华尔兹

                                The waltz

                               华尔兹

     "This incedent foreign dance was introduced at the English court on Friday last… we trust it will never again be tolerated in any moral English society." (The Times,1816)

     “上星期五，这种不文雅的外国舞蹈被引进了英国宫廷……我们相信，在英国任何一个讲道德的社交场合，绝不会再容忍这种舞蹈出现”。（《泰晤士报》，1816）。

      "The waltz was the first court dance since Shakespeare's time where the couple were allowed to spin round holding each other very closely. The fact that it was labelled‘immoral’ or even ‘obscene' no doubt helped to make people think it was rather shocking fun. Books of etiquette advised unmarried ladies not to dance the waltz,either in public or in private, because (as the Romantic poet, Byron, put it) the lewd grasp and lawless contact warm would not " leave much mystery for the nuptial night."

      自从莎士比亚时代以来，华尔兹是第一种允许舞伴双方身体靠的很近，以拖住对方旋转的宫廷舞蹈。给它贴上“不道德”甚至“下流”的标签，无疑会使人们认为跳这种舞是糟糕的娱乐。有关礼仪的书籍中高未婚女子，无论公开或私下，都不要跳华尔兹舞，因为（正如浪漫主义诗人拜伦所写）“猥亵的搂抱和放荡的接触带来的温情”，将不会给新婚之夜留下多少神秘。

      The waltz originated in Germany from the energetic folkdances of the country people. By the mid-18th century the smart town people were trying it and very soon, it had spread throughout the rest of Europe, although part of Germany and Switzerland banned it completely! In Vienna the waltz became very fast, with the couples racing each other seven or eight times round the ballroom floor, until they were in a state of collapse. So the police decided to forbid the extreme forms of the dance, as it was creating a public disturbance.

      华尔兹起源于德国乡村人民热情欢快的民间舞蹈。到18世纪中叶，城市中上流社会的人们开始试跳。很快，这种舞蹈——尽管德国和瑞士的一些地方完全加以禁止——在欧洲其他地方就风靡一时。在维也纳，华尔兹跳得快极了，舞伴们绕着舞厅场地一转七八圈，直至双方最后筋疲力尽。因为跳舞引起了公众的骚乱，警察决定禁止这种过分狂热的舞蹈形式。

      However, it was also in Vienna that Lanner and Strauss made their fortunes as bandleaders and composers. Strauss's son , Johann Strauss, established himself as the "waltz king" in Vienna. Chopin complained that the classical music was being ignored in favour of the waltz. He also complained that pieces by Mozart and Beethoven were being "waltzified" to please the public taste. But this did not lower its popularity, which still continues even today.

      然而，也是在维也纳，兰内尔和施特劳斯，却作为乐队指挥和作曲者而发迹起家。施特劳斯的儿子约翰•施特劳斯在维也纳成了“华尔兹之王”。肖邦抱怨说，由于人们对华尔兹的偏爱，古典音乐正在受到忽视。他还说，莫扎特和贝多芬 的作品正被“华尔兹化”，以迎合公众趣味。但是，这并未减少人们对华尔兹的热爱。甚至今天，人们仍然热爱华尔兹。