- Zwiefacher
The Zwiefacher is a south German
folk dance with a quicktempo and changing beat patterns.Location
The Zwiefacher is danced primarily in
Bavaria , especiallyLower Bavaria ,Hallertau andUpper Palatinate ; it is also known in theBlack Forest ,Austria ,Alsace , theCzech Republic andSudetenland .Name
The first documented usage of the word "Zwiefach" was in 1780. It loosely translates as "two times". Although this may be indicative of the "two" different time signatures, It is believed that the title actually refers to the "couple" being tightly wound against each other, a departure from earlier traditions.
The dance was originally known by various other names in different regions, such as "Schweinauer", "Schleifer", "Übernfuaß", "Mischlich", "Grad und Ungrad", "Neu-Bayerischer" and, above all "Bairischer" (meaning "Farmer Dance" and sometimes confused with the Bavarian
Polka .)Rhythm
The Zwiefacher alternates between odd and even
time signature s, changing from 3 to 2 beats per bar. The changes may occur in a regular way - for example, two measures per time signature, may change only once, or may change irregularly throughout. Early Zwiefachers were played before the modern bar line was invented.Choreography
The couple turn very quickly in close position, similar to the
Waltz . Physically, the rhythmic shift looks like a change from normalwaltz steps to drehersteps (pivots), occasionally also topolka steps.Lyrics
Lyrics were often created as a
mnemonic device in order to help learn Zwiefachers melodies by heart. This led to many songtexts for the same melodies. New lyrics are still sometimes used together with old melodies, as in theMcDonalds -Parody "Hunger kriag i glei" by "Bayrisch-Diatonischer Jodelwahnsinn" which uses the same music as the Suserl-Zwiefache.Examples in
European classical music *
Carl Orff composed one dance of his "Carmina Burana" in the Zwiefacher form.
* The "Furiant " in Act Two ofBedřich Smetana 's "The Bartered Bride " is a variant of the Zwiefacher.Examples
*Eisenkeilnest (http://www.dancilla.com/search.asp?crit=Eisenkeilnest)
*'s Luda (http://www.dancilla.com/search.asp?crit=Luada)
*Lercherl Zwiefacher (see the external links section)External links
*http://www.germandance.org/zwiefache.html
*http://www.folkloretanznoten.de/Zwiefache.html (examples)
*http://www.dancilla.com (videos, MIDI files, descriptions)
*http://www.phantomranch.net/folkdanc/dances/zwiefach.htm (dance notes)
*Lercherl Zwiefacher (http://www.bayerischer-wald.de/fileserver/baywacm/Files/86.mp3 from [http://www.bayerischer-wald.de/homepage/service/musik_aus_der_region/] )ee also
*Austrian folk dances
*Austrian folk dancing
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