View source for Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53

{{Short description|Solo piano piece by Frédéric Chopin}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2011}}
[[File:Chopin polonaise Op. 53.jpg|thumb|Original autograph score, 1842.<br>[http://toolserver.org/~dschwen/iip/wip.php?f=Chopin_polonaise_Op._53.jpg Zoom]]]
The '''[[Polonaise (dance)|Polonaise]] in A♭ major, Op. 53''' ({{langx|fr|'''Polonaise héroïque'''}}, ''Heroic Polonaise''; {{langx|pl|'''Heroiczny'''}}) is a solo [[piano]] piece composed by [[Frédéric Chopin]] in 1842<ref name="allmusic"/> The piece is published in 1843,<ref name=":0" /> and is one of Chopin's most admired compositions and has long been a favorite of the romantic piano repertoire.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lederer |first=Victor |title=Chopin: A Listener's Guide to the Master of the Piano |date= |publisher=Amadeus Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-57467-148-3 |series=Unlocking the masters series |location=Pompton Plains, N.J |pages=81,82}}</ref> Pianist [[Arthur Rubinstein]] once called it "the composition which is the closest to my heart."<ref>{{cite web |title=Chopin - Heroic Polonaise Op. 53 - Arthur Rubinstein |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEl9zn8JPW8  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/VEl9zn8JPW8 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube |access-date=16 February 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The piece requires exceptional piano skills and great [[virtuoso|virtuosity]] to be interpreted at a high degree of proficiency. It is also very physically demanding, and according to his student [[Adolphe Gutmann]], Chopin played it more gently than most performers. The polonaise was dedicated to {{Ill|Auguste Léo|de}}, a German banker and friend of Chopin.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=A Handbook to Chopin's Works|last=Jonson|first=Ashton|publisher=Doubleday|year=1905|isbn=9783957388186|location=New York|pages=159}}</ref>
The autograph manuscript of the work is preserved in the [[Morgan Library & Museum]].
== Origin of the sobriquet 'Heroic' ==
[[George Sand]], Chopin's longtime lover and companion, responded vigorously to the [[Revolutions of 1848]] as did many intellectuals of the day. When the 1848 Revolution began in [[French Revolution of 1848|France]], women had fewer rights than men. Sand believed women's rights were necessary for progress. Around this time, Sand started her own newspaper which was published in a workers' co-operative. This allowed her to publish more political essays, expressing her strongly felt convictions. In one of these, for example, she wrote, "I cannot believe in any republic that starts a revolution by killing its own [[proletariat]]."
On hearing Chopin's Polonaise, Sand was left with a deep symbolic impression which she communicated to Chopin in their private correspondence. In one of their letters, she wrote passionately, "{{lang|fr|L'inspiration ! La force ! La vigueur ! Il est indéniable qu'un tel esprit doit être présent dans la Révolution française. Désormais cette polonaise devrait être un symbole, un symbole héroïque !}}{{-"}} ("The inspiration! The force! The vigour! There is no doubt that such a spirit must be present in the French Revolution. From now on this polonaise should be a symbol, a heroic symbol"). In spite of Chopin's reluctance to bestow descriptive names on his music, music scholars and concert pianists have nevertheless associated the grand architecture of the music with this sobriquet, "Heroic."
== Technical aspects ==
[[File:Houghton Mus.C4555.B846c - Opus 53, cover.jpg|thumb|Title page of the French first edition, 1843]]
The polonaise features many difficult technical aspects, including:
*Fast ascending chromatic [[perfect fourth]]s
*Rapid, highly difficult [[octave]] scaling
*[[Trill (music)|Trills]] with the weaker fingers
*Quick [[Musical scale|scales]]
*Fast [[arpeggio]]s
*Broken chords
*[[Chord (music)|Chords]] with wide fingering
*Use of a wide range of the [[piano keyboard]]
*Large notational jumps
== Structure ==
The tempo of the piece is ''Alla polacca e [[maestoso]]'' ("like a [[polonaise (dance)|polonaise]] and majestic"). The form may be viewed as intermediate between [[ternary form|ternary]] (A-B-A) and [[rondo]] (A-B-A-C-A), since the first interlude is much shorter than the second (16 vs. 74 bars). The main [[Theme (music)|theme]] is preceded by an [[Introduction (music)|introduction]] of about thirty seconds in length.
