Not everyone is aware of the various types of waltzes. To begin with, the term waltz can refer to both a piece of music written in 3/4 time for dancing and the dance performed to that music. Aside from that, the term waltz is used to describe a number of related dances.
Some dances referred to as waltzes aren’t actually waltzes. The Boston, a slow dance similar to the waltz but with two steps to the bar, is a good example of this. In France, the Boston was known as valse Boston, or the Boston waltz; in Germany, it was known as the English waltz, and it was also known as a “hesitation” waltz.
The jazz waltz, a term that is sometimes used to refer to any jazz piece in 3/4 time, is one of the types of waltzes that are truly waltzes. The Missouri Waltz, written in 1918 Dan and Harvey’s Jazz Band, the Mississippi Waltz, written in 1928 the Memphis Jug Band, and Fats Waller’s The Jitterbug Waltz, written in 1942, are all examples. Thelonious Monk’s Carolina Moon is an example of a bop waltz.
Jazz waltzes have been adapted from works that were not originally jazz. John Coltrane’s rendition of “My Favorite Things,” from the musical “The Sound of Music,” is a good example. Miles Davis adapted “Someday My Prince Will Come” from the animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The ballet waltz is one of the most well-known types of waltzes. Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker, as well as his waltzes from Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, are among the most well-known. Tchaikovsky’s waltzes in Serenade for Strings and his Sixth Symphony, which includes a waltz in 5/4 as its second movement, are also well-known. Another well-known waltz is Franz Liszt’s Danse Macabre.
The types of waltzes vary country in Latin America. Vals ranchero is another name for the Mexican waltz. Vals criollo is another name for the Peruvian waltz. There are also Venezuelan waltzes and Brazilian waltzes to be found.