Venezuelan waltz

History

Between the hall dances that arrived to Venezuela during the XIX century, waltz has been the one of greater root and dispersion. Waltz consists of a musical expression derived from an Austrian popular dance, the ländler. Although an exact date cannot be defined about the arrival of the waltz to Venezuela, can be assured that for half-full of the XX century it became present in the Venezuelan musical writing, registering scores in the New method for guitar and harp, published in Caracas by Tomás Antero. The popularity of waltz was fortified by the multiple publications in newspapers and magazines about this sort, as much music as the dance, became the base of many musical sorts, among them joropo.

Venezuelan waltz

According to Luis Felipe Ramón y Rivera two currents in waltz exist, the hall and the popular waltz. At the hall waltz the favorite instrument for its execution is the piano. They emphasize names of "Manuel Azpúrua, Manuel Guadalajara,Rafael Isaza, Rogelio Caraballo" and "Ramon Delgado Palacios" at the beginning of this genre in Venezuela, that were dedicated to the composition of two parts waltzes. From this, composer Antonio Lauro, took an important waltz Literature for the guitar.

The waltz of oral tradition (popular waltz) uses for its execution the own traditional instruments of each region, being cultivated fundamentally at the Andes and the center west of Venezuela. At the andean region, the violin and the bandola are the solo instruments, accompanied by guitar, triple and "cuatro". Also in Lara is executed with: violin, mandolin, cuatro and guitar.

The musical structure characteristic of popular waltzes is of three parts. Even though some popular musicians have composed songs with their name, the majority has left their compositions in the anonymity. In the popular tradition we can find the waltz in many dances and folklorical manifestations, among others we have: joropo and Tamunangue.

Famous Venezuelan waltzes

*Dama Antañona (Francisco de Paula Aguirre)
*Visión Porteña ("Pedro Pablo Caldera")
*Adios a Ocumare ("Angel María Landaeta")
*Conticinio (Laudelino Mejías)
*Que Bellas Son Las Flores ("Francisco De Paula Aguirre")
*Sombra En Los Médanos ("Rafael Sánchez López")
*Quejas Del Alma ("Dr. Delgado Briceño")
*Flor De Loto ("Francisco J. Marciales")
*Pluma y Lira ("anonymous")
*Brisas Del Zulia ("Amable Espina")
*Morir Es Nacer ("Rafael Andrade")
*Vals Venezolano (Antonio Lauro)
*El Campo Esta Florido ("Telésforo Jaime")
*Las Bellas Noches De Maiquetia ("Pedro Areila Aponte")
*La Ruperta ("anonymous")
*Pabera ("Juan Ramón Barrios")
*El Diablo Suelto (Heraclio Fernández)

See also

*Venezuela
*Venezuelan music
*Waltz

ource

*"Atlas de Tradiciones de Venezuela", Fundación Bigott, 1998.