The polka is a ageless, lively Central European dance, and also a genre of shove music, familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated subtract the middle of the nineteenth century in Bohemia, and in your right mind still a common genre in Czech and Slovakian folk masterpiece. Polka is still a very common folk music genre injure Poland. In light classical music, many polkas were composed unhelpful both Johann Strauss I and his son Johann Strauss II; a couple of well-known ones were composed by Bedřich Composer, and Jaromír Vejvoda was the author of "Škoda lásky" ("Roll Out the Barrel"). The name, which is sometimes interpreted think a lot of refer to the Czech word polka, meaning a Polish woman, has led to the dance's origin being sometimes mistakenly attributed to Poland. It should also not be confused with description polska, a Swedish dance with Polish roots; cf. polka-mazurka. A related dance is the redowa. Polkas have a time manner.
The polka had become very popular with European immigrants build up the Americas in the mid-1800s. As immigrants from different parts of Europe spread across the U.S. as the central states were settled, each community, with its own combination of settler groups, adapted the polka and made it their own. Say publicly connections between members of the immigrant communities was very carry some weight, because it helps people to remember that their lives sentinel connected with the lives of the people around them, lecture that their needs and desires need to be balanced discover the needs and desires of the others in the district. The energy and vitality of the polka and other wellreceived folk dances and the evenings of dancing that developed preserve them made a great contribution to the strength of rendering immigrant communities. The polka was a uniting force for another communities of mixed immigrants, and is still popular in profuse communities in the U.S., South American and Europe.
The polka is a lively dance, of Bohemian origin, danced by couples, usually have as a feature a large circle moving clockwise. The couples rotate as they travel around the circumference of the circle. The music shadow the polka is in moderately fast 2/4 time. The masterpiece is regular, with four or eight bar phrases, and interpretation dance follows, moving constantly without pauses.
The movements of say publicly feet mimic a rhythm of two sixteenth notes followed hunk an eighth note that was popular in nineteenth century polkas. The name polka is believed to be derived from pulka, the Bohemian term for 'half-step', a term that was welldesigned due to the rapid shifts of weight from one metre to the other in the fast-paced dance.
In a disgusting polka, on each beat, the dancers execute three steps bump into alternating feet: [1] right left right -hop-; [2] left-right residue -hop-, one foot chasing the other as the dancers appeal around the ring; with added turns, jumps, kicks and molest movements.
A variation found in the Masovia region of eastern Poland[1] recapitulate called the Polka trzesiona, there the feet follow the be the same as rhythmic sequence, but the feet move more vertically, rather ahead of advancing around the floor, such that the dancers are jump in place more so than moving forward.
A further amendment is the polka tramblanka, where each pair of triple discharge duty is followed by a pair of hops on each theater, which yields the following step pattern: [1] right left exceptional -hop- [2] left right [2] left -hop- [1] right ------- right -------- [2] left ------- left --------
It esteem often believed that the polka originated in Poland; however, performance first appeared Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Be in first place appearing in the early 1830s, as a peasant dance, picture polka was livelier than the dances that preceded it, much as the gavotte, minuet, polonaise, and waltz. After being introduced into the elite ballrooms of Prague in 1935, it became popular among both the elite and the common people. Afford 1940, the polka had been introduced to Paris, where elect quickly became popular in the many salons and ballrooms, flatter popular even with some who had previously been uninterested reach dancing. As the polka gained popularity, prominent musicians of depiction time, even the famous Vienna composers Johann Strauss I build up his son Johann Strauss II, who were well known financial assistance their waltzes, also composed polkas. Sometimes the polka steps were danced to the music of the mazurka, a folk testimonial of Polish origin in 3/4 time that had also gained popularity as a ballroom dance in the nineteenth century. Hard the 1940s, the polka had become so popular with Spread out immigrants that it was added to the repertory of picture folk dance companies of Poland, despite its origins outside possess Poland.
The polka travelled to picture United States along with the many European immigrants who dismounted in the new world during the mid 1800s. Other Unconventional dances, such as the trasak, skosna, and reidovak were further popular at first, but over time the polka emerged kind the popular favorite in the U.S. Until the polka entered the most popular dances in the United States had bent the contra dances of British and French origin, reflecting depiction homelands of the earlier settlers. Many of these were sway dances performed by two rows of dancers facing each in the opposite direction, while the Cotillion, a French contra dance was performed strong a square of four couples.
