The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-17
THE ORIGIN OF THE WALTZ.
Not of German Derivation, But a sa-
cred Pagan Dance

From the London Musical Courier
The opinion most generally conceded is
that France received the waltz from Ger
many toward the close of the eighteenth
century, and among many beliefs this con-
tains the most truth, but the justice of at
tribuung TO Germanic Influence the renais-
sauce of the waltz in France does not of
necessity verify the statement that it had
is origin in Germany. Like everything
else that touches humanity, where Moth
ing is born spontaneously, but everything
is the product of a series of succe sslVe
evolutions, the waltz did not emanate in
its p esent form ON the brain of dane
ing master. Long before 1850. the time
when we find it first mentioned under this
name, its graceful curves and cadences
were displayed on the village greens as
well as in the q lden salons of palaces; it
had its alterations of vogue and neglect,
its support ers and deractors. The waltz
like many other secular things, We find
first in the church, where, in the midst oil
barbaric disorder, it $ rves to trace the
union between anci. mt civilization and tnat
of the Middle Ages. The sacred dance OF
the paga ms is preserved to a certain pc Mt
in Christian riles; 1t is transformed TO a
series of evolutions made to the sound OF
the tambourine. st. ISidore, Archbishop OIL
Seville, born about A. D. $50, was in,rust-
ed by the Council of Toledo with The Ie-
vision of the liturgy as il was then prac-
tised in the Roman Church, in which there
was a tambourine dance. The council de-
cided to adopt the Isidorian liturgy IN all
Spain, and it differed but little from that
used in other countries at tat time. ms
rite, celebrated before the eighth century,
when the Moors first invaded Spain, was
still celebrated by the Christians in the
seven chu ches of Tol do. which he MooIS
abandoned after their capture of The CITY,
and was after that time called the Moorish
rite.
This was known and employed in Prov
ence and Italy The tambourine in use
in this religious dance was called by ~
Isidore ''moite de symphonic ana eNl-
IDENTIFY correspondent to the instrument
which, in the ancient sacred dances, ac-
companied the flute, sort of bagplpe ~
vented two centuries 3. c. And thus aS
the religious dance of the Middle Ages %
allied to the ancient sacred dance, SO inc
waltz is an evolution of this religious
dance, having passed through many
changes before arriving at its present ioii1'
In the eleventh century, when the GIeso-
rian rite supplanted the Moorish rite, t1e
dance disappeared from the church II
appeared very quickly in society uills. ,
the name of carole, word derived In
tine Latin ''caroler;' afterward under thd'
lates, Kings and dignitaries did not uLS
dain to join, composed of three parls-t"o
very slow and one more lively. Ihe P'o,
ple-and at this time all who were hot %
the clergy or royalty were the people
used the larger part called the toutulT,5
which, lighter and more lively, appear
to them, and little by little, II beCdlH9
changed. In Italy it was first separa'e1
from the rest under the name OF Ionlal
esca, and from there it passed 10 FlO.
ence and Southern Germany. In ProYenes
IL was developed into the gaillard d'--
Vote while the Germans, more dredns
and slow, changed the romanesca into tne
allemand and waltz. The wolfe succu'Iiu
ed while young to oblivion In the
tenth century by very reason OF us -
cess, but the German lived long ana P''
duced the waltz which reigns to-day
Thus from the tourdion of the aiIsto
cratic dance, transformed by the peUPt, ~
was born The romanesca when DecaAl -
France the galllard and volte, and III w
many through various stages, emerseu -
last into the waltz and this last aVatai y.
the old dance Of the eleventh eeh'uS
seems 20 be Installed definitely and TO INC me
fixed the fancy OF the world. me N" W.
has always had. and always WIN ms bss
appreciation ana opposition, but ,sl-
triumphed over all, and to-day JUS ui M
cal rhythm, so charming and capuF",a9t
which Beethoven and Chopin nlsdalH'u -
TO immortalze. Is TO be heard or r, hy
side The "Invltation 10 the Nalls' bv
Weber, maguihcentiy orchesiialru a
Berlioz. Is celebrated, but, Of cou.sii,,e
must be remembered that ihese "her
were composed to be listened 70 '"'
than 10 be danced,