Waltz
A dance in 3/4 time.
What it means
The waltz is a couple dance in triple metre, in which the couples move across the dance floor in an even rotation. It developed in the late eighteenth century from rustic triple-metre dances such as the Ländler and became, in the nineteenth century, the most important social dance of Europe.
Characteristic is the accent on the first beat with light second and third beats, combined with a swinging, turning movement. The accompaniment follows a fixed pattern: bass on the one, chords on the two and three. In the Viennese waltz, the second beat is placed slightly early, which gives it its particular lift.
The waltz is to be distinguished from the Ländler, from which it arose: the Ländler is more leisurely and earthy, the waltz faster and more elegant. Today, moreover, the fast Viennese waltz and the slow waltz are distinguished as different dances.
In the notation
The waltz stands in triple metre with the characteristic accompaniment of a bass and two chords. Often several waltzes are joined into a chain, with an introduction and a closing section.
Musical use
The waltz shaped the ballroom music of the nineteenth century and became a symbol of Viennese dance culture. Dance composers wrote waltz chains for orchestra. At the same time the waltz found its way into art music, into piano pieces, symphonies, operas, and ballets. As a social dance it is widespread to this day.
The Congress of Vienna of 1814 and 1815 contributed to its spread. Johann Strauss the Younger wrote the best-known Viennese waltzes. Chopin, Brahms, and Ravel composed waltzes for the concert hall. Its hallmark is triple metre with an accented one and a slight delay of the second beat in the Viennese style. Ravel's La Valse of 1920 shapes the Viennese waltz as an orchestral apotheosis.
Performance practice
Accent the first beat and keep the second and third light. At a fast tempo, count the whole bar as one unit. Chopin wrote waltzes for the piano that are not intended for dancing. And keep the accompaniment swinging rather than stamping.