The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-07-07
BIRTH OF THE WALTZ
THE DANCE HAD ITS ORIGIN ETHER
IN FRANCE OR GERMANY.


Its Introduction Into England Caused
u Great Scandal In That Country
and For Time Had Cashfonabls
Society In an Uproay.
No exact date can be ascrlbed to the
introduction of the waltz into England
from France. In 1900 Gilray published
caricature of couple waltzing,
with the note that this was intended
Tor quiz upon the then foreign dance,
waltzing." Again in 1910 the same art
list published another sketch, entitled
La Walse, LIE Bon Genre" with the
note, The walse was at this time new
In England and just coming into fash
ion."
The fame, or, rather, notoriety, of the
new dance had, however, reached
England some years previously. Dr.
Burney had seen it danced in Paris In
1850 and was moved to write, "How
uneasy an English mother would feel
to see her daughter SO unfamiliarly
treated and still more to note the
obliglng manner In which the free
dom is returned by the females"
Raikes in his journal declares that
mo event ever produced so great a
sensation In English society as the in
PRODUCTION of the German waltz"
which he attributes to Baron Neu-
mann and others about the year 1911.
He relates how the mornings, which
had hitherto been dedicated to loung-
Ing in the park, were now absorbed at
home in practicing the figures of a
French quadrille or whirfng chair
round the room to learn the step and
measure Of the German waltz.
1t was danced at Almack's by few
very bold spirits, notably Lord Palmer
ston, Nine. de Lieven, Princess Ester-
hazy and Baron Neumann, and thus
became matter Of exhibition, the
whole company standing ON benches to
view the performance.
However, the antiwaltzing party took
the alarm and cried 1t down. Mothers
forbade it, and every ballroom became
a scene of feud and contention. How
profound was Its unpopularity in Ger
tain quarters Ia proved by the pasqui
nades leveled against it. The famous
seven lines commencing
"what The girl adore by another en-
bracedr'
are commonly attributed to Byron,
though they were published anony-
mously In 1912, and some authorities
give Thomas Moore as the author. An
impromptu purporting to be addressed
by an indignant lover to his betrothed
and her partner echoes Byron's fee,-
ings:
You've brushed the bloom from the
peach,
From the rose its soft hue;
What you've touched you may take.
Pretty Walter. adieu.
Another poet delivered himself Of the
following diatribe:
How arts improve In this inspiring age
Peers mount the box. and horses tread the
stage,
While waltzing females. with unblushing
face,
brace.
'"The waltz, however," continues
Raikes, struggled successfully through
all it's difficulties. Flaurhault, who was
ia fieur du pois' in Paris, came over
and with a host of others drove the
prudes into their intrenchments. And
when the Emperor Alexander was seen
,waltzing around the roof at Almack's,
with his tight uniform and numerous
decorations, they surrendered at discre-
ton"
1t is a moot point whether the waltz
originated in France or Germany,
whether it came from the French La
Volta" or the German national dance,
the LANDER According to French
authorities, La Volta was simply the
waltz a trois temps. Provence was its
birthplace, and it was first introduced
at the court Of Henry III. at Fontaine-
bleau in 1866 by the Comte de Saulte,
who Is said to have invented 1t, for
many called it La Volta de Saulte, and
the name Is suitable both because of
the etymology of the word and the
character Of the dance.
1t enjoyed a great run throughout
France and even penetrated to Scot
land, where it met with furious opposi-
ton, one writer averring that its i'm
portation into France had been effect
ed by the power Of witches. Mary Stu
art once exhibited her agility In this
dance, but she was careful not to re-
peat the experiment, and this was
about the last heard of 1t.
The case for Germany Is that the
first waltz tune appeared in 1910 in a
popular song called 80 du lieber Au-
gustin." From Germany the dance
made its way to Vienna and was intro
duced into the opera, while by and by
1t found its way to France, whence 1t
came to England-"the insidious waltz,
this imp of Germany, brought up in
France"
The waltz when first danced In Lon
don was a slow movement q trois
temps, and the early English waltz
compositions were very poor. Strauss
came to London In 1887 to play at AL
mack's, and his waltz music created
perfect furore. 1t killed the old trois
temps waltz, and the deux temps
usurped its place. Now that the fasci-
natidn of the waltz Is all powerful, 1t Is
diffictIlt to realize the commotion its In