The polonaise is a couple dance in moderate tempo that originated in Poland. It developed from folk dances that were accompanied by singing, most of which were in triple meter and without upbeats. Eventually, vocal parts were abandoned and the dance music was performed by the instrumental ensembles that usually accompanied court functions. During the early Baroque era, pieces called "Polish dances" were written by numerous composers; those that would become known as the "polonaise" (a French term) did not appear until the seventeenth century. By the eighteenth century, the polonaise became an instrumental work independent of its dance origins and exhibiting the following characteristics: triple meter, moderate tempo, lack of upbeats, and repetition of rhythmic figures. In the Classical era, polonaises came to possess broader, more expressive melodies and sometimes included a trio section (as in a minuet) or were set in rondo form. Chopin's works in the genre have become the most prominent examples.

When Chopin composed his first polonaises, the dance had been known throughout Europe for two centuries and had taken on a conventional character. Even Chopin's first essays in the genre were not especially Polish in style, belonging instead to the stile brilliant. Of these early works, that in B flat major, Op. 70, No. 2, composed in 1828, looks forward to the composer's later polonaises in its expanded form and majestic character. Possibly because of Chopin's later separation from his homeland, his mature polonaises would become symbols of Polish nationalism for both the composer and, especially, other Poles. The works were received as defiant outburst in the struggle of an oppressed and partitioned nation. Some were associated with specific historical events: Op. 40, No. 1 was perceived as evoking the battle of the Hussards of Subieski and Op. 44, the battle of Grochów.

In 1840, the Polonaise in C minor was coupled with the Polonaise in A major (composed in 1838) and published in Paris as Op. 40. Chopin dedicated the pieces to Julian Fontana, one of the composer's Warsaw friends.

The Polonaise in C minor has an unusual formal organization. It is a type of compound ternary form with the reprise of the first section truncated: ABA CDC A. In an apparent attempt to make up for the "missing" material, Chopin adds extra weight to the return of the A theme by creating a powerful buildup to it through the repetition and harmonic elaboration of a simple leaping figure in the previous four measures. The eight-measure A theme is itself remarkable in that the melodic material is the sole property of the left hand; the right provides harmonic background. For the B theme, Chopin moves the melodic interest to the right hand, which plays a gestural melody mostly in double notes. A gradual crescendo leads to a return of A.

A shift to A flat major heralds the beginning of the middle section, the C theme outlining a triad just as does the A theme. Passages of insistent rhythms alternate with more lyrical ideas as Chopin explores his harmonic palette. The reprise of A begins literally, but soon dissolves into material that provides a convincing close.

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The first of these two polonaises, the A major, nicknamed the "Military," dates to 1838, and the latter, in C minor, comes from the winter of 1838-1839. Both are well known in the composer's output, but the "Military" is clearly the more popular, while its dark sibling is deeper and perhaps the better piece.

That said, the "Military" Polonaise is a finely-crafted composition, whose bright colors and martial demeanor may flirt with the bombastic in places, but never quite attain it. What is remarkable about the piece is its deliberate "Military" stiffness: both hands play in-step much of the time, as if in response to the demanding beat of a military drum. This work's outer sections feature a memorable Chopin theme comprised of big chords in which the proud, muscular melody ascends in each of its three phrases, until a resolute plateau is reached. The middle section features greater freedom in the writing for the two hands of the soloist but still remains militaristic in its march-like manner. The recapitulation is a rather straightforward restatement of the main thematic material, with no coda following.

The C minor polonaise begins with an ominous theme in the bass, whose tolling-bell accompaniment of insistent chords imparts an atmosphere of grim urgency. While the mood brightens a bit with a livelier second subject, the dark character of the piece is relieved only in the gentle but schizophrenic middle section, whose subdued music is interrupted by violent outbursts seemingly intent on disrupting the calm, which one senses is only temporary at best, anyway. The foreboding main theme returns to close this sinister piece.

Anton Rubinstein related these works to the composer's beloved Poland, calling the first "Poland's Glory" and the latter "Poland's Collapse." Both these descriptions may be too specific and imply programmatic content that Chopin may never have intended, but they still have validity here since this composer wore his nationality proudly, not simply allowing it to seep into his music to become one of many characteristics, but encouraging it to become an essential ingredient. The "Military" Polonaise lasts about six minutes in a typical performance, while the C minor runs about eight minutes.

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The polonaise is a couple dance in moderate triple meter that originated in Poland. During the early Baroque era, pieces called Polish dances or (in French) "polonaises" were written by numerous composers. By the eighteenth century, the polonaise became an instrumental work independent of its dance origins, and exhibited the following characteristics: triple meter, moderate tempo, lack of upbeats, and repetition of rhythmic figures. In the Classical era, polonaises came to possess broader, more expressive melodies and sometimes included a trio section (as in a minuet) or were set in rondo form.

By the time Chopin composed his first polonaises, then, the dance had been known throughout Europe for two centuries and had taken on a conventional character. Even Chopin's first essays in the genre were not especially Polish in style or reference. Probably because of Chopin's later separation from his homeland, his expansive and majestic mature polonaises would become symbols of Polish nationalism for both the composer and, especially, other Poles. The works were received as defiant outbursts in the struggle of an oppressed and partitioned nation. Some were associated with specific historical events: Op. 40, No. 1 was perceived as evoking the battle of the Hussards of Subieski and Op. 44, the battle of Grochów. In 1840, the Polonaise in A major was coupled with the Polonaise in C minor (composed in 1839), and the pair was published in Paris as Op. 40. Chopin dedicated the pieces to Julian Fontana, one of the composer's Warsaw friends.

Among Chopin's mature polonaises, this A major piece is the most "traditional," preserving the melodic and rhythmic aspects, as well as the da capo format, of the older dances. Nevertheless, Chopin infuses the piece with the strength and heroism we find in other polonaises. From the very beginning of the piece, Chopin's writing for the keyboard is so powerful that the overall sonority is nearly orchestral in effect. This is evident in the very first measure, where aggressively detached chords accompany a rapid stepwise rise in the uppermost voice. Such sharply articulated gestures prompted the piece's nickname, "Military." In the first theme, a brief ornamental excursion into the lower register occurs at the end of the second and fourth measures. The same gesture appears in the contrasting secondary theme, but at smaller intervals. As we might expect, the first theme sounds twice and the single appearance of the contrasting theme is followed by a literal return of the first.

In the D major central section, we find a good example of Chopin's whole-tone harmonic sequences. After a cadence on the dominant we hear a sequence of closes in B flat, C and D—a stepwise return to the tonic of the middle section. The whole passage is really an instance of keyextension; there is no modulation. A non-thematic exploration of the registral contrasts of the first section provides the contrasting material of the central section, which otherwise is more melodic than the first. Chopin's return to the opening material is literal, but he eliminates the repeats, bringing the piece to an abrupt and surprising close.

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