“Soiree Polka” was submitted for copyright on February 12, 1850, by W. C. Peters of Baltimore. An arrangement for four hands was submitted on September 3, 1850, although it Is unclear if Stephen Foster made that arrangement himself.

According to Evelyn Foster Mornweck’s The Chronicles of Stephen Foster’s Family:

Stephen dedicated both “Soiree Polka” and “Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway,” to Mary M. Dallas; Molly, the youngest of the Dallas girls, was only sixteen, and one of Eliza Foster’s pets. She spent a great deal of time at the Fosters’ especially when the little Wick girls were visiting their grandparents, and Stephen’s interest in her was brotherly. She is described by Stephen’s mother as being “fair and sprightly, with luxuriant flaxen hair, blue eyes, beautiful mouth, and white even teeth.”