This was Chopin's third surviving Polonaise, written when he was only 11 years old. The young composer was already living in an adult world, working hard at his craft and advancing rapidly. Labeled the Polish Mozart, he regularly turned out compositions, dedicating them to family friends and patrons—older friends and patrons, to him. This polonaise was dedicated to one of his first teachers, Wojciech Zywny, who was primarily a violinist, but also a pianist of decent ability.

Lasting about six minutes, the piece is longer and grander in scale than anything the composer had attempted up to that time. This A flat Polonaise begins with a dreamy delicate theme, running along elegantly in the upper register, that already shows touches of Chopin's mature style, though the influence of Mozart in it is undeniable. An alternate theme divulges little of interest but maintains the light, ethereal mood. The brief middle section features playful music of lesser distinction as well. The main theme returns to introduce a lengthy and somewhat overlong reprise. If many have come to associate Chopin's polonaises with robust, vigorous music, they will be surprised at this early effort: this is perhaps the gentlest polonaise Chopin ever wrote. In sum, its secondary thematic material may not be distinctive, but overall the piece has modest charm.

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