Polska is a type of music and a dance form. As a dance, Polska is usually performed in pairs. The music can be played with various kinds of instruments.
Location: Nation wide
As a dance, Polska is usually performed in pairs. The music can be played with various kinds of instruments. Photo: The Eric Sahlström Institute
Polska is played by folk musicians and can be played alone, in pairs, and in larger groups. The music is often played in triple metre and can be performed with different instruments. Bowed string instruments are most common, but the accordion or organ can also be used. Polska can be played at concerts, in churches, and at folk music events, as well as in informal settings. As a dance, it is usually danced in pairs, both in informal settings and in more formal folk dance shows. For many practitioners, dancing Polska is an important social activity. There are many regional names and varieties of Polska in Sweden.
The historical roots of Polska are found in Poland and Germany through the polonaise dance tradition. In Swedish, “polska” is also the word for the polish language. Many folk music associations were founded in the mid-20th century and made inventories of folk dance- and music traditions in Sweden. During the 1970s, dancing and playing polska gained popularity. Courses in music and dance were arranged throughout Sweden in this period, and many people learned Polska through folk music festivals.
Today, Polska as a music genre is taught in various ways, such as through music associations, folk high schools, and other forms of higher education. Practitioners are often introduced through more informal settings at festivals and folk music events. There are also dance courses arranged at folk high schools and in higher education. There are three national associations for Polska musicians and dancers: Riksförbundet för Folkmusik och Dans (the National Association of Folk Music and Dance), Svenska Folkdansringen (the Swedish Folk Dance Association), and Sveriges Spelmäns Riksförbund (the National Association of Swedish Spelmän). The national associations are responsible for arranging the Polska Dance Certification (Polskmärkeuppdansningar), a prize awarded to talented Polska dancers.
Literature and links
Books and articles
Bjørn Aksdal & Ann-Mari Häggman (1997). "Den folkliga musiktraditionen" (flera kapitel). I: Musik i Norden. Huvudredaktör: Greger Andersson. Kungliga Musikaliska Akademins skriftserie nr 85. Föreningen Nordens Årsbok 1998.
Bo Nyberg (1989). Polskan i Norden: traditionsinspelningar från Sverige, Norge, Danmark, Finland. Stockholm: Svea fonogram.
Dan Lundberg & Gunnar Ternhag (2005), Folkmusik i Sverige, 2:a uppl., Stockholm/Falun: Svenskt visarkiv/Gidlunds förlag.
Ernst Klein, (1978): Om folkdans, Mats Rehnberg (red.), Stockholm : LT i samarbete med Inst. för folklivsforskning.
Jan Ling (1989), Europas musikhistoria. Folkmusiken: 1730–1980. Solna: Esselte studium.
Karin L Eriksson (2015), "En polonäs i tre gestaltningar", i Lekstugan: Festskrift till Magnus Gustafsson, Boström, M. (red.), Växjö: Smålands musikarkiv.
Mathias Boström, Dan Lundberg & Märta Ramsten (red.) (2010), Det stora uppdraget. Perspektiv på Folkmusikkommissionen i Sverige 1908–2008, Stockholm: Nordiska museet.
Märta Ramsten (1976): Hurven. En polska och dess miljö.
Märta Ramsten, Mathias Boström, Karin L. Eriksson & Magnus Gustafsson (red.) (2019), Spelmansböcker i Norden. Perspektiv på handskrivna notböcker. Uppsala: Kungl. Gustav Adolfs Akademien.
Märta Ramsten (2003), The Polish Dance in Scandinavia and Poland, Stockholm: Svenskt visarkiv.
Nils Andersson & Olof Andersson (1922–1940), Svenska låtar, Stockholm: P.A. Norstedt & söner.
Sven Ahlbäck (1995), Karaktäristiska egenskaper för låttyper i svensk folkmusiktradition. Ett försök till beskrivning. Norra Stavsudda.
Sven Ahlbäck (1989), Tonspråket i äldre svensk folkmusik. Udda Toner, Stockholm.
