Dance Music – Waltz (Aos 3 Dance Music)

Dance Music – Waltz (AoS 3 Dance Music)

Background - Started in Vienna - Vienna is in Austria - 1st in 1790s, but really got going in C19th (1800s) - Spread from Austria all over Europe - Very risqué dance originally, because males had to hold the females closely. All that contact was very unusual for he time, but certainly made it more popular! - Johann Strauss is the most likely composer every time, though other composers did write waltzes for other occasions. - Blue Danube Waltz by Strauss (starts about 1 minute) - The Vienna waltz by Strauss - Emperor Waltz by Strauss

Basics of a Waltz - Has 3 beats to a bar in an “Oom Cha Cha” feel. - Fast, may be even 180 to 210 beats per minute. (so fast it might actually sound like 1 beat to a bar with fast “Oom cha cha” divisions) - Chords are simple – don’t change much - Mainly chords 1 4 and 5. (primary Chords) Others can happen, but more unusual. - The chords don’t change much and may even be used for 2 or 4 bars (longer?) before the next chord happens. This slow change is called – Slow Harmonic Rhythm Change - Therefore tunes need to be spiced up, so extra ornaments are often used (appoggiaturas, chromatic notes, passing notes)

Dance Steps - In Ballroom hold (also called closed position) - Male Female pairs. - Both move in different directions on 1st 2 beats, male forward, female backwards before meeting again on beat 3. - Beat 1 in a longer step, marking the “oom” of the “oom-cha-cha”. - Waltz steps example – goes into a little too much detail

Structure of the music - Originally in Binary Form (AABB) (see Baroque and Classical structure) - Gradually 2 waltzes (both Binary) were combined so the structure became… - A1A1 B1 B1 A1 A1 (waltz 1) A2 A2 B2 B2 A2 A2 (waltz 2) A3 A3 B3 B3 A3 A3 (waltz 3) all as one piece of music. - Then they developed into this structure… - Slow intro – up to 5 or more different waltzes in related keys each with 16 bar (repeated) sections – Coda (final bit pulling it all to a close.

Orchestras and instruments - Large orchestra, standard make-up (strings, woodwind, brass, timpani drums) as was common in the Romantic era. Possible with triangle, snare drums.

Other Waltz developments - If they were not to be danced to in ballrooms, then maybe for the concert hall, opera or ballet. - CONCERT HALL – maybe just a piano (can’t dance – too quiet) CHOPIN will be composer. - Waltz in C sharp Minor by Chopin – listen for the changing speed. - Another Chopin Waltz – with music you can follow - Of course in a concert hall with no-one dancing, the speed can vary (constantly changing speed is called RUBATO) - BALLET – Various ballets use waltzes. These will be a full orchestra BUT (this is a big but and I cannot lie!) since they are choreographed (the dance is pre-planned) the speed can change. - Think full orchestra – dancing waltz – if speed changes, then Ballet waltz – if just a piano – concert hall waltz or just to listen to. - Swan Lake Ballet - Waltz by Tchaikovsky – also used in Despicable Me! - Sleeping Beauty Waltz - Tchaikovsky

- Musicals – Various musical have has waltzes - The Carrousel Waltz by Rogers and Hammerstein from "High Society" - The Waltz form "The Sound of Music" – To be fair this sounds like a normal one to be danced to in the film – Hey that’s Diagetic music (See Programme Music AoS4). Also of course it is danced to in the film. - Oom pah pah - the Waltz for the show "Oliver"

- Just plain old for Orchestra to listen to – they get a little too wild to dance to. - Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz – There is a waltz near the beginning - Dance Macabre – by Camile Saint-Saens – must be a waltz (This is a piece of programme music – AoS4)