Mazurkas have only a few pages and many could be played by begining students.

There are discussions of how the Mazurkas should be played, outside this book but Mikuli himself did not address this matter. (Where should the Mazurka's accents have to be placed--and there is a accounts of Chopin and Meyerbeer arguing reported by other pupil von Lenz who was taking lessons of Mazurka.)

Convenient package of 1 book with this inexpensive price, with the cover portlait by Eugene Delacroix, also Chopin's close friend is a great buy for the piano students of all levels.