This entry is part of the Lexicon of Klezmer Terminology (LKT). The LKT compiles a wide array of source materials that shed light on the historical and contemporary state of knowledge about klezmer music. Each entry includes a number of citations from primary and secondary sources that include or refers to the term in question. It also indicates whether musical notation or sound recordings are included in the source. By clicking on the bibliographic hyperlink at the end of each citation, you get the full reference.
“You had Polish dance tunes like krakowiak, oberek, na wesolo, mazur and polonez, and of course polkas and mazurkas and waltzes. And tangos--Polish tangos were very big in the ‘30s.” [Warsaw, Poland, 1930s]. Alpert 1996a, pp. 16-17.
“In L. Levanda’s article ‘Starinnye evereiskie svadebnye obichai (Perezhitoe 3), the author lists the dances done by girls with the bride at the preliminaries including: polka, waltz, mazurka, quadrille, and lancers. ... Most of the dances Levanda mentioned were widespread among the masses only in the second half of the nineteenth century. As is known, the polka was created only around 1830 (in Czechoslovakia)...” Beregovski 1937 [= Beregovski/Slobin 1982, p. 533].
“I am dancing a krayts-polke...” [Podbrodz, Vilna province, pre-World War II]. Cahan 1938, p. 40 (#63).
“Polka, polka... let’s go dance a polka together.” [Podbrodz, Vilna province, pre-World War II]. Cahan 1938, p. 40 (#64).
“[This song is] sung to a polka]. [Podbrodz, Vilna province, pre-World War II]. Cahan 1938, p. 305 (#65).
“It must be acknowledged, that among our large masses, for a long time now the folkdance has had been accompanied by singing and song; and not only to [modern couple dances such as] the polka did people improvise and sing songs, but also to the polonaise, quadrille, waltz, raynlender, mazurka, sher, broyges-tants and others.” Cahan 1952b, p. 89.
“Play me the polka, just as it’s written.”][Podalia, pre-World War II]. Cahan 1957, p. 226 (#221).
“I am glad to dance a polka.” [Minsk, Russia, pre-World War II]. Cahan 1957, p. 231, (#235).
“The young man leads her home and sings her the polka.” [Byalitse, near Vilna, Lithuania, pre-World War II]. Cahan 1957, p. 237, #250.
“Moshe, Moshe, Come here already, we are going to dance a polke with a sher!... we will dance in eight a sher... Khaye, Khaye, come here already, we are going to dance a mazurke and a sher!... we will dance a polke and a sher.” [Uman, Kiev province, Ukraine, pre-World War II]. Cahan 1957, pp. 268-69 (# 296).
“Polka.” [[Byalitse, near Vilna, Lithuania, pre-World War II; Minsk, Russia, pre-World War II]. Cahan 1957, p. 491, (#235-36).
“There are also ‘cosmopolitan repertoire’ couple dances of Western and Central European origin’ such as lances, pa de span, padekater, quadrille, polka, waltz, etc... played for both Jews and non-Jews.” Feldman 1994, p. 10.
“‘R. Siminovitz, with a two-stringed fiddle...[played] the ‘polka,’ ‘kadril’ and ‘lanse’...” [Gedara, Palestine, 1888]. Fridhaber 1992, p. 396.
“[When the bride was dressed,] Hersh the Klezmer came then with his whole band including cymbals and a drum. He struck up a sher, a polke, a beroyges-tants. This time the in-laws also danced.”[Kremenits, Poland, pre-World War II]. Gilernt 1966, p. 386.
“...[After the badkhn’s performance,] the klezmorim would play something lively and everyone set out to dance a polke.”[Dubno, Poland, pre-World War II]. Katshke 1966, p. 668.
“[This is a] song for [the] polka-dance... The melody is Polish folk.” [Galicia, 1920s-30s]. Pipe 1971a, pp. 164 (#53), 308 (#53).
“[This is a] song for [the] polka-dance... The melody is Polish folk.” [Galicia, 1920s-30s]. Pipe 1971a, pp. 166 (#55), 308 (#55).
“Klezmer bands have also been called upon to play waltzes and mazurkas (both in 3/4 meter), polkas (2/4), tangos (4/4) European military marches (2/4 and 6/8), and popular pieces from the Yiddish theatre, often in fox-trot, waltz, tango, and even rhumba rhythms.” Sokolow 1987, p. 20.
“The guests would order their preferred dances, such as freylekhs, volekhls, shers, kozakl, polke,... The dance-song is a collective folk-expression which derived from the need to sing for the dance and to dance for the song. The social dances that have no accompanying song emerged in the modern era. The dance-song was preserved by the Jewish masses a long time after the social dances had spread... Also it has been proven that to the new dances like the polka, the mazurka, the polonaise, the quadrille, the waltz words were sung which went with the rhythms... Eastern European Jews were accustomed to invite each guest to an especially favorite dance: one prefers the ‘freylakhs’, another the ‘volekhl,’ after that a ‘sher,’ yet another a ‘kozakl,’ a ‘polka’... I still remember well from my childhood dances that were ‘modern’ such as pas d’espagne, pas de quatre, polka (circle dance which first appeared in 1830 in Bohemia), quadrille (first appeared in Paris at the beginning of the nineteenth century). These dances were only popular among the younger generation.” Stutschewsky 1959, pp. 164, 166-67, 169, n. 58.
“After the wedding-feast they began to dance. The dances were varied according to generation. The young people would dance: ‘polke’, ‘polka-mazurka’, ‘krakoviak,’ and the main dance for the young people was ‘vals’...” [Podalia, c. 1909].” Tshernovetski 1946, pp. 97-114.
See Polka-mazurka.