Understanding Form: The Polonaise

In this video I discuss the traits and rules needed in order to write a Polonaise.

[gatozarin]

why isn’t your channel more well-known?? your content is

[BytomGirl]

Oh, my favorite Polonaise of Chopin that was also made into a song very popular in Poland. Every graduation ended with Polonaise danced by students in a certain pattern. It was loved by Russian composers, for example Tchaikovsky's Onegin or Glinka's from Ivan Susanin, it was also used by Minkus in ballet Paquita. in Poland most popular was Oginsky Polonaise, very patriotic and Russians tried to make it theirs. Polonaise has a rhythm that can't be ever mistaken for anything else

[PianoHugo]

Excellent work! Thanks a lot for this videos. 😊

[caterscarrots]

You said that the polonaise rhythm can’t be repeated throughout or that it shouldn’t. To that, I would say "What about Chopin’s Military Polonaise? Chopin does exactly that. The B section isn’t any calmer in my opinion than the A section."

[slubert]

Just a point i want to make. When discussing folk dances, a circle dance usually means a dance where a group of dancers hold hands for the majority (or throughout) of the dance, often they sing along with the dance. Most dances in fact are danced in a circle around the hall, mostly to avoid clashing together or just as part of choreography. So calling a popular 19th century "ballroom" dance a circle dance can prove to be difficult.

[nikolayevichmyshkin]

aw3esome best explanation on youtube so far, beating out the with your hand really helped me understand the form. thanks

[melmelsmusicstudio]

Very informative musical synopsis. I'll share this with my students- thank you! A+ and Bravo! 😀

[xrrainx]

Ah Chopin, quite the champion of the Polonaise

[neilwalsh]

I am definitely a fan of 'hybrid' form

[generalferret]

Very helpful! I would love to see more of these videos :)

[EduardoFrigattiComposer]

Very nice video! I'm composing a polonaise... I was very helpful. Thank you!

[guille____]

We missed you! Nice video as always :)

[melmelsmusicstudio]

Oh and can anyone please tell me a traditional tempo for a polonaise? I counted around 90 bpm for the orchestra at Heroic 3:05. But some say allegro maestoso, and that's much faster, correct? Was there a range - depending on the audience? Like reading a crowd? Just curious your thoughts. I think most music is played too fast today- attention spans and all. Thank you!

[caterscarrots]

That rhythm of the Polonaise, the eighth, sixteenth, sixteenth cell followed by eighth notes, is it just me or is that very similar to the rhythm you'd find in a March, just with a meter difference?

[magisterparsons]

Dude! What's your Patreon? This and the Folía video are gold!

[NidusFormicarum]

Really nice examples! ... except for Chopin - a composer whose music I usually cannot stand.

[lyleneff]

"Form" is an inaccurate word in the title of this video The polonaise is a genre, not a form. The form (i.e.musical structure) of a polonaise, like a Strauss waltz or a Sousa march, is not its defining feature. In addition, rhythm should not be confused with form. One could compose a polonaise in the same form (structure) as a waltz, etc. Musical style is the defining factor.

[davidbronmeijer]

wij vieren feest, ga weg met die malaise want het is weer tijd voor de polonaise.