''Introduction and Polonaise brillante'' in C major, Op. 3, is a composition for

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

by Frédéric Chopin. It was one of Chopin's first published compositions. The Polonaise was written between 20 and 28 October 1829 during a visit to the estate of

Antoni Radziwiłł Prince Antoni Henryk Radziwiłł (; 13 June 1775 – 7 April 1833) was a Polish and Prussian noble, aristocrat, musician, and politician. Initially an hereditary Duke of Nieśwież and Ołyka, as a scion of the Radziwiłł family he also h ...

in Antonin. In a letter to Chopin's friend

Tytus Woyciechowski Tytus Sylwester Woyciechowski (31 December 1808 – 23 March 1879) was a Polish political activist, agriculturalist, and patron of art. He was an early friend of the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin. The spelling of Woyciechowski's surname is ...

, Chopin indicated that he wanted Princess Wanda, the daughter of Prince Antoni, to practice it. The Introduction was written in April 1830. The work was published in 1831 and dedicated to the Austrian cellist

Joseph Merk Joseph Merk (18 January 179516 July 1852) was a noted Austrian cellist, often described as one of the most influential of the first half of the 19th century. He also wrote a number of compositions for the cello. Career Joseph (or Josef) Merk was ...

. In a letter, Chopin wrote "On Thursday there was a soiree at Fuchs’s, when Limmer introduced some of his own compositions for four violoncellos. Merk as usual made them more beautiful than they really were by his playing, which is so full of soul. He is the only violoncellist I really respect". A typical performance lasts about eight and a half minutes, although the total performance time may vary. Due to the relative simplicity of the cello part, many cellists often heavily embellish the melody, sometimes to the point of complete distinction from the original melody.

Jean Françaix Jean René Désiré Françaix (; 23 May 1912, in Le Mans – 25 September 1997, in Paris) was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style. Life Françaix's natural gifts were encour ...

orchestrated the work in 1951 in collaboration with Maurice Gendron. The score is published by Schott Music.

References

;Notes ;References * * *

External links

Introduction and Polonaise brillante performance by Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax
* Compositions by Frédéric Chopin Compositions for cello and piano Polonaises by Frédéric Chopin 1829 compositions 1830 compositions Polonaises {{chamber-composition-stub