Part for piano only (lacking cello). Upright disbound folio. 12.75 x 10.25 inches (32.6 x 25.7 cm. Engraved. [PN] P. M. No. 2178. 1f. (title), 3-15, [i] (blank) pp. Light horizontal crease, folio count in pencil to upper right corner from 9 to 16, else in fine condition. Lacking the ad-libitum Cello part. Hoboken 185. Platzman p. 28.

Rare. The present Vienna edition preceded the Paris and London publications by 4 and 5 years, respectively.  Platzman p. 28; Grabowski-Rink 3–1-ME; Chomiński-Turło p. 163; Kobylańska p. 6; Hoboken 4, 184.

In October, 1829 while visiting Antonin, Prince Radziwill’s estate in the principality of Poznan, Chopin composed his Polonaise brillante for the cello-playing prince to play with his pianist daughter, Princess Wanda. The young composer wrote to his good friend Tytus Woyciechowski in November: "While I was there I wrote an Alla Polacca with violoncello. It is nothing but glitter, for the drawing room, for the ladies; you see I wanted Princess Wanda to learn it. I had been giving her lessons. She is quite young: 17, and pretty; really it was a joy to guide her little fingers. But joking aside, she has a lot of real musical feeling; one did not have to say: crescendo here, piano there; now faster, now slower, and so on."

The following year, in Vienna, Chopin decided to add an introduction to the Polonaise for cellist Joseph Merk, writing (in May 1831), “Merk tells me that he likes playing with me, and I like playing with him, so together we must produce something good. He is the first cellist whom I can admire on closer acquaintance.” The present edition, published in Vienna in 1831, bears a dedication to Merk.