Frederic Chopin’s Polonaise Brillante, Op.3 is one of the few pieces this composer ever wrote for an instrument besides piano. Written when he was only 19 years old, in the autumn of 1829, Chopin had fallen head over heels for a young woman in Warsaw. Unfortunately for Chopin, the love was unrequited.

Chopin's father, in the hope of easing Chopin's heartbreak, took his son on a week-long trip to visit the estate of Prince Radziwill, who had two beautiful young daughters. At least one of the daughters, Wanda, was a pianist. He composed the Polonaise Brillante for her to practice with her cello-playing father. Chopin wrote later to a friend that the piece was merely a salon piece to be enjoyed casually and that he had written it in a manner so as to show off the young Wanda's pretty fingers. However, he must have held it in some high regard, for he included it on a concert tour in 1830, dedicating it to Joseph Merk, a renowned cellist.

Chopin also later added an introduction to the Polonaise, making the piece Introduction and Polonaise Brillante. His friend, the great cellist August Joseph Franchomme, helped Chopin make necessary revisions before its publication in 1833.