Polonaise 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 and
Pavane (Fauré) about six minutes. The original version of the "Pavane" was written for piano and chorus in the late 1880s. The composer described it as "elegant, but not otherwise important." Fauré intended it to be played more briskly than it has generally come to be performed in its more familiar orchestral guise. The conductor Sir Adrian Boult heard Fauré play the piano version several times and noted that he took it at a tempo no slower than 100 quarter notes per minute. Boult commented that the composer's sprightly tempo emphasised that the "Pavane" was not a piece of German romanticism, and