The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-25
France and Germany Both Claim
the Graceful Waltz.

London Telegraph
Inc "contradaDse" Is nothing more nor
less than the old English country dance,
which was imported into France at the
epoch of the regency during the minority
OF Louis XIV. 1t is true that the French.
while they admit the Importation IF this
dance from perfdious Albion, maintain
thaI 1t was brought into England shortly
after the Norman conquest. and that it
rapidly spread from our shores to Italy. to
Germany and even TO Holland, the last as
sertion being demonstrated by the fact
that collection of Dutch country dances
was published at Amstei dam in 1858. The
lively Gaul. when he did adopt the dance,
proceeded 70 elaborate and refine it. dlvld-
ing it into four special figures, called re-
spectively the "pantalon,' or "Pete," the
"DOule," the "pastorelle" or "trenitZ," and
the "fnale," which sometimes took the
form of a galop.
The "lancers," again, is unquestionably
Brliish dance OF comparatively modern
invention. aud was not introduced into
france until late in the reign of Louis
philippe, at which period our English
lancers had temporarily fallen into desue-
tude; but the most charming item in the
code OF Terps chore has within recent
years regained its former popularity in
It's native land. The gavotte, on the other
hand. is purely French dance. and takes
Its name from district called the "Pays
des Gavoles." near Gap, In Provence. One
hundred and twenty years ago the gavotte
was only danced in theatrical ballets in
France and by choregraphic artists of
the highest standing. IT pre>ented many
nolnts Of reSem blsnce 10 the minuet, Ut
''menuei," being sliding, slow-posturing
hsure, full OF ateliness, but just little
stiff and stand offish" in movement. In
fact, 1t was known among French connois-
seurs as the dignitied but somewhat too
ceremonious daughter of the Queen-likp
minuet, which owed its name of "menuet
de la Conr" to the fasclnatingly graceful
manner in which IL was executed Oy the
young Queen Marie Antoinelte. That un-
fortunate sovereign made the gavotte fash
iOna6le III French society, where, oddly
enough, il had for time formidable
rival in dance entitled LA COsaQue."
Ali these pretty and amiable varieties of
the poetry of motion were destined to be
swept into temporary ruin and Oblivion by
the atrocous "Carmagnole, the blood
thirsty saraband OF the furies of the gull
lOtine.
1t will thus be obvious that. although
the Germans are passiOnately fOnd of
dancing and In many cases are more
accomplished experts on the light fan
tastic toe than the French, they can
scarcely lay claim to having invented any
dance of exceptional beauty or ingenuity
or OF universal acceptance. This state
ment will naturally be Immediately
traversed by the sympathiZers with the
fatherland, who will not fail 10 allege that
the very word waltz is an abbreyiatOn
of the German "waltzed." from "waltzen,"
to roll. akin TO our "welter." 1t may at
once be admitted that the waltz has long
been national dance in Germany, and it
is said on very doubtful authority
10 have originated In Bohemia and
to have thence been brought into the
fatherland; still. on the o her hand, there
exists great body of evidence to show
that il is neither 1eutonic nor Czech
dance, and that in the twelfth century it
was Familiarity known in the south of
France under the name of "folta," liter
ally sienityiag in the Provencal dialect
what we should vulgariy term wheel
about or "merry-go-round." The volta
was danced to vocal music, the songs sung
while the couples gyrated being called
"balladas." In the reign OF Louis VII IL
was brought to Paris and it remained
fsvorite until late in the sixteenth CEN
ury. 1t was then taken up by the Ger
mans, who, by happy coincidence, found
that their tongue contained the word
"walZeT," term which could be at once
made convertible with the Provencal
volta" The enormous popularity of the
waltz beyond the Rhine was probably due
to the circumstance of the Germans being
not only musical people, but more learn
eddy and automatically musical than any
other nation.