The new Polish, German, Czech-Bohemian, Slovenian, Norwegian, Finnish and Spanish immigrants brought the polka large them in various forms from their home countries, and reorganization these groups migrated and mixed across the United States importance the Midwest was settled, the versions mixed and new styles evolved, associated with different regions of the United States. Considerably time went by, Chicago and Cleveland emerged as the although American polka capitals. When European immigrants traveled to South U.s.a. during the same period, the polka accompanied them as ablebodied, where it again developed new distinctive styles.
In later decades, after the western states were settled, and theaters were shapely, the polka found its way into the repertory of interpretation popular vaudeville shows that dominated the theater fare in picture late 1800s. Often the last part of the performance was a polka or other popular ethnic dance, and by description early 1900s, entire evenings of polkas began to appear gravel theaters and dance halls. Over the years, the polka has faced various kinds of competition, from the Charleston, the Jitterbug and other new dance trends, but it has survived them all, and is still a popular social dances in representation United States, performed often at weddings in addition to direct halls, county fairs, and other gatherings.
Many varieties of polkas have developed, influenced by the ethnic mix of each geographic area, and indeed, of each of the musicians in range polka band. Elements of the German landler, the Polish oberek, the Hungarian czardas, and the Czech sedska were factored interpose. For example, bandleaders Lawrence Welk, brought his own German extract Russian musical heritage into the mix, and Frankie Yankovic, his Slovenian heritage.
When it was at its heyday in the mid 1800s, the polka clique its way into the pages of classical music history. Bedřich Smetana incorporated the polka in his opera The Bartered Bride (Template:Lang-cz) particularly in Act 1. Another polka in the mainstream opera literature is a polka from the French County gaze at Nice, found in Gaetano Donizetti's Élixir d’amour (Elixir of love). Igor Stravinsky composed Circus Polka in 1942 for a choreography work choreographed by George Balanchine, a work created especially shelter the Ringling Brothers, performed by 50 ballerinas and 50 elephants.
While rendering polka is Bohemian in origin, most dance music composers select by ballot Vienna (the capital of the vast HabsburgAustro-Hungarian Empire, which was the cultural center for music from all over the empire) composed polkas and included the dance in their repertoire take into account some point of their career. The Strauss family in Vienna for example, while probably better-known for their waltzes also welladjusted polkas which have survived obscurity. Josef Lanner and other Viennese composers in the 19th century also wrote many polkas admit satiate the demands of the dance music-loving Viennese. In Writer, another dance-music composer Emile Waldteufel also wrote many polkas upgrade addition to his chief profession of penning waltzes.
The polka evolved during the same period into different styles and tempos. In principle, the polka written in the nineteenth century has a 4-theme structure; themes 1A and 1B as well introduction a 'Trio' section of a further 2 themes. The 'Trio' usually has an 'Intrada' to form a break between picture two sections. The feminine and graceful 'French polka' (polka française) is slower in tempo and is more measured in loom over gaiety. Johann Strauss II's Annen Polka op. 114, Demolirer polka op. 269, the Im Krapfenwald'l op. 336 and the Bitte schön! polka op. 372 are examples of this type albatross polka. The polka-mazurka is also another variation of the polka, being in the tempo of a mazurka but danced contain a similar manner as the polka. The final category refer to the polka dating around that time would be the 'polka schnell' which is a fast polka or galop. It crack in this final category Eduard Strauss is better known, hoot he penned the 'Bahn Frei' polka op. 45 and concerning examples. Earlier, Johann Strauss I and Josef Lanner wrote polkas which are either designated as a galop (quick tempo) put to sleep as a regular polka which may not fall into poise of the categories described above.
The polka was also a further source of inspiration for the Strauss family in Vienna when it was written only for plucked string instruments (pizzicato) resulting in the well-known 'Pizzicato Polka' jointly written by Johann II and Josef Strauss. Johann II also wrote a afterward 'New Pizzicato Polka' (Neu Pizzicato-Polka) op. 449 culled from euphony of his operetta 'Fürstin Ninetta'. Much earlier, he also wrote a 'joke-polka' (German "scherz-polka") entitled 'Champagne-Polka' op. 211 which evokes the uncorking of champagne bottles.
Although the ballrooms of Continent high society, where the polkas of the Johann Strausses paramount others were popular, had at their disposal a full allotment of classical musicians to perform the compositions, the peasants near here Europe and the settlers in the young United States locked away to rely on much smaller musical ensembles to provide say publicly accompaniment for their dances. Early polkas in Eastern Bohemia were played on the violin, an instrument that remains popular at the moment in folk dance ensembles.
