# Composing a polonaise, anything else to consider?



## caters

So the thought has came to me several times to write a polonaise. I'm not Polish so I barely know anything about that side of the polonaise. But so far I have come across these commonalities across all polonaises(except maybe some of Bach's polonaises and some other early polonaises):


Triple meter(typically 3/4 time, though some are written with a 6/8 feel in mind)
Moderate to fast tempo(it gets especially fast if you look only at Chopin's polonaises)
Common melodic rhythm
Relatively simple bass line compared to the complex melody
Ternary form(often complex ternary form which is like ternary form sections inside a ternary form piece)

But then there are those things that differ. I will be using Chopin as an example since his polonaises are extremely well known, but don't feel as though I'm being too Chopin-centric.

Heroic Polonaise:





This polonaise has more of a 6/8 feel to it. And not just because of the eighth note bass line but also because of beams of eighths going across the bar. Also, I think there are some bars where the eighths are grouped in 3's, implying 6/8, even though it is written in 3/4 time. Also, in the B section, it feels more like a mazurka in terms of the rhythm. This is one of those cases where I would argue that 6/8 is the true time signature and that 6/8 is used as a triple meter(after all if 6 can be divided by both 2 and 3, no reason that 6/8 can't be triple meter just because it is most often duple meter)

Here is a typical polonaise rhythm:









And here is the rhythm I feel and see in the B section:









That is a typical mazurka rhythm. No idea why Chopin would write the B section of a polonaise like a mazurka in terms of the rhythm.

Military Polonaise:





This one has clearer 3/4 feel to it. Also it sticks to the typical polonaise rhythm almost to the dot throughout, no section of it feels like a mazurka.

Polonaise in C minor:





This one is even more rhythmically confusing. Sometimes it sounds like a mazurka rhythm, sometimes it sticks to a typical polonaise rhythm, and other times it just sounds like a waltz rhythm. I guess the rhythmic confusion fits the mood of the polonaise though as does the tempo being on the slow side of Allegro.

So is there anything else I have to consider besides the rhythm, form, complexity of melody vs bass, tempo being moderate to fast, and most importantly triple meter when writing a polonaise.


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## Fabulin

While you seem to have the technical part covered, a very important aspect of a polonaise is the feeling that it conveys. It is a proud dance, largely consisting of majestic strolling in pairs and exchanging looks and nods with other people. A sense of tragedy or at least bittersweetness is hidden behind a facade of its pomp. In a social sense, it was always a dance of pretending just for a couple of minutes that the reality is not as bad as it really is:
1. peasants pretending not to be poor
2. impoverished nobility pretending not to be impoverished
3. exiles pretending not to be helpless nobodies in a foreign country, who cannot return home
4. socialites in interbellum Poland trying to recreate the real or imagined glory of their ancestors in the golden age and forget that they are in a poor and weak country right between The Third Reich and The Soviet Union
5. teachers at proms pretending that their students have even a shade of quaint manners or a belief in honour
6. some more sensitive students pretending that all others care as much about culture, history etc. as they do.
7. And in general just about anyone pretending that the present or future is more bright than it really is, or that the society has more cohesion than it really has.

You might find some inspiration in three non-Chopin polonaises that are also very popular in Poland:
"Pożegnanie Ojczyzny" (A Farewell To The Fatherland) - a 1794 polonaise in A minor by Michał Kleofas Ogiński. An old staple, has been danced in every possible context described above.




Polonaise from a 1999 film adaptation of the lyrical epic "Pan Tadeusz", composed by Wojciech Kilar. It is the most popular polonaise among my generation as far as I can tell (frequently chosen for proms because it is straightforward in it's joyfulness---it's a wedding polonaise after all):




Finally _Polonez Husarii_ (Polonaise of the Winged Hussars) - another 1999 polonaise from a film adaptation - this time of Henryk Sienkiewicz's "With Fire And Sword"; composed by Krzesimir Dębski to convey a bygone 17th century martial glory





As for Chopin's Op. 40 in A major - it continued to be broadcasted by the Polish radio frequently every day of September 1939, to give hope and a sense of courage to civilians and military until the Germans walked in and switched it off with their own hands.

With this context you will understand what did Arthur Rubinstein (himself an exile) feel when he said:





I hope this helps.

Edit: I should probably also mention that the polonaise has been popularized by the French court, where it was considered just a conveniently placid dance that didn't make gentlemen under stiff jackets and powdered wigs sweat too much, or make the ladies trip over their long dresses.
And then the Russians appropriated the polonaise as a symbol of the Tsar's court. Hence Tchaikovsky's polonaise from Onegin, or a symphony mistakenly interpreted as sympathizing with Poland, which in fact catered to Petersburg's aristocrats.
Also, it is danced at weddings sometimes. I haven't attended that many in Poland, but I recall dancing it at one. That's why a slightly more lively polonaise is also an option nowadays.


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## Larkenfield

A Polonaise is more than technique; it’s also the proud spirit behind it, and that’s what comes first.


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