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23-709: The polonaise has a rhythm quite close to that of the Swedish semiquaver or sixteenth-note polska , and the two dances share a common origin. Polska dance was introduced to Sweden during the period of the Vasa dynasty and the Polish–Swedish union . The polonaise is a very popular dance uninterruptedly danced in Poland till today. It is the opening dance in all major official balls and events, at New Year's balls, on national days as well as various less official parties. The polonaise

46-574: 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," the last movement in Weber's Clarinet Concerto No. 2 is marked "Alla Polacca", his Horn Concertino likewise ends with a polka movement, 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

69-685: A famous one, and Wilhelm Fiedemann Bach wrote a number of beautiful ones in major minor pairs.Other composers who wrote polonaises or pieces in polonaise rhythm include Johann Sebastian Bach , Georg Philipp Telemann , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Ludwig van Beethoven , Franz Danzi , Bernhard Henrik Crusell , Karol Kurpiński , Józef Elsner , Maria Agata Szymanowska , Henryk Wieniawski , Franz Schubert , Carl Maria von Weber , Clara Schumann , Robert Schumann , Franz Liszt , Johann Kaspar Mertz , Moritz Moszkowski , Modest Mussorgsky , Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov , Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Alexander Scriabin . Another more recent prolific polonaise composer

92-413: A rich tradition with perhaps several hundred unique variations of the triple time dances and, frequently, a parallel music tradition of uniquely styled tunes. Broadly, there are three styles of music for Swedish polska: A typical tune in the Swedish polska tradition shows a common structure, with two related eight-measure phrases, each repeated (a total of 32 bars constituting a single complete rendition of

115-471: Is a Polish dance and is one of the five historic national dances of Poland . The others are the Mazur (Mazurka), Kujawiak , Krakowiak and Oberek . 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 urban population and

138-513: Is almost always seen as a partner dance in 4 -beat , although variants in 4 time, as well as in compound meters also exist. As suggested by the name, the roots of the polska are often traced back to the influence of the Polish court throughout the northern countries during the early 17th century. ( Polska also happens to be homonymous with the Swedish word for

161-729: 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 name "studniówka" or literally in Polish "the ball of the hundred days". In 2023, the dance was included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists being recognized as "a form of joint celebration", which "commemorates important moments in family and community life and symbolizes cooperation, reconciliation and equality." The notation alla polacca ( Italian : polacca means "polonaise") on

184-414: Is known about Swedish polska dance comes from research conducted during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. While some early films were located, researchers for the most part collected descriptions from older dancers—in some cases quite elderly ones—who had learned the dances in tradition from close relatives or others in an older generation. On the other hand, what is known about Swedish polska dancing indicates

207-440: The polonaise or the 4 time minuet involving larger sets of people. Some see traces of the evolution from set dances to couples dances and from duple time to triple time in the minuets, still danced in some communities of Finland and Denmark. In these, the dance starts with a large set of dancers dancing a slower formal section and ends with couples or foursomes dancing a faster, more energetic polska section. In

230-508: The Polish language .) This view is sometimes challenged by those who see earlier evidence of the musical tradition in Nordic visor or songs, that may have become grafted onto the newer foreign influences when the court dances began to filter out into the middle class and rural communities. In addition, some earlier triple meter dances and melodies may have evolved into the polska. The polska dances were likely inspired by court dances such as

253-1033: 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 . Polska (dance) The polska ( Swedish plural polskor ) is a family of music and dance forms shared by the Nordic countries : called polsk in Denmark , polka or polska in Estonia , polska in Sweden and Finland , and by several different names in Norway . Norwegian variants include pols , rundom, springleik , and springar . The polska

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276-501: 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 collected sheet music for polonaises throughout her life time, collecting over 350. Her collection was focused on the finest examples of instrumentation. The polones (from either

299-477: The four Nordic countries in the local language, followed by complete translation in English. Nyberg, B. (Swedish contributor); Aksdal, B. (Norwegian contributor); Koiranen, A. (Finnish contributor); Koudal, H.K. & Nielsen, S. (Danish contributors); Nyhus, S., Ramsten, M., & Häggman, A. (contributors, origin not specified). Mazur (dance) The Mazur is a Polish folk and ballroom dance with origins in

322-458: 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 's polonaises are generally the best known of all polonaises in classical music . But there was a long tradition of polonaise in European music at least 100 years before Chopin. Händel wrote

345-492: The historical traditions of Jämtland; sixteenth note polskas can also be found in virtually all areas of Sweden; and the placement of the second beat can be controversial even among fiddlers from the same community. Moreover, interesting counter-examples may be found for virtually any statement made in this article. A 56-page booklet and accompanying audio tape with 40 tunes. Cooperative venture of four Nordic institutes. Provides separate descriptions of music and dance traditions in

368-404: The late 1600s it was common in northern Europe that only the slower Alla breve or 4 section of the music was written down on paper, as paper was expensive. The musicians were expected to be able to improvise a dance in 4 which was based on the same motivic material as the previous dance. The parts played in 4 were the ones evolving to the modern polska . In

391-427: The most consistent living tradition, with unique local dances still performed socially today within specific regions or communities. There are two predominant broad types, each characterized by its own music, instrumentation, and dance tradition. In Sweden, the polska music tradition is continuous, with tunes and styles passed down through families, relatives, and neighbors. While styles have certainly evolved over time,

414-414: The nobles. By the late 16th century, the folk versions of polonaise (accompanied by singing) were commonly danced by the lower Polish nobility, but the dance was not known under its current name until the 17th century. With time, it also became a favorite dance of the Polish aristocratic class and acquired an instrumental form. The polonaise was first introduced in the 17th century in French courts, although

437-586: The prevalent 4 time form, polska dances were most common in Norway, Sweden and Swedish-speaking Finland, but with versions seen in Finnish-speaking Finland and in Denmark. It is best to discuss these dances by country as their regional histories, while contemporaneous, were quite varied and the dances known today differ significantly from one country to the next. Norway's dances show

460-452: The region of Mazovia . It is one of the five Polish national dances. The Mazur was known in Poland already in the 15th century and by the 17th century it became a popular court dance. The Mazur is performed in 3/4 or 3/8 time and lively tempo. It is characterized by its tendency to accent the second or third beat and a rhythmic figure of a 4-syllable group, consisting of two quavers (eighth notes) and two crotchets (quarter notes), and

483-417: The traditions and the roots can be traced back hundreds of years. In addition, through the 19th century a series of professional and semi-professional archivists travelled the land transcribing and annotating tunes. In contrast, however, polska dance traditions came under severe pressure during the industrialization of Sweden and, with few exceptions, succumbed entirely during the early 20th century. Most of what

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506-499: The tune), and the whole structure repeated two or more times. However, there are longer tunes (a storpolska or big polska has three or occasionally even four phrases) and there exist many tunes with odd numbers of measures per phrase and phrases that vary in length between parts. The first beat is not stressed except in hambo a dance from the beginning of the 20th century. It is important that sharp lines and distinctions not be drawn. For example, all three styles of polska music form

529-635: Was the American Edward Alexander MacDowell . John Philip Sousa wrote the Presidential Polonaise , intended to keep visitors moving briskly through the White House 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. The polonaise

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