Chopin's reputation in music written in dance form rests mainly on his waltzes, mazurkas, and polonaises. But he also contributed less well-known efforts in the genres of the contredanse, tarantelle, bolero, bourrée, and écossaise. He wrote just three Écossaises for piano, all short and all coming during his period as a student at the Warsaw Conservatory. The form apparently did not inspire him, since he surely would have returned to it, especially in his years in France—the écossaise is, after all, a French dance, albeit with roots in Scotland.

Lasting less than a minute, the third écossaise fills its brevity with color and perky music, with a sense of graceful dance and merriment. The main theme hustles lightly along the keyboard, mostly in the upper ranges. There is an alternate idea, which is really a sort of second part of the theme itself. The structure is quite simple: each thematic subject is presented twice, then the whole process is repeated. In sum, this piece is a delightful morsel from early in the career of this genius.

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This piece was not just the last of the three Ecossaises Chopin composed in 1826 but his very last effort in this dance form genre. He had already written several polonaises and mazurkas, and would soon compose many more, as well as turn out numerous waltzes and other dances. The sixteen-year-old Chopin was apparently taken by the fashions of his time: the ecossaise, having roots in England and France, became quite popular in French ballrooms and elsewhere in Europe in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Like the other two Ecossaises, this piece lasts less than a minute. Its main theme is sprightly and slightly mischievous in its playfulness. The structure of the piece is quite simple: the dance tune is played twice, followed by a second idea, also presented twice; then all the material is presented in the same fashion once more. While this kind of musical scheme is modest and hardly innovative, it serves the piece well enough, offering thematic charm and vivid colors. This miniature is probably marginally superior to the Ecossaise No. 2, which may sound a bit monotonous.

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