The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-29
ORIGIN OF THE WALTZ.
An Evolution from Religious
Dance-How 1t Became Fashion
able in Germany.
From the Partisan.

From the Partisan.
The opinion most generally conceded
is that France received the waltz from
Germany toward the close of the eigh-
teenth century, and among many be-
liefs this contains the most truth: but
the justice of attributing to German,c
influence the renaissance Of the waltz
in France does not of necessity verify
the statement that it had its origin in
Germany.
Like everything else that touches
humanity. where nothing is born spon-
taneously but everything is the product
of a series of successive evolutions, tie
waltz did not emanatc in it's present
form from the brain of a dancing mas
ter. Long before 1850. the time when
we find it first mentioned under this
name, its graceful curves and cadenccs
were displayed on the village greens as
well as in the golden salons of palaces;
it had its alternatives Of vogue and
neglect, its supporters and detractors.
The waltz like many other secular
things, we find first in the church,
where, I'm the midst Of barbaric dis
order, it serves to trace the union be-
tween ancient civilization and that Of
the pagans is preserved to d certain
point in Christian rites; it is trans
formed to a series Of revolutions made
to the sound of the tambourine. ST.
lsidOre, archbishop of Seville, born
about A. d. $50, was intrusted by the
council of Toledo with the revision of
the liturgy as it was then practiced
| in the Roman church, in which there
was a tambourine dance. The council
| decided to adopt the Isidoran liturgy
! in all Spain, and it differed but little
| from that used in other countries at
| that time. This rite, celebrated before
| the eighth century, when the MoOrs
| first invaded Spain, was still celeLrat-
| ed by the Christians in the seven
| churches OF Toledo, which the Noors
abandoned after their capture of the
city, and was after that time called
! the Moorish rite.
This was known and employed in
! Provence and Italy. The tambourine
in use in this religious dance was called
by st. Isidore "moitie de symphonic" ."
and evidently corresponded to the in.
strument which, in the ancient sacred
dances, accompanied the flute, a sort
of bagpipe invented two centuries r
G. And thus, as the religious dance OF
the middle ages is allied to the ancient
sacred dance, 50 the waltz is an evo.
luton Of this religious dance. havinG
passed through many changes before
arriving at its present form.
In the eleventh century. when tht
Gregorian rite supplanted the Moorisl
rite, the dance disappeared from tn,
| church. 1t appeared very quickly in
society under the name Of carole. {
word derived from the Latin curoler
afterward under that Of DaSse- dance
in which the grand prelates, kings an.
dignitaries did not disdain to join, com
pose Of three parts, two very slow anC
one more lively.
The peOple-and, at this time. al wht
were not of the clergy on ROYALTY wer
the pcOple-used the latter part, calIct
the tourdion, which, lighter and mor
lively, appealed to them, and little b,
little. it became changed. In Italy !
was first separated from the rest unde
the name Of romanesca, and from ther
it passed to Provence and souther,
Germany, but in each of these coun
tries it was diversified and developer
according 10 the character of the peo
pie.
In Provence it soon became the gail
, lard, and this name indicates the char
acter Of the transformation.
Five hundred years later they dance
the volte, which was, in turn, Il trans
: formation Of the gaillard. rhc meas
. urc was ternary like the latter, an
might be designated technically thus
Two steps, a skip, feet together, pause
The man first faced the opposite couple
= then skipped on the left foot, turnln
I rhe left shoulder toward them; repeat
ing this four times, he again faced TN
! other dancers; as for the lady, ne
/ movements were reduced to embracln
as tightly as possible the neck of he
cavalier.
As can be seen AZ once, this dane
resenblCd the waltz i'm three WAYS,
was danced in three time it was IN
first dance in which ~ turn was mad'
and the first i'm which the dancer em
hraccd his partner. The latter, i'm fac