Mazurca Di Zavattarello mazurka

Many good turns / tunes deserve a response. This is out of respect, and a Christmas offering, for GM and all the Italians at The Sesh. I have am feeling some guilt in that since GM hasn’t left me with much choice as far as a name, I’ve resorted, and with some humour, to using ‘GM’, which in English also stands for ‘Genetically Modified’… Well, while he’s offered us so much in the way of Irish and other tunes on site here, I thought it time at Christmas to take another stab at a lovley number from Northern Italy. Yes, capitalized, and with purpose, while some of you might think of Italy as one boot and a bit at the bottom of Europe, it has many facets, identities, and all those I’ve learned to appreciate in one form or another.

So here’s my filter working on an Italian number and wishing I were in Italy for Christmas. I first learned to dance to this, and sadly can’t remember the dance, so if there’s anyone out there with notation for this dance ~ please, please, send me the notes so I can dance to this while I play or lilt it. I remember liking the dance but I learned this before I met my lovely wife and would like to teach it to here.

Now down to Christmas ~ the goose is in the oven two hours now and I’m enjoying one of my favourite brews, a black lager called simply "Herold’, mmm, mmm, good, and I’m in a jolly mood. We’re having all the fixings, another lovely fly off the cuff stuffings and roast veggies and a really nice port with mince pies. So, GM and any other Italians out there, please, aside from the dance description, send us some idea of an Italian Christmas, what’s happening in your house, food wise and celebrations wise ~ in and out and round abouts your way? I love Italian carols, but I love most carols, and wassails too, some playing in the background now as I type up this offering of Christmas joy from us.

Oh yeah, if I got this lovely mazurka wrong or strayed to far afield, please give us your slant on it.

I like to flow in and out of the high and low of this, usually starting high. It can also be played in the key of ‘C’…

If you like italian food and wine, Christmas Holydays is the best time to make a trip in Italy. ( Every region, every province, has his own traditional dishes).

Just in case, if you’re on your own GM and haven’t any plans, we’ve plenty of goose and other goodies to go around and you’d be welcome to join us here. If not goose we’ve some salmon too and even a nice English meat pie. If you’re vegetairan, well then, that can be met with too. Oops! ~ sorry, it’s all in goose fat so it that were the case it will just have to be all alcohol… Merry Christmas…

😉

Ah well, I was only dropping off a few gifts for the season. I favour this in G, but like the swing back and forthe, from high to low to high again, starting and finishing on the G Major take of it. As you’ll see with these two ways with it, there are significant differences and it would have been nice, as intended, for you to hear the midi of them both together, but ‘the axe-man commeth’ and saw differently, so, still keeping with the Christmas spirit, and the black lager, here’s the bit again he axed, and closer to the way I have with this mazurka:

K: Gmaj
|: d |
g>d e>d B>e | d2 d>G (3Bcd | g>d e>d B>d | c2 c2- c>e |
a>g f>e d>e | f2 f>A f>A | e>A e>A e>A | d2 d>A (3Bcd |
g>d e>d B>e | d2 d2- d>f | g2 f>g a>g | e2- e>A c>e |
a>g f>a g>f | g>d (3Bcd e>d | (3fed c>A F>A | G2 G2 (3Bcd |
b2 b2 (3Bcd | g2 g2 B>d | g>A ^g>A a>A | f2 f2 (3Ace |
a2 a2 (3Acd | f2 f2 A>d | f>e d>A e>c | B2- B>G (3Bcd |
b2 b2 B>d | g2 g2 (3Bcd | g2 f2 =f2 | e2- e>A c>e |
a>g f>a g>f | g>d (3Bcd (3Bcd | (3fed (3cBA (3FGA | G2 G2- G :|

I even had put in the repeats so you’d hear it something like as intended, twice through, though I’d have given it at least three times through…

The goose is cooked and consumed, more than I should have eaten, and bits are slowly melding into the beginnings of a soup or stew… Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night…