Waltz Category (or Waltz form)

A Waltz is music in 3/4 time with light tuneful melodies, and simple chordal lower parts with the first beat heavily accented. It is primarily a dance form, still popular in the ballroom, but has been adapted for the concert hall in many famous classical works. It originates from Austrian and German country dances or Landler, from the mid 1700s.

It can be argued that the waltz is a more lively descendent of an older dance form, the stately minuet, which was also in 3/4 time. In the classical period, both Mozart and Beethoven wrote some Landler, or country dances, which sound pretty much like waltzes. In the romantic period, Chopin is especially famous for his lyrical and elaborate piano waltzes.

 Johann Strauss is the most famous composer to have specialized in writing waltzes, such as the Blue Danube, and Tales of the Vienna Woods. His beloved city of Vienna is considered the waltz capital of the world.