Polka

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For the media production company, see Pol-ka.
The Polka (literally meaning "Polish lady") is a Central European dance and also
a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originat
ed in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia. Polka is still a popular genre
of folk music in many European countries and is performed by folk artists in Pol
and (Clarinet Polka), Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Croatia, S
lovenia, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Ukraine, Romania, Belaru
s, Russia and Slovakia. Local varieties of this dance are also found in the Nord
ic countries, United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Latin America, the French Antille
s and in the United States.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Etymology
1.2 Origin and popularity
2 Styles
3 The polka in the classical repertoire
3.1 Polka in the United States
3.2 Grammy Award status
3.3 Polka music artists
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
7 Music sample
History[edit]
Etymology[edit]

Street musicians in Prague playing a polka

Although the dance did not originate in Poland, its name is derived from the Cze
ch polka meaning "Polish lady" (feminine form corresponding to polk, a Pole).[1]
The theory that it comes from the Czech word plka ("half"), referring to the shor
t half-steps featuring in the dance, is now "discredited".[1] Czech cultural his
torian and ethnographer enk Zbrt, who wrote in detail about the origin of the dance
, in his book, Jak se kdy v echch tancovalo[2] cites an opinion of Frantiek Doucha
(1840, Kvty, p. 400) that "polka" was supposed to mean "tanec na polo" (n.b. the
absence of diacritics), i.e. "a dance in half", both referring to the half-tempo
2/4 and the half-jump step of the dance. Zbrt also ironically dismisses the etym
ology suggested by A. Fhnrich (in Ein etymologisches Taschenbuch, Jiein, 1846) th
at polka comes from the Bohemian word pole (farmland).[2] On the other hand, Zde
nk Nejedl suggests that the etymology given by Fr. Doucha is nothing but an effort
to prove the "true Czech folk" origin of Polka. Instead, he claims that accordi
ng to Jaroslav Langr ("esk krakovky" in: as. es. musea, 1835, Sebr. spisy I, 256) in t
he area of Hradec Krlov, the tune Krakoviky from the collection Slovansk nrodn psn of
antiek Ladislav elakovsk became very popular so that it was used to dance (Czech da
nces) task, bitva, kvapk, and this way was called "Polka". Nejedl also writes that Vcl
av Vladivoj Tomek also claims the Hradec Krlov roots of a Polka.[3]
The word was widely introduced into the major European languages in the early 18
40s.[1] It should not be confused with the polska, a Swedish About this sound 3/
4-beat (helpinfo) dance with Polish roots (cf. polka-mazurka). A related dance is
the redowa. Polkas almost always have a About this sound 2/4 (helpinfo) time sig
nature. Folk music of Polka style appeared in written music about 1800.[4]
Origin and popularity[edit]
The beginning of the propagation of dance and accompanying music called polka is
generally attributed to a young woman, Anna Slezakova (born Anna Chadimova) of
Tnec nad Labem, Bohemia, who danced to accompany a local folk song called "Strek Ni
mra koupil imla", or "Uncle Nimra Bought a White Horse", in 1834. She is said to

