Tracks 2-4: Tadeusz
Wesolowski's Accordions Ensemble
Track 5: M. Janicz's Instrumental
Ensemble
Tracks 6-12: Feliks
Dzierzanowski's Polish Folk Band
Tracks 13-14: Jerzy Witkowski's Accordions Ensemble
Tracks 15-22: Stefan Maciejewski's
Clarinets Ensemble
Tracks 23-29: Karol Namyslowski's "Wloscianska
" Orchestra
Track 30: Jan Pruszak's Accordions Ensemble
Recorded:
1967-1978, archival recordings from Polskie
Nagrania's archives
About:
The modern Polish-American favorite
dance, the polka is a lively couple-dance in a moderately fast duple meter.
Because of its acceptance as a ethnic symbol by Polish immigrants to North
America, the polka is gradually increasing its position among Polish dances
and is often present in the repertoire of Polish folk dance ensembles in
the U.S. The dance, however, is not Polish; it is not enumerated among the
five "national" dances of Poland which include: polonaise, kujawiak, mazur,
oberek, and krakowiak.
According to the New Grove Dictionary
of Music and Musicians, the polka originated in Bohemia around 1830 as a
round-dance, and became popular throughout Europe and in America in the
course of the 19th century. The name "polka" is derived from Czech words
for "field" or "half;" in other interpretations the name relates to the
Czech term for a Polish girl, "polska," in reference to the krakowiak
dance-songs which the Bohemians adopted for their polkas. It is interesting
to note that the word "Polka" means "Polish woman" in Polish. Music with
the polka's characteristics appears in various collections written about
1800 for practical use by village musicians. In the 19th century polkas
were composed by the leading composers of ballroom music of the 19th
century (including both Johann Strausses); examples occur in art music by
Smetana, Dvorak, and others. In the following years polka was performed in
many countries all over the world such as Austria, France, England, USA and
India. It attained extraordinary popularity, so much so that clothes, hats,
streets and even dishes were named after it (e.g. "polka dots").
The 19th-century polka was
characterized by a frequent occurrence of a rhythmic motive consisting of
two sixteenths followed by an eightnote. At that time the tempo of the
polka was that of military march played rather slowly, at 52 bars (MM=104)
per minute. The music was usually in ternary form with eight-bar sections,
sometimes with a brief introduction and a coda. Such polkas were cultivated
by all the leading ballroom dance composers of the latter part of the 19th
century.
Among contemporary popular and ethnic
dance genres, the polka has kept its image of the working-class dance
providing enjoyment and relaxation after long days of hard, physical labor.
With the "polka happiness" providing the keyword to its meaning (term
borrowed from the title of a 1992 study by Charles and Angeliki Keil), the
dance is slowly gaining popularity as a recreational activity for amateur
dancers who relish the polka's lively tempo and enjoy the strenuous
exercise that it provides. The musical styles continue to evolve and the
Polish-American polka remains one of the few dances historically linked to
Poland which are alive in social practice. The krakowiaks, mazurs or
zbójnickis are exhibition dances performed by semi-professional Polish folk
dance ensembles for Polish and American audiences. The polonaise kept its
function as a high-status musical symbol of Polishness (and its name
appears in several balls of Polish-American cultural organizations). Only
the polka is danced by everyone.
