For enthusiasts of early banjo
Varsovienne
According to the Harvard Dictionary of Music, this is a Polish dance named for the city of Warsaw, popular in the ballrooms from 1850-1870. From Buckley 1860.
Views: 51
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Comment by Ian Bell on June 11, 2010 at 7:02am
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During my traditional music apprenticeship - hanging around with older players in the 70s we used to play a very similar tune , which we called Varsovianna for a circle-couple dance of the same name. This was at hard-core "olde-tyme" Ontario square dances of the sort that don't happen much any more. I think there may have been a whole class of these tunes whose rhythms matched the moves of this dance.
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Comment by Joel Hooks on June 13, 2010 at 2:42pm
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The plot thickens... My "Musiclover's Handbook" published 1893, defines it as "a dance in 3/4 time resembling the mazurka, invented in France."
Nicely played.
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It was definitely an import to Ontario. I think the particular version we played was just one that happened to get sucked into (and preserved in) our local fiddle/dance traditions. Like the quadrille moves that have survived as square dances.
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More Varsovianna - A quick "google" turned up this Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmqtMuet8Is This is pretty much the same tune and dance I remember from the Buttonville Women's Institute Hall - except the dancers there were wearing different period clothing - polyester leisure suits.
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