polka

 

ballroom dance for couples in 2/4 time. Originated by Bohemian peasants about 1830 from steps of the schottische and other dances, the polka by 1835 reached the drawing rooms of Prague, from which it spread to the capitals of Europe. The modern polka is a mere remnant of a much livelier, more complicated dance based on five to ten intricate figures in which the partners tossed their feet in the air while executing turns in close embrace, toe-heel steps, and other movements. Related dances include the galop and the mazurka.

Polka is a fast, lively Central European dance, and also a genre of dance music. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia, and is still a common genre of Czech and Slovenian folk music; it is common both in Europe and in the Americas. In classical music, many polkas were composed by both Johann Strauss I and his son Johann Strauss II; a couple of well-known ones were composed by Bedřich Smetana and Jaromír Vejvoda, the author of Škoda lásky ("Roll Out the Barrel").

The name comes from the German word Polka^[1], meaning "Bohemian Dance" which comes from the Czech word polka, also meaning "Bohemian dance", which itself is lent from the Polish polka, literally meaning "Polish woman", the feminine form of polak. The word may also be an German-originating alteration of Czech pulka, meaning "half." Due to its name it is often mistakenly attributed to Poland. It should also not be confused with the polska, a Swedish  3/4-beat? dance with Polish roots; cf. polka-mazurka. A related dance is the redowa. Polkas have a  2/4? time signature.

Styles

There are various styles of contemporary polka. Of the US types, the North American "Polish-style polka" has roots in Chicago, and can be identified as 'Chicago honky' and 'Chicago push' styles. This 'push' version or style of Polka features accordion, Chemnitzer concertina, bass, drums, and (almost always) two trumpets. The 'honky' variation of this style uses clarinet and one trumpet. North American "Slovenian-style polka" is fast and features piano accordion and/or diatonic button accordion, and is associated with Cleveland. North American "Dutchman-style" features an oom-pah sound, often with a tuba, and has roots in the American Midwest. "Conjunto-style" has roots in Northern Mexico and Texas, and is 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". Also, "duranguense" polka which comes from Durango and is a Mexican type of music. This uses drums, sax, trombones, keyboards, and a tuba-keyboard, it is in a rapid beat. Artist like Grupo Montez De Durango, Alacranes Musical, Horoscopos De Durango, Conjunto Atardecer, K-paz De La Sierra. Irish traditional music has also adopted the polka into its repertory and there it has come into its own distinct flavor. There is even Peruvian Polca.

In the pampas, there is another kind of polka (that is called polca). It is a very very fast beat, with a 3/4 compass. Instruments used: acoustic guitar (usually six strings, but sometimes seven 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 the life of the gaucho campeiros (provincial gauchos who keep the common way).

The polka in the classical repertoire

Bedřich Smetana incorporated the polka in his opera The Bartered Bride (Czech: Prodaná nevěsta) and in particular, Act 1.

While the polka is Bohemian in origin, most dance music composers in Vienna (the capital of the vast Habsburg dynasty which is the cultural centre for music from all over the empire) composed the polka and included the dance in their repertoire at some point of their career. The Strauss family in Vienna for example, while probably more well-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 satiate the demands of the dance music-loving Viennese. In France, another dance-music composer Emile Waldteufel also wrote many polkas in addition to his chief profession of penning waltzes.

The polka evolved during the same period into different styles and tempi. In principle, 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 has an 'Intrada' to form a break between the two sections. The feminine and graceful 'French polka' (polka française) is slower in tempo and is more measured in its 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 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 category of the polka dating around that time would be the 'polka schnell' which is a fast polka (also known as a 'galop'). It is in this final category of which Eduard Strauss is better known for as a composer as he penned the 'Bahn Frei' polka op. 45 and other examples. Earlier, Johann Strauss I and Josef Lanner wrote polkas which are either designated as a 'galop' (quick tempo) or as a regular polka which may not fall into any 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 later 'New Pizzicato Polka' (Neu Pizzicato-Polka) op. 449 culled from music of his operetta 'Fürstin Ninetta'. Much earlier, he also wrote a 'joke-polka' (German "scherz-polka") entitled 'Champagne-Polka' op. 211 which hints at the uncorking of champagne bottles and its subsequent popping sounds.

Organizations

The International Polka Association based in Chicago works to preserve the cultural heritage of polka music and to honor its musicians through the Polka Hall of Fame.

