Minor mazurka

One of my favourite tunes.It’s so well known here in Belgium that it’s called "The Mazurka" .Wherever Flemish folk musicians gather you will hear this tune.Other than that I don’t know much about it.Perhaps Maarten can enlighten us.

I’ts lovely, one of my favourites. I’ll see if I’ve the notes here, which I’m sure are at hand, but can I find them. If not me someone else will know…

I may have actually known this as a bourée á trios temps, in three time? I’ll do a search…

Played both ways ~ 3/8 Bouree & 3/4 Mazurka, & in different keys…

http://www.amta.com.fr/fr/musiciens/musicien.asp?codemusicien=1

http://www.vancouverworldmusic.org/html/trameMail.html

https://thesession.org/tunes/562

https://thesession.org/tunes/3356

Not to worry you Dafydd, but I think this may have been one of the mazurkas I submitted sometime ago, over a year, that Jeremy chose to axe. Mind you, the site has become a little more international since that time… It’s a nice tune, let’s hope it’s left alone. I might even submit the versions I have of it, keys and the bouree? WIll I risk it? 😉

I pretty much confined myself to Irish after that effort was squelched. I’ve some other of Chabenat’s work. He’s a damned fine player of the vielle a roue / hurdy-gurdy, progressive, and he’s composed some lovely music, like this air of two ways… Maybe I’ll send you the ABCs and you can decide whether to risk it…

K: D minor
|: D E>D |
A2 A>B c>d | A2 A2 B>A | G2 A>G F>E | F2 D>D E>D |
A2 AB cd | A2 A2 BA | G2 A>G F>E | D3 :|
|: A dc |
B2 BA Bc | d2 d2 cB | A2 AG AB | A2 AD dc |
B3 A Bc | d2 d2 cB | A2 AF EF | D3 :|

Some of us also like to finish both parts so:
| E3 :| ~ and for part-B a second ending:
|1 E3 :|2 D3 ||

I’ve a few other ways with this but this will do for a start. I will return with the bouree ABCs later…

~ also in this key here:

"The Massif Central Tune Book No.2"
compiled by Mel Stevens
Dragonfly Music, 1988

This is #2 of 2 and both I highly recommended…

I’ve also played this in E minor, and dropping to a low rumble starting below the staff in B minor…very under the skin and bluesy…

M: 3/8
L: 1/16
R: bouree a trois temps
K: Amin
ABA |:
e2efga | e4 fe | d2edcB | c2AABA |
e2efga | e4 fe | d2edcB | B3 :|
|: aag |
f2fefg | a4 gf | e2e^def | e4 ag |
f2fefg | a4 gf | e2dcBc |1 B3 :|2 A3 ||

Fully swung, but for interest with the different ‘E’ endings:

K: D minor
|: D E>D |
A2 A>B c>d | A2 A2 B>A | G2 A>G F>E | F2 D>D E>D |
A2 AB cd | A2 A2 BA | G2 A>G F>E | E3 :|
|: A d>c |
B2 B>A B>c | d2 d2 c>B | A2 A>G A>B | A2 A>D d>c |
B3 A B>c | d2 d2 c>B | A2 A>F E>F |1 E3 :|2 D3 ||

Fully swung, but for interest with the different ‘E’ endings:

K: D minor
|: D E>D |
A2 A>B c>d | A2 A2 B>A | G2 A>G F>E | F2 D>D E>D |
A2 A>B c>d | A2 A2 B>A | G2 A>G F>E | E3 :|
|: A d>c |
B2 B>A B>c | d2 d2 c>B | A2 A>G A>B | A2 A>D d>c |
B3 A B>c | d2 d2 c>B | A2 A>F E>F |1 E3 :|2 D3 ||

Oops! ~ I know, I know, forgive me, but just for the hair shirts out there ~ slap, slap, slap, bang, bang, bang, no, I mean slap > Slap, SLAP2, bang > Bang, BANG2 ~ WAKE UP!!!! Mea culpa!
Honest, it has been a tough week…

K: E minor
|: E F>E |
B2 B>c d>e | B2 B2 c>B | A2 B>A G>F | G2 E2 F>E |
B3 c d>e | B4 c>B | A2 B>A G>E | F3 :|
B e>d |
c2 c>B c>d | (3efe d2 c2 | B2 B>A B>c | B>E G>B e>d |
c3 B c>d | e2 (3ded c2 |1 B2 B>E G>E | F3 :|
2 B2 B>G F>G | E3 ||

Go on, you can figure out the low B minor ~ |: B, C>B, | ~

Welcolme back ceolachan.

