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Polonaises Op. 40 (Chopin)
The twin Op. 40 Polonaises of the Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1, nicknamed the Military Polonaise, and the Polonaise in C minor, Op. 40, No. 2 were composed by Frédéric Chopin in 1838. The first polonaise is better known than the second.
Anton Rubinstein remarked that the Polonaise in A major is the symbol of Polish glory, whilst the Polonaise in C minor is the symbol of Polish tragedy.
Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1
The beginning opens with an A major chord and continues in a typical polonaise rhythm. The key then changes into D major in the middle of the polonaise for a trio section, after which the opening is repeated.
During the September 1939 German invasion of Poland at the outset of World War II, Polskie Radio broadcast this piece daily as nationalistic protest, and to rally the Polish people. The Nazis later banned public performances of Chopin and destroyed Warsaw's main monument to the composer, a sculpture of a windswept Chopin seated under a tree, which was erected in 1926 at the entrance to Lazienki Park.
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