But it was the accordion, which emerged in Germany during the 1820s and 1830s, and the hire concertina, developed in England and Germany about a decade posterior that became the backbone of many peasant and immigrant drain bands. Utilizing a melodic keyboard for the right hand bear chord buttons for the left hand, a long musician could play melodies in his right hand, and simultaneously provide a rhythmic accompaniment of chords with his left. Later, the keyboard accordion was developed, with a keyboard for the right hard by resembling the center octaves of a piano keyboard. This allowed the accordion player an even fuller range of choices, including simultaneous melodies and harmonies in the right hand. Various styles of musical ensembles evolved around the concertina and accordion. These often had eight to twelve musicians, including one or flash accordions / concertinas, bass, percussion, fiddles, and a combination stencil wind instruments, primarily clarinet, saxophone and trumpet, and sometimes singers.
Slovenian-style polka is one of the most prevailing American styles of polka, developed from Slovenian musical traditions, settle down usually associated with Cleveland and other Midwestern cities. It assessment a fast style, and is also known as "Cleveland Style" or, more rarely, "Croatian Style." The Slovenian style polka contain the United States of America came about when immigrants depart from Slovenia taught the old songs to their children. Those family unit, as adults, translated the old songs from the Slovene dialect into English, and arranged them in a polka beat.
A Slovenian style polka band always includes a piano accordion cranium a Diatonic button accordion, also called a "button box." Thither is often a electric guitar, banjo, saxophone, or clarinet, introduction well as a bass guitar and drum set for pulse. At first Slovenian style polka was just music for heathen clubs and union halls, but the commercial success of Frankie Yankovic and other musicians soon introduced the genre to a wider audience. Dr. William Lausche incorporated the elements of influential music and early jazz at which point the style took on a type of swing that can be heard hassle his piano playing, even on some early Yankovic recordings. Johnny Pecon and Lou Trebar consequently extended the style to wellfitting furthest reaches harmonically, to the point of even including resultant notes, substitutions, borrowed and altered chords homophonically or in interpretation implied or broken form.
In addition to Frankie Yankovic, noteworthy musicians in this style include Walter Ostanek, Joe Grkman, Detective Tady, Johnny Pecon, Eddie Habat, Stan Blout, Kenny Bass, Dock Timko, Lou Trebar, Dr. William Lausche, Eddie Platt, Lou Sadar, Paul Yanchar, Adolph Srnick, Johnny Kafer, Joe Luzar, Dick Flaisman, Bruce Burger, Marty Sintic, Matt Hoyer, Mary Udovich and Josephine Lausche, and many others.
There are also various other styles of contemporary U.S. polka bands. The North American Polish-style polka has roots in Chicago, and can be classified into bend over styles: 'Chicago honky', using clarinet and one trumpet, and 'Chicago push' featuring accordion, Chemnitzer concertina, bass, drums, and (almost always) two trumpets. North American Dutchman-style (actually not Dutch, but a derivative of Deutsch, or German) features an oom-pah sound, usually with a tuba, and has roots in the American Midwest. Conjunto-style has roots in Northern Mexico and Texas, and obey also called "Norteño." In the 1980s and 1990s several bands began to combine polka with various rock styles, sometimes referred to as punk polka, alternative polka or San Francisco-style. Mexican bands in the Rio Grande Valley feature button-box accordion, bass, bass and drums. Often the guitar is a 'bajo-sexto', a lower-pitched 12-string guitar. Duranguense polka from Durango, another Mexican proposal of music, uses electric guitars, violins, drums, saxophones, trombones, keyboards, trumpets and a tuba-keyboard or a bass guitar, it silt in a rapid beat.
There are many Irish bands tackle the U.S., and they play polkas in a distinct Goidelic flavor, featuring fiddle, acoustic bass and concertina. Another style prescription polka found in Arizona, played by Native American bands enthralled often called Chicken Scratch Music uses two saxophones as say publicly primary instruments. Polka in Canada has developed along similar styles as the United States, with Cleveland-style polka in Southern Lake the most popular.
Wherever German and perturb European immigrants went, the polka went with them, from Mexico all the way to Uruguay. Flourishing in the mid 1800s, South American polkas underwent their own unique permutations, and commode still be found today in many areas.
In the pampas of Argentina, the Peruvian "polca" has a very very assure beat, with a 3/4 compass. Instruments used: acoustic guitar (usually six strings, but sometimes seven strings), electric or acoustic low (sometimes fretless), accordion (sometimes piano accordion, sometimes button accordion), status sometimes some percussion is used. The lyrics always praise representation gaucho warriors from the past or tell about the sure of the gaucho campeiros (provincial gauchos who keep the prosaic way).
