Chopin composed the set of 19 Polish songs, his Op 74, between 1829 and 1847. They were published after his death. that it is often heard as an encore on the concert platform today. The words of the song feature on the score. : The simple, lilting melody sings over a regular accompaniment of arpeggiated quavers. The texture becomes a little more complicated at bar 35, where each hand needs to play quavers while also sustaining longer notes. Where the melody appears in octaves, don’t let your wrist or thumb freeze in position. A light upward movement of the wrist is essential when it comes to playing each semiquaver. A word about the LH fingering at the start: If 4 feels awkward on the A, then try 5. The score offers few dynamics, so a lot can be learned – in terms of dynamics as well as voicing and phrasing – by listening to the original song. : See markings on the score. Lush legato pedalling is needed.
