This is an obscure piece from Chopin's last years in Poland. Some catalogs, including past editions of The New Grove Dictionary, do not even list it. It lasts about a minute, but fills its brief time space with playful, colorful music that most listeners will find attractive on first hearing, if not of great substance.

It features a robust main theme that begins with three emphatic chords, after which follow four chords that are strongly reminiscent of those at the heart of the main theme in the Polonaise Militaire, Op. 40, No. 1 (1838). Here, however, the mood is less heroic, less militaristic, and more playful and mischievous. In fact, this is one fine example of Chopin's humor, and it thus effectively dispels the notion he was strictly a heart-on-sleeve composer, or an artist of limited expressive manner. In the end, however, while this is a delightful piece, it does not inspire the listener toward higher expressive paths. But then, Chopin makes no pretenses in that direction in this genuinely attractive piece.

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