On October 20, 1829, Chopin writes: "During my visit at Prince Radziwill's I wrote an Alla Polacca. It is nothing more than a brilliant salon piece, such as pleases ladies".

And on April 10, 1830 Chopin wrote: "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."

NIecks wrote: "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."