Polonaise instrumentation. Polonaise The polonaise (, ; ) is a dance of Polish origin, in time. Its name is French for "Polish." 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. The polonaise is a widespread dance in carnival parties. The polonaise is always a first dance at a "studniówka" ("hundred-days"), the Polish equivalent of the senior prom that occurs approximately 100 days before exams. The notation "alla polacca" ( means "polonaise") on a musical score indicates that the piece should be played with the rhythm
Pavane pour une infante défunte given on 27 February 1911 in Manchester, England, conducted by Sir Henry Wood. Reviewing the concert, the critic Samuel Langford called the work "most beautiful" and added, "The piece is hardly representative of the composer, with whom elusive harmonies woven in rapid figuration are the usual medium of expression. In the "Pavane" we get normal, almost archaic harmonies, subdued expression, and a somewhat remote beauty of melody." The first gramophone recording of the "Pavane" was made in 1921 in Paris. A later recording, made in Paris in 1932 is sometimes thought to have been conducted by the composer, but was