The United States Polka Association based in Cleveland, Ohio serves to promote polka music and honor musicians. This organization is similar to the IPA.

The newest polka organization is Polka America Corporation based out of Ringle, Wisconsin. This newest organization promotes all genres and dedicates itself to supporting all levels in the polka field.

Grammy Awards were first presented for polka in 1985. The first award went to America's Polka King, Frank Yankovic, for his "70 Years of Hits" album on Cleveland International Records, produced by Joey Miskulin and Dragutin Razum. Cleveland International Records had another Polka Grammy winner with Brave Combo's Polkasonic in 1999. Other Polka Grammy nominees on Cleveland International Records include Frank Yankovic's "America's Favorites" (1986), "Songs of the Polka King Vol. I" (Produced by Joey Miskulin and Slavko Slivovitz, 1996), "Songs of the Polka King Vol. II" (1997), and Brave Combo's "Kick Ass Polkas" (2000).

"Polka Varieties" was an hour-long television program of polka music originating from Cleveland, Ohio. It was the only television program for this type of music in the US. From 1956 to 1975, "Polka Varieties" ran solely in WEWS-TV, Cleveland, on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 to 2:00, and was syndicated during its later years to 30 television markets. The program featured various popular Polish, Slovenian, Italian, and Bohemian-style bands. America's Polka King Frankie Yankovic was the original band to perform on the show. Other bands included Richie Vadnal, George Staiduhar, Markic-Zagger, and Hank Haller. Original host Tom Fletcher was replaced by Paul Wilcox, whose presence became an indelible part of the show.[2]

Samples

• Download a recording of "Jenny Lind", a polka from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by John Selleck (violin) on October 2, 1939 in Camino, California
• Listen to Sing Me Back Home by Joe Stanky & the Cadets of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania.
• Doctor N. Gin has a polka theme in Crash of the Titans; it is presumed that N. Gin has a Austrian ancestry.

Some polka artists

• Eläkeläiset
• Slavko Avsenik
• Eddie Blazonczyk, The Versatones
• Brave Combo, alternative, two-time Grammy Award winner
• Tom Brusky, award-winning Cleveland-style band from Milwaukee, WI
• Finntroll (Note: This is not a standard polka band. On their Trollhammaren EP they combined elements of both Polka and Metal, to create a Folk-Metal-Polka sounding album.)
• Myron Floren
• FreezeDried
• Greg Klaiber's Grabass Revue
• Walt Groller
• Haunted Cologne
• Walter Jagiello - Li'l Wally
• Global Kryner, Austrian band/pop/jazz/polka
• Harold Loeffelmacher, Dutchman/Oompah
• Loituma
• The Mad Maggies (Ska Polka) (California)
• Al Meixner Trio
• Walter Ostanek, Canada, three-time Grammy Award winner, Slovenian-Canadian
• The Polka Family
• Polkacide, San Francisco punk-polka band
• POLKAHOLIX (Berlin Speed Polka) (Germany)
• The Mike Schneider Polka Band, Slovenian-style polka band from Milwaukee, WI
• Walt Solek
• Jimmy Sturr, United States, fifteen Grammy Awards
• Jolly Joe Timmer
• The Tunes
• Lawrence Welk
• Bernie Witkowski (Bernie Wyte)
• "Weird Al" Yankovic (A majority of his studio albums include a polka medley of current popular music)
• Frankie Yankovic, Slovenian-American
• Bobby Jones, Bobby Jones Czech Band
• Mojo Nixon In the company of Skip Roper
• The Dynatones
• Jerry Darlak and the Buffalo Touch
• City Side Polka Band
• Stas Bulanda and the Stormin Polka Band
• Lenny Gomulka
• Grupo Montez De Durango

See also

• Austrian folk dancing
• polska 3/4-beat Nordic folk dance
• polonaise - 3/4 -beat slow dance of Polish origin
• polka-mazurka - 3/4-beat dance, musically similar to the mazurka
• Tejano Music - Country Music performed in Spanish to a Polka beat.
• Video Of Present Day Polka Dancers via the website Polka Videos

References

External links

• National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame
• International Polka Association and Hall of Fame
• Polka as a traditional dance from the County of Nice, France
• Polka America Corporation
• Wisconsin Polka Music

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