Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1820-1860
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Dance
Changes in dance and music often occur together; such changes can both reflect and shape developments in the larger culture. The years from 1820 to 1860 saw several new dances gain popularity in Europe and the United States. The dances popular at the beginning of the era — the quadrille and minuet, for example — featured intricate steps performed in squares or lines and kept men and women at arm's length from each other. The new dances of the period were performed by individual couples in what was called a closed embrace. In a closed embrace, the man and woman faced each other; two hands were clasped while the woman's other hand rested on the man's shoulder, the man's other hand on the woman's waist. This closed embrace caused many to denounce the dances as immoral. Dance teachers also feared that these dances, which were much easier to learn than the more intricate steps of the quadrille and minuet, would put them out of work.
Use the information below and Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1820-1860 to identify two dance "crazes" of the 1840s and 1850s:
Dance 1: In this dance, couples turn and glide to music having a moderate tempo (speed). The music usually has three beats to the measure, with a strong emphasis on the first beat (think oom-pa-pa, oom-pa-pa). This dance originated in rural communities in Germany and was initially looked down upon by the aristocracy. By the early 1840s, however, the dance had gained widespread acceptance.
Dance 2: This dance originated in Bohemia. Its name is from a Czech word meaning "half-step." It was introduced into the United States around 1844. Music for this dance usually has two beats to the measure and a very fast tempo. The dancers spin and hop around the dance floor. The dance's fast pace gave it a playful feeling that made the closed embrace more acceptable to society. A mania for the dance swept Europe and the United States.
- What are the two dances? How did you identify what the two dances were?
- What evidence does the collection provide of the dances' popularity?
- How might these new dances have reflected changes in society? How might these dances have changed society?