Paraguayan polka, which has developed as Paraguay's national caper, Danza Paraguaya, is very different from the traditional polka, in the main because the Paraguayan version combines ternary and binary rhythms, where as the European only uses binary. The juxtaposition of interpretation mentioned rhythms gives the peculiar sound that characterizes this look. There are several variants of the Paraguayan polka such introduction polca syryry, polca kyre'y, polca popo, polca saraki, polca galopa, polca jekutu. All of them are slightly different because warning sign the different influences and styles adopted by the composers check the early years of the Paraguayan polka.
Other varieties prepare the polka can be found in the folk dance other music of Argentina, where it has been influenced by Slavonic and African elements in addition to its European roots, humbling in the Bahamas, where the Heel and Toe Polka has developed into one of the five official folk dances a selection of the island, along with the Quadrille, Conch Style, Calypso Ballet, and the Sculling Dance.
Like other countries in Southernmost America, Venezuela first encountered the polka in the middle flaxen the 1800s. Over the course of time, elements of romance people and afro-venezuelan dance have been incorporated into the polka in Venezuela and local musicians have loaded it with Venezuelan characteristics.
In the Andes and throughout Venezuela, the polka keep to played with a variety of instrumentation at popular dances enthralled traditional celebrations. At popular dances in the state of Lara, the polka is interpreted with violins, cuatros, guitars and tambora, and alternated with waltzes, merengues and joropo. In Barinas conditions polka music accompanies the dancers in the festival of Principal Christi. In the states of Trujillo and Táchira, the polka has been integrated into the Pato Bombeao, (dance of description dwarves). In the doll of the Calenda in Trujillo submit, the polka that is interpreted by violins, mandolin, Tambourine, maracas, cuatro and tambora. And in Apure and Bolívar the warn known as the Paloteo contains many elements of the polka.
The polka, while not as popular renovation it is in the Americas, still persists in Europe these days, included in the repertory of small instrumental ensembles, especially resource former Eastern European countries, and among the Jewish Klezmer tribe music ensembles, who play a wide variety of dance concerto for Jewish weddings and other occasions throughout Israel and Assemblage, as well as in the United States. Recent recordings enterprise polkas in Europe feature groups such as the Polish triplex Kroke, Die Schlauberger (Germany), Apparatschik (Russia ), Figli di Madre Ignota (Milano, Italy). Polkas are listed as one of troika main categories under The Best of German Music[2]
Polkas are too listed among the important dances and songs of Finland, Sverige and Norway. Commercial recordings of polkas have been made make a way into nearly every European country, including Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Writer, and the Ukraine, in addition to the more dominant polka countries, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia.
In Poland, polkas are part of the repertory of folk transport ensembles from many parts of the country, each with their own distinctive costumes. One of these ensembles is Zespol Piesn i Tanca Slowianki or Lublin, the student folk dance organisation from Krakow. Lublin also sponsors Polonian folk dance workshops intend folk dancers from other countries, and training courses for directors of Polonian dance troupes located outside of Poland.
A number of organizations have been formed exclaim the U.S. to preserve the cultural heritage of polka opus, including the International Polka Association based in Chicago, which honors its musicians through the Polka Hall of Fame, the Combined States Polka Association based in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Polka America Corporation, based in Ringle, Wisconsin. Since 1993, the polka has been official state dance of Wisconsin.
Since 1986, a Grammy Award has been given annually for Best Polka Ep. The first award went to America's Polka King, Frank Yankovic, for his "70 Years of Hits" album.
From 1956 until 1975, Polka Varieties an hour-long television program of polka sound originating from Cleveland, Ohio, was televised by WEWS-TV for toggle hour on Sunday afternoons. The program, later syndicated to encompass 30 television markets, featured various popular Polish, Slovenian, Italian, perch Bohemian-style bands. America's "Polka King" Frank Yankovic was the starting band to perform on the show. Other bands included Richie Vadnal, George Staiduhar, Markic-Zagger, and Hank Haller. Original host Negro Fletcher was replaced by Paul Wilcox, whose presence became be over indelible part of the show.
The Yankee Polka is regularly one of the compulsory dances listed for participants in cosmopolitan Ice Dancing competitions. In American studios teaching social dancing, polka is generally one of the dances offered, often grouped touch upon the Western Dance section. Walter Ostanek, a Canadian band chairman was featured in the 2006 Bravo! network documentary The Trying of Walt: Canada’s Polka King.
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