By Daniel Haiduc
In any piece of music, the use of rhythm is necessary in order to bring life to a melodic line, giving it shape, expression, and direction. Moreover, all composers have certain rhythmic trademarks that define their style: Beethoven's famous "short-short-short-long" in his 5th symphony, or Brahm's use of hemiola in his Hungarian Dances. In Chopin's music, one rhythm that could be argued was "his own" is a quarter note followed by a dotted quarter note and an eighth note.
This rhythm appears quite frequently in Chopin's music, as he uses it extremely often. One can find countless examples across all the types of works that he wrote, such as in the 2nd theme of the 1st movement of Chopin's Third Sonata as well as his Polonaise in A flat Major Opus 53. Many of Chopin's Mazurkas also feature this rhythm, as it's common in many traditional Polish dance forms that influenced his style.
This "Chopin rhythm" was first brought to my attention in a recent lesson with Professor Hung Kuan Chen on Chopin's 2nd Scherzo in B flat minor, which contains many examples of this rhythm both in the beautiful lyrical section labeled "con anima" as well as in the trio section in A Major. In terms of how to interpret the rhythm, he encouraged me to think of it not as a syncopation, but instead as a "manipulated triplet" that's slightly "exaggerated or agogic", meaning that the notes are slightly longer in value. Additionally, when playing it, one must make sure that the emphasis is placed on the first quarter note instead of the dotted quarter.
In conclusion, Chopin's use of the quarter note followed by a dotted quarter and an eighth note highlights his mastery of rhythm as a tool for not only emotional depth but also lyrical expression. Whether used in his energetic polonaises or in the wistful phrases of his nocturnes, this rhythm embodies the expressive freedom and nuanced phrasing that define Chopin's style. Learning to interpret this rhythm not simply as a syncopation but also as an expressive, almost agogic gesture has deepened my understanding of Chopin's music and the role that rhythm plays as a powerful shaping force in all of his melodies.