The Viennese waltz

The most fashionable dance of the time, the waltz had developed out of the Ländler. The early waltzes were danced at a rapid pace and had complicated sequences of steps. The constant turning intoxicated the dancers and collisions were not uncommon. The authorities even considered banning the galop, a faster version of the polka. This passion for dancing was shared by all social classes; it provided a little freedom in an otherwise strictly regulated life, in particular during the carnival season.

During the Congress of Vienna numerous festivities and dances took place, opening the floor for the international triumph of the Viennese waltz. In the official part of these events polonaises and minuets were danced – but later on in the evening most of the younger guests revolved around the dance floor in three-four time.

The passion for dancing exhibited by the participants at the Congress became the target of mordant criticism: the Austrian field marshal Prince Charles de Ligne remarked wryly: ‘Le Congrès danse beaucoup, mais il ne marche pas’ (the Congress dances but does not move forward).
The waltz continued to blossom in the following years, but the directors of music found it increasingly difficult to satisfy the huge numbers of dancers at the new establishments. Originally comprising a small number of musicians, the dance orchestras had to be enlarged and new pieces composed and rehearsed. Joseph Lanner and Johann Strauss I put their stamp on the waltz, imbuing it with a special, specifically Viennese form. On the order of Archduke Ferdinand, the eldest son of Emperor Franz II (I), when played at a Court ball, a waltz should last exactly eight minutes. The older, saltatory style of dancing was abandoned; now couples glided smoothly in circles around the ballroom.

From 1830 the Viennese waltz was exported to other European cities: Johann Strauss I toured abroad, conducting performances in Germany, Belgium and England. The popularity of the waltz in its birthplace remained undimmed, a circumstance evidenced both by the sales of music publishers and the grand announcement of waltz premieres. In the Ringstrasse era the Viennese waltz was incorporated into the operetta.