Gone back into the shadows again Dafydd ~ but the the welcome is appreciated…

Key signature: d minor
Submitted on October 12th 2007 by Mario.
~ /tunes/7854

X: 1
T: Mazurka De Gilles Chabenat
C: Gilles Chabenat
M: 9/8
L: 1/8
R: slip jig
K: d minor
|: D E2 D |
"Dm" A3 A2 B c2 d | "Fmaj7" A3- A2 A B2 A | "Gm7" G3 A2 G F2 E | "F6" F3 D2 D E2 D |
"Dm" A3 A2 B c2 d | "Fmaj7" A3- A2 A B2 A | "Gm7" G3 A2 G F2 G |[1 "Am7" E3- E2 :|
[2 "A7sus4" E3- E2 ||
|: A d2 c |
"Bbmaj7" B3 B2 A B2 c | "Gm7" d3- d2 d c2 B | "Fmaj7" A3 A2 G A2 B | "Am7" A3- A2 B d2 c |
"Bbmaj7" B3 B2 A B2 c | "Gm7" d3- d2 d c2 B |[1 "Am7" A3 G2 F E2 F | E3- E2 :|
[2 "Am7" A3 G2 F E2 F | "Dm" D3- D2 ||

Submitted on October 12th 2007 by Mario.

X: 1
T: Mazurka de Gilles Chabenat
C: Gilles Chabenat
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: Mazurka
C: Gilles Chabenat
K: Dm
|: D E>D |
A2 A>B c>d | A2-A>A B>A | G2 A>G F>E | F2 D>D E>D |
A2 A>B c>d | A2-A>A B>A | G2 A>G F>G | E2-E :|
|: A d>c |
B2 B>A B>c | d2-d>d c>B | A2 A>G A>B | A2-A>B d>c |
B2 B>A B>c | d2-d>d c>B | A2 G>F E>F |[1 E2-E :|[2 D2-D ||

# Posted on October 12th 2007 by ceolachan
~ Mario’s notes simplified & with the ‘>’

COMMENTS from same ~

Sorry, folks…it’s not a Slip Jig, it’s a Mazurka from Central France…! With ‘Man in the Brown Hat’ we have a real classic Bal Folk Schottische, so I thought to follow it up with one of THE classic Mazurkas from France. Get prepared for Saint Chartier! The tune was written by french Vielle à Roue virtuoso, Gilles Chabenat and first recorded on the album ‘Les Ecoliers De Saint Genest’ from 1983 (beautiful album, by the way). It should be played at around 130 bpm (dotted crotchet). It really needs to swing to get the dancers swirling about!

# Posted on October 12th 2007 by Mario

MAZURKAS ARE NOT 9/8 ~ not from any country or composer…
Mazurkas are 3/4 but are often swung, and sometimes heavily…

# Posted on October 12th 2007 by ceolachan

Sigh*
I’ve been through this discussion a number of times…never mind. I know that they are usually written in 3/4 time, but there are some Mazurkas which come with a really strong shuffle feel. These I write out as 9/8, so people can grasp the rhythm at least a wee bit better. And I’m not alone with that! I’ve seen other transcriptions of Mazurkas done in 9/8, even in some books. It’s just like with some Breton Larides 8 temps. Most of them are in straight 4/4, while others (those with a really strong swing) come in 12/8 flavour. The same goes for some Dans Fisel. These dots can never fully capture the music, that’s understood. But I’ll alway try and get as much of the phrasing into a transcripton as I possibly can without cluttering the sheet. So.

I don’t give s**t about any conventions, as long as they are just that: conventions. If I can make life a bit easier for someone who might want to play this (and has never before played a French Mazurka), then I’ll do. Even if it means ditching transcription conventions. In my book, most conventions belong to some dark and remote place anway, where they can bother no one.

# Posted on October 12th 2007 by Mario

> ~ It’s called ‘swing’…

# Posted on October 12th 2007 by ceolachan

C’est la vie! ~ "Dark and remote places" eh? 😀

So, I see, you have the light and everyone else, or the vast majority of ‘others’, are wrong? It seems I’ve seen and heard it all before, repeating over and over again across history. As usual, those convinced of their own superior ways are generally not open to discussion, whatever proof is put before them. Who is in the light and who is in the dark? I’ve seen 4/4 barndances transcribed as 12/8 in print ~ that doesn’t make it right, anymore than transcribing modal tunes as Major is right, but it keep happening and will continue so ad infinitum… We all have our quirks, and some of us do daft things, myself included. It would be nice if when someone was doing a search to find a ‘mazurka’ they’d find it under ‘mazurkas’ (3/4), and if after a slip jig, they’d find it under ‘slip jigs’ (9/8). ‘Conventions’ are guides, usually established over a long time and by many different minds, with experience and understanding. But, there will always be the quirky attempts to redefine things, c’est la vie…

# Posted on October 12th 2007 by ceolachan

No, I’m not claiming to have ‘the light’. My batteries keep running out all the time, so…

So, now we have plenty of differently transcribed versions of the same tune on hand. I guess it’s called diversity… 😉 And me surrenders, for peace sake: If I have another Mazurka to submit, I’ll do so in 3/4 time…

Come to speak of it, the dotted 8th+16th phrasing isn’t the real thing either. Seems we’ll just have to live with it…

# Posted on October 12th 2007 by Mario

"dotted 8th+16th phrasing" ~ is rarely seen that way and is usually interpreted as 3rds at best. It is suggestive, and also accepted as so in most circles…

But hey, if 9/8 floats your boat, put the ‘alternate’ transcription in the ‘comments’, like here… Let’s not fall out over the dots, since what we play is probably the same and without those damned spots in the way… 😉

# Posted on October 12th 2007 by ceolachan