Chopin- Mazurka, Op. 59, no. 2

I may not have noticed this had I not been able to make an assumption by what section were in, but this piece is in ternary form, and therefor a fitting assignment. The A section of this piece is a lot longer than normal, extending for 41 measures. This is because it goes through a lot of repetition before moving to a new idea. The initial statement is made in the first 4 measures and repeats itself in similar form as a motive throughout the piece. This motive or it’s inversion makes the phrasing very clear, as each phrase begins with a restatement. It reaches a point in measure 19 where it ends the idea and sounds as if it will go to a new section. However, there is a 2 measure transition back to the beginning of the A section. There is a crescendo into it and it is played this time with a much greater density and volume. Such dynamic changes, either gradual or sudden, play a large role in the sensation of structural beaks throughout the piece. The section ends in the original key, and the same transition returns, but this time with a diminuendo leading to the softer B section. The B section is independent of the A, made clear by the changes in dynamics, rhythm, and tonality. The motive never returns in the section. In measure 69, the A section returns, but this time the motive is in the left hand. It is varied this time and ends on a short terminative section in the original key of A-flat major.