Talk:Waltz (music)

Examples

The examples must be cut down. It is unencyclopedic to list every person who has composed a damn waltz. People who are notable include only those who are known for writing waltzes or who have popularized waltzes, etc. Smaller names who simply have a few songs in 3/4 time do not deserve mention in this article. Glassbreaker5791 02:53, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Haha. I just came to the talk page to say the same thing - nearly two years later. Especially the contemporary waltzes have too many examples. Rigaudon (talk) 15:43, 15 June 2009 (UTC) funny

Issues of definition, etc.

For a Wikipedia article on one of the most famous dance types in Western music, this article has some serious issues, not only with respect to the overgrowth of given specific examples as noted above, but also with the fundamental (unsourced) definition of a waltz which is given at the outset.

A waltz is by definition in triple meter, but need not be notated in any specific time signature; while it is true that waltzes are most frequently notated in 3/4, there is no need to list any additional possible time signatures, because waltzes can be notated in 3/8, 6/8, 6/4, 12/8, 9/8, etc., ad nauseum. Also, on what basis can it be claimed that waltzes are "generally in a slow tempo?" Slow is a relative term. Slow compared to what? A waltz is faster than a minuet, but slower than most scherzo-type movements. This statement is particularly troublesome.

I am not sure it is wise to assert that waltzes "typically" have one chord per bar. It is far from uncommon to find a change of harmony on beat three; and there is no sense in saying that the root of the chord is the first note of the bar--for starters, this would imply that waltzes are somehow always monophonic; not to mention that, if the chord is in inversion, the bass note on beat one will not be the root.

Nothing is written of the origins of the waltz (from German ländler), and the details regarding its incorporation into art music are unsourced and seem to be selectively put forward.

I'm willing to do some research and attempt a cleanup; I at least wanted to point out what I consider to be some significant issues. --Cantseetheforest (talk) 09:35, 2 August 2009 (UTC)

Technical Error?

The article states, "The left hand accompaniment is known as an "oom-pa-pa" beat and consists of one of the major chords, C, F or G." However, I believe a waltz can be in any key, and need not contain any specific chords. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.114.187.18 (talk) 14:13, 21 June 2010 (UTC)