Polka which hosts/produces the Grammy Awards, announced that it was eliminating the polka category. The Academy's official reason for eliminating the polka award was “to ensure the awards process remains representative of the current musical landscape.” The Academy's decision stems from the declining number of popular polka albums considered for an award in recent years. For example, out of the five polka albums nominated for an award in 2006, only one album was widely distributed in the mainstream. Polka The polka is originally a Czech dance and genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the
Polonaise, Op. 89 (Beethoven) a precursor to Chopin's more well-known polonaises. The piece is marked "Alla Polacca, vivace" (as a polonaise, lively)"." After four measures, there is a brief barless passage of ascending and descending scales moving to "adagio" (slow) and then to "più presto" (faster). At the conclusion of this unusual introduction, the piece returns to the first tempo and meter, and the polonaise rhythm and main theme are introduced. The piece ends with a lengthy coda. It takes about five minutes to perform. Polonaise, Op. 89 (Beethoven) The Polonaise in C major, Op. 89, by Ludwig van Beethoven is a polonaise for