Musical Heritage: Viennese Waltz

Each week MUSICAUTHOR brings you an interesting story related to music-making 

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons, Thomas Wilson's Correct Method of German and French Waltzing (1816)

Imagine New Year's Eve with champagne and a waltz. It is a true celebration of the iconic music and dance that appeared more than 300 years ago. The waltz is a dance that transports us to a world of beauty and elegance. It is a musical fairytale that captivates us with its grace.

The first dance in ¾ size danced in France around 1550, was known as the Volta (folk dance). Music historians say it originated in Italy and means "turning".

In the 16th century, this dance gained popularity in Western Europe and was danced at balls held at royal courts. Ladies stood to the left of their cavaliers, placed a hand on their shoulder, and lifted their dresses. The men, in turn, took them by the waist and lifted them while dancing. This was accompanied by an embrace between the two dancers, which led King Louis XIII of France and the Church to declare the dance immoral and ban it.

In the 17th century, a music called Waltzen appeared in Germany. Its name also means "spin, turn", and the dances to its accompaniment resembled the Volta. Here, too, the ladies lifted their dresses and held them high like a cloak, which often covered their partners' faces. The music also became popular in Vienna, where special ballrooms began to open in the early 18th century that could accommodate those wishing to dance. Waltzen also conquered England under the name "German Waltz", thanks to the music of Josef Laner and Johann Strauss.

The waltz was also a huge change in dance form and manners at the time, as until then all European dances had been common - all dancers participated in a pre-set pattern of dancing, often chosen by a master of ceremonies.

Despite the waltz's initial reputation as an immoral dance, as it was performed by partners enjoying their intimacy, it gradually became an emblem of elegance, romance, and refinement.

Even today, long evening dresses and tuxedos, glamorous accessories, and stylish hairstyles bring an air of opulence and festive cheer.  Johann Strauss's "On the Beautiful Blue Danube", Johann Strauss's "Radetzky march" (father), the compositions of Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert carry the style and grace of past centuries, the traditions and culture of the Old Continent.