The polonaise (, ; pl, polonez ) is a
dance of
Polish origin, one of the five Polish national dances in
time. Its name is
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
for "Polish" adjective feminine/"Polish woman"/"girl". The original Polish name of the dance is Chodzony, meaning "the walking dance". It is one of the most ancient Polish dances representing Polish cultural dance tradition. Polonaise dance influenced European ballrooms, folk music and European classical music.
The polonaise has a rhythm quite close to that of the Swedish semiquaver or sixteenth-note
polska, and the two dances have a common origin. Polska dance was introduced to Sweden during the period of the Vasa dynasty when king Vasa introduced it from Poland to Sweden that's why its name simply mean Poland; "polska" is a Polish word for Poland.
The polonaise is a very popular dance uninterruptedly danced in Poland till today. It is the dance danced as an opening dance in all major official balls, events, at the final year of the high school ball called "studniówka", at New Year's balls, national days as well as various less official parties. The polonaise is always the first dance at a ''
studniówka'' ("student ball"), the Polish equivalent of the senior
prom that occurs approximately 100 days before exams, hence its mame "studniówka" or literally in Polish "the ball of the hundred days".
Influence of Polonaise in music
The
notation ''alla polacca'' ( it, polacca means "polonaise") on a
musical score indicates that the piece should be played with the rhythm and character of a polonaise. For example, the third movement of Beethoven's
Triple Concerto op. 56, marked "Rondo alla polacca," and the finale of Chopin's
Variations on "Là ci darem la mano" both feature this notation. In his book ''Classic Music: Expression, Form, and Style'', Leonard G. Ratner cites the fourth movement from Beethoven's
Serenade in D major, Op. 8, marked "Allegretto alla Polacca," as a representative example of the polonaise dance topic (Ratner 1980, pp. 12–13).
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...
's
polonaises are generally the best known of all polonaises in
classical music. Other composers who wrote polonaises or pieces in polonaise rhythm include
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
,
Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hi ...
,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
,
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
,
Karol Kurpiński
Karol Kazimierz Kurpiński (March 6, 1785September 18, 1857) was a Polish composer, conductor and pedagogue. He was a representative of late classicism and a member of the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning ( Polish: ''Towarzystwo Warszaw ...
,
Józef Elsner
Józef Antoni Franciszek Elsner (sometimes ''Józef Ksawery Elsner''; baptismal name, ''Joseph Anton Franz Elsner''; 1 June 176918 April 1854) was a composer, music teacher, and music theoretician, active mainly in Warsaw. He was one of the firs ...
,
Maria Agata Szymanowska,
Henryk Wieniawski,
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...
,
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas, ...
,
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
,
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
,
Johann Kaspar Mertz
Joseph Kaspar Mertz (in hu, Mertz János Gáspár) (17 August 1806 – 14 October 1856) was an Austro-Hungarian guitarist and composer.
Biography
Caspar Joseph Mertz (baptised Casparus Josephus Mertz) was born in Pressburg, now Bratislava (Slov ...
,
Moritz Moszkowski,
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...
,
Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov,
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic music, Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer Music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose music would make a lasting impressi ...
and
Alexander Scriabin.
Another more recent prolific polonaise composer was the American
Edward Alexander MacDowell
Edward Alexander MacDowell (December 18, 1860January 23, 1908) was an American composer and pianist of the late Romantic period. He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites '' Woodland Sketches'', ''Sea Pieces'' and '' ...
.
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to di ...
wrote the ''Presidential Polonaise'', intended to keep visitors moving briskly through the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...
receiving line. Sousa wrote it in 1886 after a suggestion from President
Chester A. Arthur.
Tchaikovsky's opera ''
Eugene Onegin'', an adaption of Alexander Pushkin's novel in poetry verse, includes a famous polonaise.
National dance
The polonaise is a Polish dance and is one of the five historic national dances of Poland. The others are the
Mazurka (Mazur),
Kujawiak,
Krakowiak and
Oberek, last three being old folk dances. Polonaise originated as a peasant dance known under various names – ''chodzony'' ("pacer"), ''chmielowy'' ("hops"), ''pieszy'' ("walker") or ''wielki'' ("great"), recorded as early as the 15th century. In later centuries it gained popularity among the nobility and townspeople.
[Selma Jeanne Cohen. ''International encyclopedia of dance: a project of Dance Perspectives Foundation, Inc.'' ]Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...
. 1998. p. 223.
Outside Poland
Polonaise in French Courts
The polonaise or ''polonez'', was first introduced in the 17th century in French courts, although the form originated in Poland and was very popular throughout Europe. This dance in 3/4 metre was designed to entertain the French royal court. The term polonaise was used over the term ''polonez'' at the start of the 18th century.
Princess Anna Maria of Saxony
Princess Anna Maria of Saxony collected
sheet music
Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed books or pamphlets in English, A ...
for polonaises throughout her life time, collecting over 350. Her collection was focused on the finest examples of instrumentation.
Maluku
The polones (from either the Dutch ''polonez'', or possibly the Portuguese ''polonesa'') is a common feature of wedding receptions in
Maluku. A loosely-defined group dance, it typically resembles a
country dance or
cèilidh, or in some cases a
line dance.
Gallery
File:Jan Norblin- Polonais.jpg, Polish Noblemen
The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian language, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the nobility, noble Estates of the realm, estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385), Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the ...
dancing Polonaise, painting by Jan Piotr Norblin
File:Polonez Pod Gołym Niebem - Korneli Szlegel.jpg, Poles dance Polonez, painting by Korneli Szlegel
File:Kwiatkowski-chopin.jpg, Chopin's Polonaise - a Ball in Hôtel Lambert in Paris.
See also
*
Waltz
The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position.
History
There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...
*
Mazurka
*
Varsovienne
*
Kujawiak
*
Krakowiak
*
Redowa
References
{{Authority control
External links
Polonaise ‒ The Royal Dance Every Polish Teenager Has to Master
Polish styles of music
Polish dances
Dance forms in classical music
Triple time dances