have called the dance Madera, because of its liveliness. The dance was further p
ropagated by the music teacher Josef Neruda, who witnessed Anna dance in an unus
ual way, put the tune to paper, and taught other young men to dance it.[5] enk Zbrt
mentions that when he published this traditional story in 1894 in Narodni Listy
newspaper, he received a good deal of feedback from eyewitnesses. In particular
, he wrote that according to further witness, the originating event actually hap
pened in 1830, in Kostelec nad Labem, where she worked as a housemaid. Zibrt wri
tes that he published the first version of the story in Bohemia (June 5, 1844),
from where it was reprinted all over Europe and in the United States.[2] Zibrt a
lso wrote that simple Czech folk claimed that they knew and danced Polka long be
fore the nobles got hold of it, i.e., it is a truly folk Czech dance.[2]
By 1835, this dance had spread to the ballrooms of Prague. From there, it spread
to Vienna by 1839,[6] and in 1840 was introduced in Paris by Raab, a Prague dan
ce instructor.
It was so well received by both dancers and dance masters in Paris that its popu
larity was referred to as "polkamania." The dance soon spread to London and was
introduced to America in 1844. It remained a popular ballroom dance until the la
te 19th century, when it would give way to the two-step and new ragtime dances.
Polka dancing enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after World War II, when many P
olish refugees moved to the US, adopting this Bohemian style as a cultural dance
. Polka dances are still held on a weekly basis across many parts of the US with
significant populations of central European origin. It was also found in parts
of South America.
Styles[edit]
Polka rhythm.[7]
There are various styles of contemporary polka.
One of the types found in the United States is the North American "Polish-style
polka," which has roots in Chicago; two sub-styles are "The Chicago Honky" (usin
g clarinet and one trumpet) and "Chicago Push" featuring the accordion, Chemnitz
er & Star concertinas, upright bass or bass guitar, drums, and (almost always) t
wo trumpets. North American "Slovenian-style polka" is fast and features piano a
ccordion, chromatic accordion, and/or diatonic button box accordion; it is assoc
iated with Cleveland. North American "Dutchmen-style" features an oom-pah sound
often with a tuba & banjo, and has roots in the American Midwest. "Conjunto-styl
e" polkas have roots in northern Mexico and Texas, and are also called "Norteo".
Traditional dances from this region reflect the influence of polka-dancing Europ
ean immigrants. In the 1980s and 1990s, several American bands began to combine
polka with various rock styles (sometimes referred to as "punk polka"), "alterna
tive polka", or "San Francisco-style".
There also exist Curaaon polkas, Peruvian polkas (becoming very popular in Lima).
In the pampas of Argentina, the "polca" has a very fast beat with a 3/4 compass
. Instruments used are: acoustic guitar (usually six strings, but sometimes seve
n strings), electric or acoustic bass (sometimes fretless), accordion (sometimes
piano accordion, sometimes button accordion), and sometimes some percussion is
used. The lyrics always praise the gaucho warriors from the past or tell about t
he life of the gaucho campeiros (provincial gauchos who keep the common way). Th
e polka was very popular in South and Southwest of Brazil, were it was mixed wit
h other European and African styles to create the Choro. The polka (polca in the
Irish language) is also one of the most popular traditional folk dances in Irel
and, particularly in Sliabh Luachra, a district that spans the borders of counti
es Kerry, Cork and Limerick.[8] Many of the figures of Irish set dances, which d
eveloped from Continental quadrilles, are danced to polkas. Introduced to Irelan
d in the late 19th century, there are today hundreds of Irish polka tunes, which

