Frederic Chopin Activity Sheet
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1
2Military Polonaise
Frederic Chopin
energetic rhythms and harmonies. The
Born: March 1, 1810
polonaise was one of Chopin’s favorites,
Died: October 17, 1849
and the Military Polonaise, written in
1838, is one of his most famous works
in this genre. Technically, a polonaise
Frederic Chopin was one of the
is not a dance but rather a promenade
greatest composers of music
or procession that was often played as
for the piano. He was born in
couples entered a ballroom.
a town just outside of Warsaw,
Poland. His mother introduced
Unlike many child prodigies, Chopin
him to the piano, giving him
grew in popularity throughout his career
lessons at a very early age.
as a pianist, teacher and composer.
Chopin played extremely well
Although his early fame came while he
and gave his first concert at the
was in Poland as a youth, at age 20 he
age of eight. He also enjoyed
began to travel in Europe after
writing music; by the time he
graduating from high school and
was seven, he had composed
eventually settled permanently in Paris.
two polonaises.
Chopin never returned to his native
Chopin’s music included
land, but he also never forgot it. He was
traditional piano pieces of his
never healthy, and was only 39 when
time such as concertos, sonatas,
he died of tuberculosis. When he was
waltzes and preludes. However,
buried in France, a special box of earth
he also introduced some non-
was brought from Poland to sprinkle on
traditional forms that included
his grave.
the etude, nocturne and ballade
as well as the mazurka and
polonaise, which are dances
from Poland that feature rich,
The polonaise is a stately Polish dance in 3/4 time, originally performed
for court processions and ceremonies. It was often used as a processional
for military men or military couples upon entering a ballroom. This was
one of Chopin’s favorite musical forms. He wrote his first polonaise when
he was 7 years old and continued to write polonaises throughout his life.
The Military Polonaise was composed in October 1838 and published in
December 1840.
Follow the listening map below as you listen to Chopin’s Military
Polonaise. Can you picture yourself in this grand procession?
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