As the house lights are dimmed, the soft crunch and salty aroma of hot buttered popcorn wafts through the air. The reel-to-reel movie projector begins its click-clicking and the screen is suddenly filled with a long shot of the majestic snow-crusted Swiss Alps. The orchestra swells and we zoom in with the camera shot from the clouds--swooping around and down and through a flowery green meadow where a young Julie Andrews is spinning, spinning, spinning with arms spread wide singing, "The hills are alive with the sound of music. . ." And where does true romance begin for the young governess? Out in a summer courtyard where she instructs her young charges on the steps of the Landler folk dance. "Step, hop..." she tells the children and then is caught by surprise when she is whisked away in the arms of the handsome Captain Von Trapp.

INDECENT! OBSCENE!

History of the Waltz
The Austrian Landler, danced so daintily by a blushing Julie Andrews, is a folk dance that was not only considered romantic, but with its "erotic" and "vulgar" close body-contact (unlike the Minuets and Circle Dancing popular at the time) was downright sinful when it burst upon the scene in the early 1700s. Apparently, by the early 1900s it was no longer indecent and even acceptable for a nun to give it a whirl. This once-controversial dance step is said to be the forerunner of the "Waltz" which comes from the German word "walzen" meaning "to roll, turn or to glide." Though it began as a folk dance and many of the early waltz melodies can be traced to the peasant yodeling melodies, it soon found its way into the high courts of the royals.

In 1816 when the "wicked" waltz was included in a ball given by the Prince Regent, the following paragraph was found in the London Times in an editorial:

"We remarked with pain that the indecent foreign dance called the Waltz was introduced (we believe for the first time) at the English court on Friday last ... it is quite sufficient to cast one's eyes on the voluptuous intertwining of the limbs and close compressure on the bodies in their dance, to see that it is indeed far removed from the modest reserve which has hitherto been considered distinctive of English females. So long as this obscene display was confined to prostitutes and adulteresses, we did not think it deserving of notice; but now that it is attempted to be forced on the respectable classes of society by the civil examples of their superiors, we feel it a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter to so fatal a contagion."

Many are unaware that the reigning Queen Victoria was an expert ballroom dancer and one of her particular favorites was the waltz!

Indeed, when the Waltz first hit the European ballroom dance floor in the early 1800s it created a scandal as had never been seen before and was even banned in parts of Germany and Switzerland. For a man to hold a woman so intimately with his arm about her waist was unacceptable in high society. In Vienna two composers, Franz Lanner and Johann Strauss, however, helped to promote the waltz with their enchanting melodies and increase in tempo. This fast style of dancing where a man could whirl his partner in a frenzy from one end of the ballroom to the other at high speed became known as the Viennese Waltz. One Austrian music scholar, Max Graf, has written, "If there exists a form of music that is a direct expression of sensuality, it is the Viennese Waltz...."

Despite the initial uproar, the waltz soon rose in popularity and before long everyone was doing it. In the mid 1800s when the dance found its way to America, a much slower tempo became popular and still influences the waltz as it is performed today.

Technique
The waltz is written in 3/4 time and the ballroom style of today can involve complicated steps (a forward-side-together is the most common) such as cape position, open position, reverse position, scissors, pivots, reverse turns, etc., and all performed in elaborate figures as the couple travels to designated spots on the dance floor. The folk waltz, however, is a "free" waltz with the couples not restricted to figures, but rather, can pretty much travel where they please. Also the steps are not so much "forward, side, together" as they are "step-two-three" with most of the traveling happening on the first step, and the following two steps taken in place.

When playing for dancers, then, it is important to know whether or not you are playing for ballroom style, or folk style in order to determine the tempo. In Viennese style waltzes the downbeat should be strongly emphasized. Other styles can differ, however, and one should investigate the rhythms of each before accompanying dancers of those styles. Most waltzes played at contra dances or similar venues are written in eight-bar phrases.

"Anton Tomten's Waltz"
Anton Tomten's Waltz is a Scandinavian piece in the key of G, and I've included two versions of it here. The first version is a "melody-only" version for beginners. The second version is arranged for intermediate players and you will notice the heavy use of rolled chords to accentuate the downbeat. Be sure and roll those chords (especially the 4-note examples in measures 25 & 27) quickly so the "one" emphasizes the first step that the dancers take, but doesn't muddy up the rest of the measure. A strong "one-two-three" beat is imperative. I've included chords above the staff because adding a rhythm instrument such as guitar to your arrangement will strengthen that steady beat for the dancers.

If you are not providing music for a dance, but playing for performance or your own enjoyment, feel free to play more expressively. I hope you enjoy playing this waltz and that you will be encouraged to add many more to your repertoire, despite the controversial beginnings!

Traditional Scandinavian
Beginner Version - Melody only

Arrangement © Jeanne Page.

Traditional Scandinavian
Intermediate Version - with Chords

Arrangement © Jeanne Page.

A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jeanne Page began her lifelong journey into folk music at age 12, singing and accompanying herself on guitar. Since then, she has gravitated to focus primarily on the hammered dulcimer and Celtic harp. She performs nationally with her band "The Next Chapter," and has taught privately and through the University of New Mexico. Jeanne is the director of a youth harp ensemble called the "Apple Mountain Harp Kids," and co-founded with her husband, Shane, the Apple Mountain Dulcimer Club and the Apple Mountain Harp Circle. She also co-founded, along with friends in the community, the Albuquerque Folk Festival. She has several instructional books and songbooks available through Mel Bay Publications. You can learn more about Jeanne and her recordings and publications at www.thenextchapter.net or jeannepage@comcast.net.