are most frequently played on the fiddle or button accordion. The Irish polka i
s dance music form in 2/4, typically 32 bars in length and subdivided into four
parts, each 8 bars in length and played AABB.[9][10][11][12] Irish polkas are ty
pically played fast, at over 130 bpm, and are typically played with an off-beat
accent.[13][14]
The polka also migrated to the Nordic countries where it is known by a variety o
f names in Denmark (galopp, hopsa), Estonia (polka), Finland (pariisipolkka, pol
kka), Iceland, Norway (galopp, hamborgar, hopsa/hopsar, parisarpolka, polka, pol
kett, skotsk) and Sweden (polka). The beats are not as heavy as those from Centr
al Europe and the dance steps and holds also have variations not found further s
outh. The polka is considered a part of the gammeldans tradition of music and da
nce. While it is nowhere near as old as the older Nordic dance and music traditi
ons, there are still hundreds of polka tunes in each of the Nordic countries. Th
ey are played by solo instrumentalists or by bands/ensembles, most frequently wi
th lead instruments such as accordion fiddle, diatonic accordion, hardingfele an
d nyckelharpa.
The polka in the classical repertoire[edit]
Polka
Bedich Smetana incorporated the polka in his opera The Bartered Bride (Czech: Pro
dan nevsta) and in particular, Act 1.
While the polka is Bohemian in origin, most dance music composers in Vienna (the
capital of the vast Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was the cultural ce
ntre for music from all over the empire) composed polkas and included the dance
in their repertoire at some point of their career. The Strauss family in Vienna
for example, while probably better-known for their waltzes also composed polkas
which have survived obscurity. Josef Lanner and other Viennese composers in the
19th century also wrote many polkas to satisfy the demands of the dance-music-lo
ving Viennese. In France, another dance-music composer Emile Waldteufel also wro
te many polkas in addition to his chief profession of penning waltzes.
The polka evolved during the same period into different styles and tempi. In pri
nciple, the polka written in the 19th century has a 4-theme structure; themes 1A
and 1B as well as a 'Trio' section of a further 2 themes. The 'Trio' usually ha
s an 'Intrada' to form a break between the two sections. The feminine and gracef
ul 'French polka' (polka franaise) is slower in tempo and is more measured in its
gaiety. Johann Strauss II's Annen Polka op. 114, Demolirer polka op. 269, the I
m Krapfenwald'l op. 336 and the Bitte schn! polka op. 372 are examples of this ty
pe of polka. The polka-mazurka is also another variation of the polka, being in
the tempo of a mazurka but danced in a similar manner as the polka. The final ca
tegory of the polka dating around that time would be the 'polka schnell' which i
s a fast polka or galop. It is in this final category Eduard Strauss is better k
nown, as he penned the 'Bahn Frei' polka op. 45 and other examples. Earlier, Joh
ann Strauss I and Josef Lanner wrote polkas which are either designated as a gal
op (quick tempo) or as a regular polka which may not fall into any of the catego
ries described above.
The polka was also a further source of inspiration for the Strauss family in Vie
nna when Johann II and Josef Strauss wrote one for plucked string instruments (p
izzicato) only, the well-known 'Pizzicato polka'. Johann II later wrote a 'New p
izzicato polka' (Neu pizzicato-polka), opus 449, culled from music of his operet
ta 'Frstin Ninetta'. Much earlier, he also wrote a 'joke-polka' (German "scherz-p
olka") entitled 'Champagne-polka', opus 211, which evokes the uncorking of champ
agne bottles.
Other composers who wrote music in the style of the polka were Jaromr Weinberger,
Dmitri Shostakovich and Igor Stravinsky.

Polka in the United States[edit]

Main article: Polka in the United States of America
In the United States, Polka is promoted by the International Polka Association b
ased in Chicago, which works to preserve the cultural heritage of polka music an
d to honor its musicians through the Polka Hall of Fame.
Texas Polka Music Museum in Schulenburg west of Houston, Texas
Polka is also popular in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the Beer Barrel Polka is pl
ayed during the seventh inning stretch and halftime of Milwaukee Brewers and Mil
waukee Bucks games.[15] Polka is also the official State Dance of Wisconsin.[16]
The United States Polka Association is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Polka A
merica Corporation[17] is a non-profit organization based in Ringle, Wisconsin.
Nickolas Daskalou was one of the early polka pioneers starting in the late 1930s
. Nickolas won the first America's Polka King award in 1947.[18] Subsequently, h
e was crowned "Biggest and Best Polka Dancer" in the western world. Nickolas is
also recognized for producing and conducting the classic "Polka Rock" in 1967.
Polka Varieties was an hour-long television program of polka music originating f
rom Cleveland, Ohio. The show aired in several U.S. cities, and ran from 1956 un
til 1983. At that time, it was the only television program for this type of musi
c in the US. [19]
Beginning with its inception in 2001, the RFD-TV Network aired "The Big Joe Show
", a television program which included polka music and dancing that was filmed o
n location in various venues throughout the United States from 1973 through 2009
. RFD-TV replaced The Big Joe Show with "The RFD-TV Polka Fest" in January 2011.
[20]
Grammy Award status[edit]
In 2009, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which hosts/produc
es the Grammy Awards, announced that it was eliminating the polka category.[21]
The Academy's official reason for eliminating the polka award was to ensure the a
wards process remains representative of the current musical landscape.[21] The Ac
ademy's decision stems from the declining number of popular polka albums conside
red for an award in recent years. For example, out of the five polka albums nomi
nated for an award in 2006, only one album was widely distributed in the mainstr
eam.[21]
Polka music artists[edit]
The most popular genre is Cleveland - Slovenian style polka (and waltzes), also
Chicago - Polish style polka and Czech, German style polka (and waltzes) and so
on. Among some of the better known polka (and waltzes) artists and composers inc
lude Happy Louie and Julie, Lenny Gomulka, Frankie Yankovic, Walter Ostanek (Can
ada), Verne Meisner, Mike Schneider, Tom Brusky, Walt Groller, Joey Miskulin, Ji
mmy Sturr, Marv Herzog, Kyle Redman Polka Band, and (in combination with more mo
dern styles) "Weird Al" Yankovic (no known relation to Frankie Yankovic) and The
Our Gang Orchestra. The American band Primus' leader Les Claypool has once desc
ribed their music as "psychedelic polka".[22] The jam band Leftover Salmon also
incorporates many polka songs into their repertoire, including their popular "42
0 Polka."
Henry Mancini composed a famous Polka (Pie in the Face Polka) for the 1965 film
The Great Race.
The band Russkaja calls its particular variant of folk metal "turbo polka metal"
.[23]

