Frederick Chopin (1810-49) wrote 16 polonaises, which have been published, for piano. There are three main categories
- Those with opus numbers, during Chopin’s life.
- Those with opus numbers, published after Chopin’s death.
- Those without opus numbers.
< cr>
Those published during his life:
- opus 26 no.1 & 2, written in 1834/35, published in 1836.
- opus 40 no.1 & 2, written in 1838/39, published in 1840.
- opus 44, written in 1840/41, published in 1841.
- opus 53, written in 1842, published in 1843.
- opus 61 (polonaise-fantaisie), written in 1845/6, published in 1846.
< cr>Those published after his life with opus numbers:
- opus 71 no.1, written in 1825, published in 1855.
- opus 71 no.2 & 3, written in 1828, published in 1855
< cr>Those without opus numbers:
- KK IIa no.1, written in 1817, published in 1817.
- KK IVa no.1, written in 1817, published in 1934.
- KK IVa no.2, written in 1821, published in 1902.
- KK IVa no.3, written in 1822, published in 1864.
- KK IVa no.5, written in 1826, published in 1826.
- KK IVa no.8, written in 1829, published in 1870.
These polonaises provide a formidable challenge for a pianist. They are technically highly demanding, and are often of a formidable length (eg. opus 44 is about 20 solid pages long with repeats).