Part One: Waltzes
Waltzes may well be considered the classic dance for romance. Typically constructed in the ¾ time signature, meaning there are three beats to every measure of music, with emphasis on the down beat – the first beat of every measure. This is a partnered dance in which both dancers face each other, taking one step for every beat of music, and move in circular patterns around the dance floor. The following five songs were categorized as waltzes by Mrs. Spencer, all feature the classic ¾ time signature, and have quite romantic lyrics speaking of tender kisses, becoming sweethearts, and growing old together.
This is a classic waltz structure written in ¾ time! With lyrics like “In my dreaming you are seeming to be mine! And the music softly seems to whisper low, won’t you be my sweetheart for I love you so!” and the cover art featuring fancily dressed women in Edwardian costume standing and manipulating several suitors on puppet strings, it is easy to imagine of these adoring suitors singing it to the cover woman and dancing with her in an attempt to steal her heart.
While the sheet music for “The Only Girl” in the Spencer Collection does not have lyrics, it remains one of the most popular waltz songs from the early twentieth century. Here it is classified as a hesitation waltz which refers to a certain style of waltz incorporating a move in which dancers pause slightly, incorporating a moment of hesitation into their dancing.
In “The Kiss Waltz” a lover is bragging about the different kinds of kisses they are able to bestow – to provide warmth, to freeze someone out – and teases his loved one. He tells her, “If I ever decide you deserve such bliss, I’ll bend nearer and nearer to you, like this! And the world in eclipse, all my love on my lips, I will give you my best and my warmest kiss.”
In this song, the singer tells his loved one of his affections and discusses how the music they are dancing to mirrors and adds to their growing love for each other. He croons “Love that hovers over lovers speaks in song, in finger’s clasp that lingers close and long. And the music answers, swaying to and fro, telling you it’s true, it’s true, I love you so!”
In this song, a groom sings to his bride on their wedding day of the love they have for each other and his excitement to spend their lives and to grow old together. With lyrics like “Sweetheart let’s grow old together, love like ours will never die. Hand in hand in fair and stormy weather, pals, just you and I” and the classic waltz structure, this might just be one of the most romantic pieces in the Spencer collection.
If you are curious about what the waltz looks like in action, please enjoy this video of the 2013 Stanford Viennese Ball.
Part Two: Fox Trots
The fox trot began in the United States in 1914 and evolved out of ragtime music, even though it’s considered to be a “smooth” dance style. Like waltzing, dancers face each other and dance in the “closed” position. Unlike waltzing, however, the fox trot is easily adaptable tempo-wise, making it a dance for all genres of music. Known as the “classic social ballroom dance,” the fox trot is a fun and intimate style of partner dancing, most commonly done to swing and big band music.[1] The following five pieces of music were designated as fox trots by Mrs. Spencer and truly evoke the fun and flirty nature of the fox trot.
In this song, the singer advises a friend that the best way to tell a girl that he loves her is to “say it while dancin’”. Not only is dancing a sure-fire way to win a girl’s heart but it’s a way for the friend to inspire confidence in himself telling him, “gently hold her, every minute you’ll get bolder. Dancing inspires love’s sweet desires. So keep advancing, say it while dancing, you’ll win her heart.”
This is a relatively early example of a fox trot, written in 1915. The cover art depicts a couple dancing in front of a nature scene in which amorous squirrels in top hats and monocles are also dancing. The sheet music also includes a teaser advertisement for a piece of music called “The Story of the Rosary” which, while centering around a gifted rosary, is also romantic in nature as it makes the singer recall times past spent with a loved one.
The sheet music header notes that “My Fox Trot Girl” can be a song or a fox trot, demonstrating that while it is structured in a way that supports the fox trot dance, it can also be sung by itself. The singer says “Butterfly, I love you, don’t flutter by, for I am in another world when we twirly twirl, love me, love me, my lovely fox trot girl” suggesting that music inspires love and dancing inspires an intimacy and leads to romance.
In this song, the singer recalls a night spent dancing at the Armory. Even though he is a clumsy, two-left-footed dancer, he was able to use his charm to explain away his bad dancing and impress the girl he loves who tells him to “stop mumbling, tho you are stumbling, I like it just a little bit.”
In this song, the singer describes the hottest new dance in town – the “Deedle deedle dum” in which you “grab your beau, begin it nice and slow, then shuffle to and fro and let ‘er go.” Not only is it a lively dance everyone is doing, but the singer croons that it’s a dance that leaves you so happy you’ll never be blue.
If you’re interested to see the fox trot in action, please enjoy this video of the 2014 UK Professional Slow Fox Trot.
Part Three: Polkas
A quick and lively dance, the polka is much different than the waltz and the fox trot and has a reputation as being less elegant and romantic. Even though it is not recognized as one of the five national dances of Poland, in the United States it is highly connected to Polish immigrants.[1] Polka dancing follows the music, usually written in 2/4 time (sometimes also referred to as “cut time”) and requires constant movement around the dance floor. While many of the pieces of sheet music presented below do not have romantic lyrics to interpret, they have been included as examples of a timeless dance style steeped in heritage and tradition.
This piece of polka music is both written by and dedicated to a woman. On the top of the cover page it reads “Especially composed for and dedicated to Mrs. [Lily] Langtree.” On the first page of the sheet music, the composition is attributed to a “Miss ROWE.” In addition to suggesting themes of friendly or romantic love, this song offers an excellent example of women composers in the early American cannon.
This polka begins in the time signature ¾ – a waltz time – before the dance begins in classic 2/4 time. Additionally, a note at the bottom of the first page of music details how a singing, trilling bird makes a good accompaniment to the music of this piece. While there are no lyrics, the cover art for “The Palace Garden Polka” features amorous couples walking arm in arm around a beautifully manicured garden, with a palace off in the distance.
For this song, the cover art is lithographs of five women, each with their name and a major United States city inscribed underneath their portrait. These cities – Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Boston, and New York City – are described as “The Belles of the United States” which clearly romanticizes these major cities as beautiful women and crown jewels in the geography of North America.
Instead of suggesting romantic or familial love, this mean-spirited song outright rejects the possibility of love based on a woman’s physical appearance. The singer repeatedly sings “Oh! I don’t want her, you can have her, she’s too fat for me” while inviting his audience to join in on his simple and catchy tune.
This instrument-only polka was written in 1864 and published in the Confederate States of America during the height of the Civil War. While it does not have lyrics, an atmosphere of romance and renewal is suggested by titling the song the “Spring Time Polka.” Essentially, it is a wonderful primary source example of entertainment and leisure from the Civil War period.
If you are interested in seeing the polka in action, please enjoy this video of the Polish Dance Exhibition at Polish Festival Yack Arena.
Text and curation by Sarah Howard
SOURCES CONSULTED
Just Dance Ballroom, http://justdanceballroom.com/styles.asp
Polish Music Center, University of Southern California. https://polishmusic.usc.edu/research/dances/polka/