See also[edit]
List of polka artists
Austrian folk dancing
Banda music a country music performed in Spanish to a polka beat; the country mu
sic have a polka 2/4 beat in the rhythm.
Beer Barrel Polka
Slide (tune type), common in music from Sliabh Luachra like the polka
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b c "polka, n.". Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com (ac
cessed July 11, 2012).
^ Jump up to: a b c d enk Zbrt, "Jak se kdy v echch tancovalo: djiny tance v echch, n
orav, ve Slezsku a na Slovensku z vk nejstarch a do nov doby se zvltnm zetelem k d
vbec", Prague, 1895 (Google eBook)
Jump up ^ Zdenk Nejedl "Polka", Nae e, ronk 9 (1925), slo 4
Jump up ^ Maja Trochimczyk. "Polish dances: polka". www.usc.edu. Retrieved 24 Ma
rch 2011.
Jump up ^ "Polka History of Dance". www.centralhome.com. Retrieved 24 March 2011
.
Jump up ^ "History of polka". www.com. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
Jump up ^ Blatter, Alfred (2007). Revisiting music theory: a guide to the practi
ce, p.28. ISBN 0-415-97440-2.
Jump up ^ Comhaltas Ceoltir ireann. "Comhaltas: Glossary". Retrieved 22 May 2015.
Jump up ^ Alan Ng. "irishtune.info Rhythm Definitions - Irish Traditional Music
Tune Index". Retrieved 22 May 2015.
Jump up ^ Vallely, F. (1999). The Companion to Traditional Irish Music. New York
University Press: New York, p. 301
Jump up ^ "Irish Fiddle". Retrieved 22 May 2015.
Jump up ^ Lyth, D. Bowing Styles in Irish Fiddle Playing. Comhaltas Ceoltir ireann,
p. 18.
Jump up ^ Cooper, P. (1995). Mel Bay's Complete Irish Fiddle Player. Mel Bay Pub
lications, Inc.: Pacific, p. 19, 46
Jump up ^ Cranitch, M. (1988). The Irish Fiddle Book. Music Sales Corporation: N
ew York, p. 66.
Jump up ^ "ESPN.com - Page2 - A great place ... for a tailgate". Retrieved 22 Ma
y 2015.
Jump up ^ http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_state_symbols.html
Jump up ^ "Polka America Corporation Home page". Retrieved 24 March 2011.
Jump up ^ http://www.sheridanseniorcenter.org/publications/CenterStage-022611.pd
f
Jump up ^ http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/about_us/paul-wilcox,-host-of-'polka-varie
ties'-in-cleveland,-dies-at-age-of-85
Jump up ^ My Journey To Happiness. "LIFE: observed: American Cultural Observatio
n 331: RFD-TVs Polka Fest". Retrieved 22 May 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b c Sisario, Ben (June 5, 2009). "Polka Music Is Eliminated as G
rammy Award Category". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Say "Cheese"!". Kerrang! No. 343 via ram.org. June 1, 1991. Retrieved
September 23, 2006.
Jump up ^ "Napalm Records artist listing for Russkaja".
External links[edit]
National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame.
International Polka Association and Hall of Fame.
"Polka". Encyclopdia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
Wikisource-logo.svg "Polka". Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
Music sample[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Polka.
Download & play a recording of "Jenny Lind", a polka from the Library of Congres
s California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection;
performed by John Selleck (violin) on October 2, 1939 in Camino, California.
The Sliabh Notes play a few Irish polkas

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