Listen to the slow movement of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony (the Pathetique). A wonderful extended piece in 5/4, unsettling as it switches from 2-3 to 3-2. I have heard it described as a 5/4 waltz.
Yes, Breton & French, several of which I'd added as transcripts here on site back when things were more stringently 'Irish'. They went "POOF!", disappeared, along with some sweifacher I'd also added... No, they aren't exactly the same thing... These mixed meter tunes are fun to play and equally fun to dance to...
"Mars" in Holst's "Planets" Suite is in 5/4 - but you'd hardly describe that as a waltz! 5/4 seems to be used sometimes in sci-fi pics to show the baddies marching into action - as if you could march to 5/4 (perhaps you can if you've got 5 pairs of legs).
And 5/4 can really swing if you give it a chance - Brubeck's "Take Five" is the prime example.
From what I have been told, "strange count" waltzes come from the southern german areas, sort of from alsace to austria.
In French folk bals (not so much in britanny though, really), there are a number of bands who play these waltzes: 5/4 8/4 (3+3+2 or 2+3+3) and 11/4. Eric Thézé has recently been experimenting with 13/4 waltzes and 11/4 mazurkas.
The 5/4 waltzes are simply, and repeating, 12, 123 ~ 5/4... Sweifachers come in all sorts of combinations of waltz and polka, or 3/4 and 2/4, fun tunes... A few sqeifacher, like 'Die Alte Kath', are 'regular'...
Here's one I learned along with a slew of An Dros and Hanter Dros and other Breton numbers, but who knows where this one dropped in from, maybe some German tourists? ~ or the Bretons picked it up and took a fancy to it ~
X: 1124
T: Vals 5/4
M: 5/4
L: 1/4
K: C Major
|: c | Bd cee | df e2 c | Bd ceg | fd c2 :|
|: g | fd ecg | fd e2 c | Bd ceg |[1 fd g2 :|[2 fd c2 |]
But often transcribe so ~
K: C Major
|: c | B d | c e e | d f | e2 c | B d | c e g | f d | c2 :|
|: g | f d | e c g | f d | e2 c | B d | c e g | f d |[1 g2 :|[2 c2 |]
I've caught the same tune elsewhere in France... So, there's one example, wherever it originated from...
5/4 Waltzes
5/4 Waltzes
No, seriously. There's a bunch of Waltzes around in 5/4, I danced some to a breton band at the Sidmouth week. Good times.
Does anyone know where to find some recordings or notes of these wondrous things? Sometimes 3 just isn't enough.
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by ewallace
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
Listen to the slow movement of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony (the Pathetique). A wonderful extended piece in 5/4, unsettling as it switches from 2-3 to 3-2. I have heard it described as a 5/4 waltz.
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by Steve Shaw
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
Check out the beginning of Tania Elizabeth's rendition of Tamlin (link on the left):
http://cdbaby.com/cd/tania
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
The Radical Road
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/3026
Buckfast
http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/3827
Cullen Bay
http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/abc/abc10/cullb.abc
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by Tonya
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
The Radical Road isn't a waltz and Cullen Bay is a march.Here are some real 5/4 waltzes.
http://ecf-guest.mit.edu/~jc/music/ndx/5T.html
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by dafydd
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
Re the link.Right click on the abc and open in a new window.
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by dafydd
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
You're right.
I believe the 5 time waltzes are German.
I do not know of any 5/4 Breton dances.
Which ones are they ~ ewallace?
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by Tonya
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
Yes, Breton & French, several of which I'd added as transcripts here on site back when things were more stringently 'Irish'. They went "POOF!", disappeared, along with some sweifacher I'd also added... No, they aren't exactly the same thing... These mixed meter tunes are fun to play and equally fun to dance to...
# Posted on October 2nd 2007 by ceolachan
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
"Mars" in Holst's "Planets" Suite is in 5/4 - but you'd hardly describe that as a waltz! 5/4 seems to be used sometimes in sci-fi pics to show the baddies marching into action - as if you could march to 5/4 (perhaps you can if you've got 5 pairs of legs).
And 5/4 can really swing if you give it a chance - Brubeck's "Take Five" is the prime example.
# Posted on October 2nd 2007 by Trevor Jennings
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
the only 5/4 tune I can think of is the theme tune for mission impossible, and that's not a waltz!
# Posted on October 2nd 2007 by snowyowl
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
Living In The Past by Jethro Tull is in 5/8
Money by Pink Floyd,7/8 except for the guitar solo which is in 4/4
# Posted on October 2nd 2007 by dafydd
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
Sorry should have been 5/4
# Posted on October 2nd 2007 by dafydd
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
And 7/4
# Posted on October 2nd 2007 by dafydd
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
From what I have been told, "strange count" waltzes come from the southern german areas, sort of from alsace to austria.
In French folk bals (not so much in britanny though, really), there are a number of bands who play these waltzes: 5/4 8/4 (3+3+2 or 2+3+3) and 11/4. Eric Thézé has recently been experimenting with 13/4 waltzes and 11/4 mazurkas.
Bands who have recorded some of these:
Grand mère et Soufflets
Parasol (Eric Thézé, Gérard Godon, Corrine Renaud, Catherine Grimault) http://eric.theze.free.fr/
TNT http://www.tnt.viellux.com/
Au gré des vents
And here are two recordings by me of a 5/4 (trad) and an 8/4 (composed but with permission to play non-pro context)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm7yCL5Q7fs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNxxK-WBz-A
# Posted on October 2nd 2007 by Tirno
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
The 5/4 waltzes are simply, and repeating, 12, 123 ~ 5/4... Sweifachers come in all sorts of combinations of waltz and polka, or 3/4 and 2/4, fun tunes... A few sqeifacher, like 'Die Alte Kath', are 'regular'...
Here's one I learned along with a slew of An Dros and Hanter Dros and other Breton numbers, but who knows where this one dropped in from, maybe some German tourists? ~ or the Bretons picked it up and took a fancy to it ~
X: 1124
T: Vals 5/4
M: 5/4
L: 1/4
K: C Major
|: c | Bd cee | df e2 c | Bd ceg | fd c2 :|
|: g | fd ecg | fd e2 c | Bd ceg |[1 fd g2 :|[2 fd c2 |]
But often transcribe so ~
K: C Major
|: c | B d | c e e | d f | e2 c | B d | c e g | f d | c2 :|
|: g | f d | e c g | f d | e2 c | B d | c e g | f d |[1 g2 :|[2 c2 |]
I've caught the same tune elsewhere in France... So, there's one example, wherever it originated from...
# Posted on October 2nd 2007 by ceolachan
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
I am overwhelmed by this richness of responses.
Anyone want to recommend even more recordings?
# Posted on October 3rd 2007 by ewallace
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
I can recommend this book.
http://www.elderly.com/books/items/449-3.htm
# Posted on October 3rd 2007 by dafydd
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
This one looks interesting: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/Info/RRTuneBk/gettune/00000786.html
# Posted on October 3rd 2007 by RichardB
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
Yeah Dafydd, he's a good lad, the man who made "A Little Couple Dance Musik", and there's some nice tunes in that, including zweifachers...
# Posted on October 3rd 2007 by ceolachan
Re: 5/4 Waltzes
The tune I gave above, just so there's no confusing, is not a zweifacher, but actually a 5/4 waltz, including in the dancing...
# Posted on October 3rd 2007 by ceolachan