The piece features a grand introduction with fast ascending [[chromatic scale|chromatic]] notes in both hands, setting the mood of the piece; also, it shows the heroic side of Chopin's art. The first theme is a dance-like theme in the [[Tonic (music)|tonic]] [[Key (music)|key]] of [[A-flat major|A{{music|flat}} major]]. It is the familiar part of the piece and has the left hand moving in pounding octaves. The theme is repeated up an octave with short [[trill (music)|trill]]s that fill some of the auditory gaps in the theme. The first interlude presents a series of chord progressions that lead into a recount of the traditional [[polonaise (dance)|polonaise]] melody, with the polonaise rhythm employed in the left-hand [[accompaniment]]. The main theme then repeats once more.
The second, main interlude (or trio section) opens with six loud [[arpeggio]] chords before switching to a very soft bass [[ostinato]] of descending octaves first in the key of [[E major]] and then in [[E-flat major|E{{music|flat}} major]] (written as [[D-sharp major|D{{music|sharp}} major]]). A [[March (music)|march]]-like melody follows the descending octaves and this occurs twice, and then a long lyrical interlude firstly with harmonic chord progressions and frequent [[modulation (music)|modulation]]s. This ends in a descending passage before the main theme is replayed. The theme is played louder and more dramatically and ends in a [[coda (music)|coda]] including material derived from the main theme. A typical performance of the polonaise lasts six and a half minutes.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|last=Cummings |first=Robert |url=http://www.allmusic.com/work/polonaise-for-piano-no-6-in-a-flat-major-hroique-op-53-ct-155-c145795/description |title=Polonaise for piano No. 6 in A flat major ("Héroique"), Op. 53, CT. 155 |publisher=Allmusic.com |access-date=2011-11-22}}</ref>
The piece is written in [[3/4 time|{{music|time|3|4}} time]] but includes many implicit deviations from this metre. {{listen|filename=Latsabidze plays Polonaise in A flat, Op. 53.ogg|title=Polonaise No.6 in A-flat Major, Op. 53|description=Performed by [[Giorgi Latso]]}}
== Influence ==
The polonaise is quoted in the piano composition ''Anton Notenquetscher'' by [[Moritz Moszkowski]].
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{IMSLP2|work=Polonaise in A-flat major, Op.53 (Chopin, Frédéric)|cname=Polonaise in A-flat major, Op.53}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100929235538/http://www.musopen.com/sheetmusic.php?type=sheet&id=127 Heroic Polonaise sheet music] at [[Musopen]]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otHqM4nn6X4 ''Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53''] performed by [[Martha Argerich]] (one of the greatest pianists of all time)
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYhOGuMjQUo''Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53''], performed by [[Yundi Li]] (youngest first-prize winner and juror of the [[International Chopin Piano Competition]], one of the finest interpreters of Chopin)
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM3rGPsUo_Q ''Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53''], performed by [[Rafał Blechacz]] (the winner of the 15th [[International Chopin Piano Competition]])
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZYYoDDmg8M ''Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53''] performed by [[Seong-Jin Cho]] (the winner of the 17th [[International Chopin Piano Competition]])
* [http://www.themorgan.org/music/manuscript/114347/ Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53]: Chopin's autograph manuscript in the Morgan Library & Museum
{{Chopin polonaises}}
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[[Category:1842 compositions]]
[[Category:Polonaises by Frédéric Chopin]]
[[Category:Compositions in A-flat major]]