Mazurka
A Polish triple-time dance, with the accent often on two or three
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A mazurka is a Polish dance in triple time whose most striking feature is that the accent is not always on beat one: it often falls on two or three, or divides the bar into a long–short–short step. Chopin made it a classic of the piano repertoire, but it keeps the irregular feel of the dance step.
It differs from the waltz: the waltz lands on one and turns on two and three, while the mazurka deliberately displaces the accent. The usual mistake is to treat it as a slow waltz — its rhythmic grammar is different, and three even beats lose the Polish character.
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Sources
- 玛祖卡的节奏特征与肖邦的用法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Mazurka"；本文为原创表述
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