waltz

waltz romantic dance in moderate triple time. It evolved from the German Ländler and became popular in the 18th cent. The dance is smooth, graceful, and vital in performance. The waltz in Vicente Martin's opera Una cosa rara, produced in Vienna (1776), is regarded as the first Viennese waltz. This type was later made famous by the two Johann Strausses, father and son. The younger Strauss composed the Blue Danube Waltz, the most popular of the Viennese style. The waltz was introduced in the United States via England in the early 19th cent. Mozart, Chopin, Berlioz, Brahms, Richard Strauss, and Ravel have also composed waltzes.

waltz / wôlts/ • n. a dance in triple time performed by a couple who as a pair turn rhythmically around and around as they progress around the dance floor. ∎  a piece of music written for or in the style of this dance. • v. [intr.] dance a waltz: I waltzed across the floor with the lieutenant. ∎  [tr.] guide (someone) in or as if in a waltz: he waltzed her around the table. ∎  [intr.] move or act lightly, casually, or inconsiderately: you can't just waltz in and expect to make a mark it is the third time that he has waltzed off with the coveted award. PHRASES: waltz Matildasee Matilda² .DERIVATIVES: waltz·er n. ORIGIN: late 18th cent.: from German Walzer, from walzen ‘revolve.’

waltz Dance performed by couples to music in triple time. This graceful ballroom dance came into fashion in the early 19th century, having developed during the previous century from south-German folk dances, such as the Ländler.