mazurka

mazurka (muzûr'ku, –zoor'–) [key], Polish national dance that spread to England and the United States at the beginning of the 19th cent. Danced by four or eight couples and characterized by stamping of the feet and clicking of the heels, it is in moderate triple meter and permits improvisation. Chopin composed more than 50 mazurkas for piano.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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