On October 20, 1829, Chopin writes:--"During my visit at Prince
Radziwill's [at Antonin] I wrote an Alla Polacca. It is nothing more
than a brilliant salon piece, such as pleases ladies"; and on April 10,
1830:--

I shall play [at a soiree at the house of Lewicki] Hummel's
"La Sentinelle," and at the close my Polonaise with
violoncello, for which I have composed an Adagio as an
introduction. I have already rehearsed it, and it does not
sound badly.

Prince Radziwill, the reader will remember, played the violoncello.
It was, however, not to him but to Merk that Chopin dedicated this
composition, which, before departing from Vienna to Paris, he left with
Mechetti, who eventually published it under the title of "Introduction
et Polonaise brillante pour piano et violoncelle," dediees a Mr. Joseph
Merk. On the whole we may accept Chopin's criticism of his Op. 3 as
correct. The Polonaise is nothing but a brilliant salon piece. Indeed,
there is very little in this composition--one or two pianoforte
passages, and a finesse here and there excepted--that distinguishes
it as Chopin's. The opening theme verges even dangerously to the
commonplace. More of the Chopinesque than in the Polonaise may be
discovered in the Introduction, which was less of a piece d'occasion.
What subdued the composer's individuality was no doubt the violoncello,
which, however, is well provided with grateful cantilene.

On two occasions Chopin writes of studies. On October 20, 1829: "I have
composed a study in my own manner"; and on November 14, 1829: "I have
written some studies; in your presence I would play them well." These
studies are probably among the twelve published in the summer of 1833,
they may, however, also be among those published in the autumn of 1837.
The twelfth of the first sheaf of studies (Op. 10) Chopin composed, as
already stated, at Stuttgart, when he was under the excitement caused by
the news of the taking of Warsaw by the Russians on September 8, 1831.

The words "I intend to write a Polonaise with orchestra," contained in a
letter dated September 18, 1830, give rise to the interesting question:
"Did Chopin realise his intention, and has the work come down to us?" I
think both questions can be answered in the affirmative. At any rate, I
hold that internal evidence seems to indicate that Op. 22, the "Grande
Polonaise brillante precedee d'un Andante spianato avec orchestre,"
which was published in the summer of 1