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Polka is a type of dance and genre of dance music. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia, and is still a common genre of Czech folk music; it is also common both in Europe and in the Americas. In classical music, many polkas were composed by both Johann Strauss I and his son Johann Strauss II; a couple of well-known ones were composed by Bedřich Smetana and Jaromír Vejvoda, the author of Škoda lásky ("Roll Out the Barrel"). The name comes from Czech word půlka, which means a half, and is related to a half rhythm in the music. Later it changed to polka, to show sympathy for the neighbouring Polish nation during the November Uprising. Due to its name it is often mistakenly attributed to Poland. It should also not be confused with the polska, a Swedish 3/4-beat dance with Polish roots; cf. polka-mazurka. A related dance is the redowa. Polkas are played in Hungary as well; in Hungarian they are called polka too.
Styles There are various styles of contemporary polka. Of the US types, the North American "Polish-style polka" has roots in Chicago, and can be identified as 'Chicago honky' and 'Chicago push' styles. This 'push' version or style of Polka features accordion, concertina, bass, drums, and (almost always) two trumpets. The 'honky' variation of this style uses clarinet and one trumpet. North American "Slovenian-style polka" is fast and features piano accordion, and is associated with Cleveland. North American "Dutchman-style" features an oom-pah sound, often with a tuba, and has roots in the American Midwest. "Conjunto-style" has roots in Northern Mexico and Texas, and is also called Norteño. In the 1980s and 1990s several bands began to combine polka with various rock styles, sometimes referred to as "punk polka", "alternative polka" or "San Francisco-style". Irish traditional music has also adopted the polka into its repertory and there it has come into its own distinct flavor. There is even Peruvian Polca. In the pampas, there is another kind of polka (that is called polca). It is a very very fast beat, with a 3/4 compass. Instruments used: acoustic guitar (usually six strings, but sometimes seven strings), electric or acoustic bass (sometimes fretless), accordion (sometimes piano accordion, sometimes button accordion), and sometimes some percussion is used. The lyrics always praise the gaucho warriors from the past or tell about the life of the gaucho campeiros (provincial gauchos who keep the common way). Organizations The International Polka Association based in Chicago works to preserve the cultural heritage of polka music and to honor its musicians through the Polka Hall of Fame. The United States Polka Association based in Cleveland, Ohio serves to promote polka music and honor musicians. This organization is similar to the IPA. The Deviant Underground Polka Association, or DUPA in Chicago works to push the eXtreme polka music to younger audiences by live performances and events with both eXtrme Polka bands and more traditional groups at the same time: Such as Lil Wally and The Polkaholics shows at Zakopane Lounge in Chicago. Grammy Awards were first presented for polka in 1985. The first award went to America's Polka King, Frank Yankovic, for his "70 Years of Hits" album on Cleveland International Records, produced by Joey Miskulin and Dragutin Razum. Cleveland International Records had another Polka Grammy winner with Brave Combo's Polkasonic in 1999. Other Polka Grammy nominees on Cleveland International Records include Frank Yankovic's "America's Favorites" (1986), "Songs of the Polka King Vol. I" (Produced by Joey Miskuln and Slavko Slivovitz, 1996), "Songs of the Polka King Vol. II" (1997), and Brave Combo's "Kick Ass Polkas" (2000). Samples Some polka artists Polka Radio Many communities have a dedicated polka station or a station that plays a daily/weekly polka show. If you live in the US or Canada, to find polka music on the radio in one's own city, a good site to visit is http://www.radio4polkas.com/ Online Radio Stations Internal links | ||||||||
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