Waltz is ... Classic waltz

Waltz - this is a wonderful dance, which inspired many poets to heartfelt lines.

Dance in people's lives was always present. From the most ancient times up to the present day it is one of the ways of self-expression. Previously, dances could be seen in rural squares or in lush palace halls. Some of them are forever preserved in their era. Others have successfully reached our time. Waltz is one of the dances that has not lost its popularity so far.

The Birth of a Waltz

This extremely fascinating and always young dance lives for two centuries and is very popular. In Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic, at various festivals, the peasants circled happily in pairs. Walzen in German means "roll". Hence the name of the dance. Gradually, "trampling" and "bouncing" characteristic for folk dances went away.

Waltz - this is one of the dances, which at the turn of the 18-19 centuries quickly spread to different countries.

Which of the composers wrote waltzes?

Many composers turned to the genre of waltz. Initially, this dance won Vienna. One of the famous composers Johann Strauss wrote about 447 plays of this kind. Thanks to Slavic composers, the waltz acquired a special softness of outlines. The music of Frederic Chopin is filled with a wide melodic chant. His dances, written in this genre, are distinguished by tenderness and deep penetration. F. Chopin can rightly be considered the author of poetic, lyrical and brilliant concert waltzes.

Characteristic features of waltz

• Three-lobed waltz size;
• lyricism;
• plastic;
• grace;
• A typical rhythmic formula;
• Fairly fast movement;
• Texture formula of accompaniment: bass and two chords;
• A simple melody that often comes from the sounds of a triad;
• Flightability;
• "Soaring" melodic line.

The precursors of waltz

First of all, this is a landler. It is a three-lobed Austrian and German slow-motion dance.

Landlords are found in the works of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert. The melody in these dances is basically simple. It moves with even eight notes on the sounds of the triad.

Later the Waltzer appeared as a kind of lendler. In German, it means "whirling".

And actually the waltz appeared in the eighteenth century as a ball version of the Walzer.

Classic. Music. Waltz

Many waltzes were written by Franz Schubert. They remind him of lendlers and waltzers. However, the composer has elegant and light dances in the genre of waltz. Franz Schubert also has a kind of "chain", which can include up to twenty small different waltzes.

In the twenties of the 19th century a Viennese waltz appeared. It has a more orderly form. The number of "links" varies within five. They all sound in a single key. Music begins with an introduction and ends with a code. This form was invented by Joseph Lanner and Johann Strauss. The son of J. Strauss uses a five-part form favored by his father, but his waltzes turn into detailed musical poems.

The piano waltzes of Frederic Chopin are lyrical miniatures that tell of the experiences of the human soul. The composer has eighteen in all. Waltzes of Frederic Chopin are different in character. There are quiet and melodious, but there are brilliant and virtuosic. They are written in the form of a rondo.

Types of waltz

1. The Viennese waltz. To properly dance it, you need to follow a strict and tightened body. The beauty of this dance consists in a changing pace and in alternating right and left corners. Despite the speed of the spin, the movements are carried out smoothly.
2. Waltz-Boston. This is a slow waltz, which was finally formed in England. At the moment he is considered an independent dance. In the music of the English waltz, the rhythm of the melody changes. Along with this, the partners' movement, position in the pair, and technique of performance are changing. The movements in this dance are undulating, soft and sliding.
3. Tango-waltz. It is also called Argentinean. It combines elements of tango and waltz. He dances for three quarters.

Thus, the waltz is a pair dance of fast enough movement. Its size is three-quarters. Its characteristic features include: smoothness, "flightiness", elegance, plasticity and lyricism. It has a typical rhythmic and textural formula. The melodic line is simple. Many composers turned to the genre of waltz. They are Schubert, Strauss, Chopin, Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and many others.