The first Russian waltzes
The history of the Russian waltz began with Alexander Griboedov, a brilliant diplomat and author of the classic comedy “Woe from Wit.” Griboedov also wrote music, and one of his most famous works was Waltz No. 2 in E minor, composed by the writer in 1824 - simple, but soulful and soulful.
Alexander Griboyedov. Waltz No. 2 in E minor
The first "real" Russian waltz was the Waltz-Fantasy by Mikhail Glinka (piano version from 1839). It was he who became the model for most domestic “literary” waltzes.
Mikhail Glinka. Waltz Fantasy (orchestral version)
Memories of a Waltz
The so-called “ancient Russian waltzes”, widely published in Soviet times - in fact, written mainly at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries - also contribute to a nostalgic-literary attitude towards the waltz. These include “Amur Waves” (1903) by the Russified German Max Kuess, “Above the Waves” (1884) by the Mexican Juventin Rosas, the famous “Autumn Dream” (1908) by the Englishman Archibald Joyce, which later became the “character” of the famous song by Matvey Blanter “In forest near the front" (1943), and many others.
Max Kyuss. Waltz "Amur Waves"
Matvey Blanter. "In the forest near the front"
In the first decades of Soviet power, 1920–30s, the waltz took a strong position on the “ideologically correct” dance floor as “our answer” to American jazz, which was actively conquering the world at that time. Moreover, for many Soviet people (including professional musicians), the word “jazz” itself meant all the music that was played at dances, so the waltz was invariably included in the repertoire of pop-jazz orchestras. It is interesting that the composers who composed music for these orchestras, of all the varieties of waltz, took as a basis the minor-lyrical, Russian version, completely in the spirit of those very “old waltzes”.
Dmitry Shostakovich. Waltz from Jazz Suite No. 2
The waltz has been part of the culture of Russian officers for more than a century; the ability to dance the waltz is still taught at the Suvorov and Nakhimov schools. And during the Great Patriotic War, the waltz, along with the tango, became one of the iconic dances of the short periods of calm between battles. New waltzes, performed with words like songs, but written in the same slightly sad, nostalgic vein, gained popularity - “The Blue Handkerchief” (1940) by Jerzy Petersburg, “Ogonyok” (1943) by Matvey Blanter and others.
Jerzy Petersburg. “Blue Handkerchief” performed by Klavdiya Shulzhenko
