What is Viennese waltz?
A '''Viennese waltz''' ('''Valse''' in French, '''Walzer''' in German) is a music and dance which started in [[Vienna]] in the late 18th century. It is a [[ballroom dance]] in 3/4 time. It is the most famous of all dance forms. It became extremely popular during the [[19th century]], and is still danced today. Many famous [[composer]]s wrote waltzes for [[piano]] or for [[orchestra]]. The [[rhythm]] of the waltz can be heard in lots of music, not just in pieces which are called a 'waltz'. == History of the music == ===Origins=== It is difficult to know exactly when the waltz started. The word comes from a German word “walzen” which means “to turn”. This is because the dancers turn around as they spin round the dance floor. There were German dances called [[Ländler]] which were simpler than the [[minuet]] and popular amongst ordinary people. The waltz developed from these dances. [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]] wrote many pieces called 'Ländler'. He also started to use the title 'Waltz'. [[Beethoven]] wrote 30 [[variations (music)|variations]] on a waltz that had been composed by Anton Diabelli. Many people thought that the new dance was bad. This was because the dancing couples stood very close to one another and held one another in their arms (in the old minuet they held hands politely). Some people thought that it was very [[moral|immoral]] and wrote angry letters to the newspapers saying that it was the end of civilised society. However, the waltz continued to be popular, and many dance halls were opened where people could waltz. === 19th century === Composers became interested in the music of the waltz. [[Carl Maria von Weber|Weber]] wrote a piece called 'Invitation to the Dance'. It has a main tune, then a set of variations, and at the end it comes back to the first tune. This form became a common way of writing a group of waltzes. Two composers in [[Vienna]] who became well known for their waltzes were [[Joseph Lanner]] (1801–1843) and [[Johann Strauss I|Johann Strauss]] (1804–1849), but the most famous of a