By Janice Morinaga,Waipio
Wow, we have so many experts on music and dance on Oahu, we should appreciate them more. It is not just the number of beats to the bar, it is the dispersion of relative beat values (and their accentuation) throughout the bar which makes the “rhythm” and therefore a certain character of music recognizable. At very first glance the rhythmical structure of the Viennese Waltz looks fairly simple. There are three beats of (almost!) even value to the bar: We would count such a pattern instinctively – and correctly – as “1 – 2 – 3”. But in fact the real and original rhythmical pattern of Viennese Waltz looks slightly different.
Apart from the fact that the Viennese Waltz is the ONLY one of our ten dances in the International Style, originally written in even sets – not phrases – of eight bars, consisting of four subsets with one leading and one following bar each, four of such sets forming a chorus, although sets and phrases most often coincide in Viennese Waltz. One of the greatest conductors of our time brought it forward very clearly when once conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the world famous New Year’s Concert: “The count of the original Viennese Waltz is 1, 2, perhaps 3.”
The beat values change only slightly but the second beat is anticipated, in other words the time between beats 1 and 2 is shorter than between beats 2 and 3. The count of “1 – 2 – 3” is therefore misleading. I have been very lucky to have had some of the best teachers when I was living on the mainland. They always used the most appropriate method of counting the Viennese Waltz: “Om–pa – pah”, thus creating a feeling somehow close to “quick – quick – slow” rather than just an even “1 – 2 – 3”. This feeling is in my opinion essential to create the right balance between swing and turn as it was meant to be typical for the original Viennese Waltz.
Wow, we have so many experts on music and dance on Oahu, we should appreciate them more. It is not just the number of beats to the bar, it is the dispersion of relative beat values (and their accentuation) throughout the bar which makes the “rhythm” and therefore a certain character of music recognizable. At very first glance the rhythmical structure of the Viennese Waltz looks fairly simple. There are three beats of (almost!) even value to the bar: We would count such a pattern instinctively – and correctly – as “1 – 2 – 3”. But in fact the real and original rhythmical pattern of Viennese Waltz looks slightly different.
"Social dancers think that dance provides for better flexibility and increased stamina.
As an aerobic exercise, dance offers a wide variety of cardiovascular benefits."
Apart from the fact that the Viennese Waltz is the ONLY one of our ten dances in the International Style, originally written in even sets – not phrases – of eight bars, consisting of four subsets with one leading and one following bar each, four of such sets forming a chorus, although sets and phrases most often coincide in Viennese Waltz. One of the greatest conductors of our time brought it forward very clearly when once conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the world famous New Year’s Concert: “The count of the original Viennese Waltz is 1, 2, perhaps 3.”
The beat values change only slightly but the second beat is anticipated, in other words the time between beats 1 and 2 is shorter than between beats 2 and 3. The count of “1 – 2 – 3” is therefore misleading. I have been very lucky to have had some of the best teachers when I was living on the mainland. They always used the most appropriate method of counting the Viennese Waltz: “Om–pa – pah”, thus creating a feeling somehow close to “quick – quick – slow” rather than just an even “1 – 2 – 3”. This feeling is in my opinion essential to create the right balance between swing and turn as it was meant to be typical for the original Viennese Waltz.
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who
have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." ~ Dale Carnegie
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