Ex. 12-3: Moja pieszczotka

No. 12 of Chopin's Polish Songs (Op. 74), composed in 1837 to a poem by Adam Mickiewicz (1798–1855), Poland's national poet. The poem is a playful love song: when his darling chatters and coos like a bird, the lover only wants to listen and dares not interrupt — but when her eyes light up and her lips part, he forgets about listening and wants only to kiss.

The music sways gently in triple time — a waltz touched with the flavor of the mazurka, Poland's own dance.

Chopin and Mickiewicz had both left Poland for Paris after the failed 1830–31 uprising against Russian rule, and they knew each other among the city's Polish exiles.

Like most of Chopin's songs, it was published only after his death — collected by Julian Fontana and issued as part of Op. 74 in 1857. Other songs from Op. 74 are also in this app. (Ex. 3-4: Życzenie by Frédéric Chopin, Ex. 7-3: Smutna rzeka by Frederic Chopin)

Franz Liszt transcribed this song for piano solo as No. 5 of his Six Chants polonais (S.480), under the German title "Meine Freuden" (My Joys).

From the album Chopin, F.: Songs by Joanna Kozlowska and Waldemar Malicki (2010)
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