Clarinet Polka Explained

"The Clarinet Polka" or "A Hupfata"^[1] (Polish "Polka Dziadek", Estonian "Vanaisa polka" – Grandpa Polka) is a popular musical composition from the end of the 19th century. Since 1971 it has been used as an opener in Lato z Radiem − one of the most popular shows of Polskie Radio Program I.^[2] The piece, performed (as its name implies) as a polka, has a simple and catchy melody, featuring a prominent extended eight-note arpeggio. It is typically performed in B-flat major.

According to Polskie Radio Program I, the music was created in Austria by a composer named A. Humpfat. Other sources claim that "The Clarinet Polka" was written under the name "Dziadunio Polka" by the Polish composer Karol Namysłowski.^[3]

External links

• - Bavarian version of Clarinet Polka recorded in 1905, one of the oldest in the world
• - the most popular version of Clarinet Polka in Poland, by Polskie Radio

Notes and References

1. Web site: A Hupfata. Svenska Filminstitutet. 2011-06-27.
2. Web site: Lato z Radiem ma 35 lat - nasze URODZINY !. Lato z Radiem. 2011-06-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20110927134205/http://www.latozradiem.pl/2006/35lat.aspx. 2011-09-27. dead.
3. "Dziadunio polka; by K. Namyslowski, arr. F. Przybylski; clarinet solo" (Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical compositions. 1941)
   "Columbia set up a studio in Chicago in 1915 and discovered Frantisek Przybylski and his Polish Village Orchestra, which recorded 'Dziadunio,' later known as 'The Clarinet Polka.'" (Polish-American Folklore, 2000, p. 128)
   "In 1915, Columbia made its first Chicago recordings, and a group led by Frank Przybylski recorded 'Laughing Polka' ('Cieszmy Się', literally 'Let Us Rejoice') (Columbia E-2221); on the other side was 'Dziadunio Polka,' which was the ancestor of 'Clarinet Polka. (Ethnic recordings in America: a neglected heritage, 1982, p. 141)