Frédéric Chopin Polonaise in A-flat major Op. 53

E944982

Frédéric Chopin’s Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, often called the “Heroic” Polonaise, is a virtuosic and grand piano composition renowned for its powerful octaves, sweeping arpeggios, and patriotic character.

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Surface form Occurrences
Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 0

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf polonaise
romantic-era composition
solo piano composition
approximateDuration 7 minutes
associatedWith Polish national identity
patriotic sentiment
catalogueNumber B. 147
composer Frédéric Chopin NERFINISHED
composerNationality Polish
contrastingKeyArea E major
dedicatedTo Auguste Léo NERFINISHED
difficulty advanced
virtuoso repertoire
firstPublicationYear 1843
form ternary-like expanded form
genre polonaise for piano
influencedBy traditional Polish dance polonaise
inKeyFamily A-flat major works by Chopin
instrumentation solo piano
key A-flat major
keyArea A-flat major
notableFeature grand and majestic character
patriotic and heroic associations
powerful left-hand octave passages
sweeping right-hand arpeggios
virtuosic technical demands
opusNumber Op. 53
performancePractice often performed as a concert showpiece
period Romantic period
placeComposed Paris NERFINISHED
popularName Heroic Polonaise NERFINISHED
publisher Brandus & Cie NERFINISHED
relatedWorkByComposer Polonaise in A major, Op. 40 No. 1 NERFINISHED
Polonaise in C minor, Op. 40 No. 2 NERFINISHED
rhythmicFeature characteristic polonaise rhythm
section central episode in E major
opening Maestoso theme in A-flat major
return of main polonaise theme
status one of Chopin’s most famous polonaises
staple of the Romantic piano repertoire
tempoMarking Maestoso
texture brilliant figurations
thick chordal writing
timeSignature 3/4
workNumberInGenre one of Chopin’s late polonaises
yearComposed 1842

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Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

A-flat major usedInWork Frédéric Chopin Polonaise in A-flat major Op. 53