In the 3/8 meter there are three eighth notes (or the equivalent thereof) in every measure.
I have found that the distinguishing factor of the 3/8 meter seems to be more stress on the “1” of every bar than occurs in a 3/4. However, this is even less of a fixed rule than some of the others we have discussed, primarily due to the fact that composers are not absolutely consistent about the meter labels they apply to their music.
The 3/8 family has no nameable forms, such as waltz or rag; however, I have a 3/8 category in my mental computer that pops up when I hear or see combinations in triple meter with stress on the “1” of every bar.
Medium-tempo - examples 30 and 31 I find two distinct divisions in this group.
Example 30 is representative of what I call a cross between a waltz and a mazurka. It has the emphasis on the “1” of every bar like a mazurka, but has more of a flowing quality like a waltz. It is suitable for pirouette combinations that also include balancés.
How to count this piece: like a waltz but with more emphasis on the even-numbered counts.
Example 31 is essentially a big waltz. It is particularly well-suited for fouettés sautés (not to be confused with the well-known consecutive fouetté turns) because of the definite melodic accent on the second beat of every odd-numbered bar (where the height and greatest difficulty of that move-ment occur).
How to count this piece: I would say, “ONE AND - two and uh THREE
AND - four and uh . . . ,” up through “eight and - .” Counting this way signals to the accompanist that he should choose or improvise a piece with this me-lodic rhythm.
Allegro - examples 32 and 33
Example 32 is part of the finale of the exciting ballet Etudes, choreographed by Harald Lander to Czerny piano exercises arranged and orchestrated by Knu˚dage Riisager. (By now, you may have noticed a preponderance of Czerny excerpts. They are included for the enlightenment of poor souls who consider Czerny a bore. More on that subject in the “Repertoire” section in chapter 5.) While the initial stress on the “1” of every measure becomes less apparent after the first 16 bars, the forceful and demanding rhythm of those first 16 counts sets the pace for the whole piece. Like a fast big waltz, it lends itself especially well to consecutive grand allegro steps across the floor, and is also as technically difficult, since it combines speed with the orchestral fullness necessary to support strenuous (albeit fun) movement.
Example 33 is the first section of Moritz Moszkowski’s third Spanish Dance. The second section of the piece undergoes a distinct change in charac-ter, becoming very legato, so the two sections are not compatible when played for the same combination.
While this section shares the same median tempo with the Czerny ex-ample above, it is much lighter and bouncier, and is particularly adaptable for petit battement and petit allegro (especially brisé) combinations.
How to count these pieces: in three, like a 6/8: “ONE - and TWO - and THREE - and . . . ,” up through “EIGHT - and.”
4/4 or c
- examples 34–39: all are twos
In the 4/4 meter there are four quarter notes (or the equivalent thereof) in each bar.
I have found that the major distinguishing factor of the 4/4 meter relevant to dance is that 4/4s rarely go fast. Musicologists may disagree heartily with that statement, but the subtle differences between a 4/4 and a non-coda 2/4 of the same median tempo are indistinguishable to a moving body. And I think it is much more productive for teachers, students, and accompanists to find a common ground in the terms duple meter and two than to nitpick over whether it is a 4/4 or a 2/4, especially since so many duple-meter forms can be written in either 2/4 or 4/4.
All 4/4s are counted exactly like 2/4s: “ONE and two and THREE and . . . ,”
up through “eight and.”
Czardas-lassú - examples 34a and 34b
The lassú, or slow section, of the czardas is sometimes written in 2/4. This form is very broad and grand. However, each czardas has one of two distinctly different qualities. Examples 34a and 34b demonstrate both.
Example 34a is processional, grand, and heroic in feeling, making it ideal for a grand battement combination. It is one of those rare pieces that can be used for either an “and” grand battement combination or one in which the leg goes up on the count: because of its accents and also because its character doesn’t suffer too much from being played as slowly as necessary for the “and”
combination.
Example 34b is lush and sensuous; it is an appropriate complement to an advanced fondu combination.
When a teacher asks for, “A czardas, please,” she almost always means a piece with the quality of example 34a.
March - example 35
Marches are another staple of the dance accompanist’s repertoire. They are used extensively in children’s classes, are widely used for grand battement combinations, can often be used for pirouette and grand allegro combina-tions when a triple meter is not required, and can also be written in 2/4 and 6/8.
Example 35 has a melodic line that lends itself to grands battements when the leg goes up on a count (not on an “and”), because its melody often keeps leading to the peak of each mini-phrase, which corresponds to the peak of each battement.
Accompanists will often hear teachers count “ONE TWO THREE FOUR . . .” in children’s classes when they are demonstrating marching combina-tions instead of “ONE and two and” for the same amount of time. It just means to the accompanist that he can play a normal march but with more stress on every beat—less of the peaks-and-valleys effect—than he would normally play; each of these beats will be a child’s step.
Gavotte - example 36
Gavottes are also written in c , 2/4, and C . They are mostly courtly and elegant, with a distinct but indescribable, slightly subdued quality—but you may oc-casionally find one that will work for petit allegro combinations. Gavottes always have an anacrusis, so musicians must be very clear about where the phrases begin; sometimes the anacrusis is “eight and” and sometimes it is
“ONE and.” In example 36, the anacrusis is “eight and.”
Stop time - example 37
One can play stop time in all meters, but it is usually used in duple meter, and is a staple of old vaudeville soft-shoe routines. I used to resist using stop time, because I felt that dancers of all levels needed constant musical support. But I eventually came to realize that dancers enjoy the challenge of sharpening their own internal sense of rhythm (it challenges ours too), and it forces lazy, self-indulgent, and/or unmusical dancers to obey the music; when something is missing, they absolutely have to count. And it is not unheard of for a solo instrument in an orchestra to forget to come in; such an occurrence will be slightly less frightening for a dancer who has been exposed to stop time.
If a teacher or an accompanist has trouble keeping perfect time during the silent parts of stop time, try sniffing quietly at the rests. This will maintain the pulse without taking away the challenge for the dancers by counting out loud.
Miscellaneous - examples 38 and 39
Tchaikovsky didn’t label example 38 a march, but I certainly would. It is well suited to non-“and” grands battements, and for some grand allegro combi-nations.
There are a large number of pieces (Czerny wrote many) which have a fairly continuous melodic structure of dotted rhythm. They are mentioned here because they are almost always reliable for “and” combinations of tendus and the dégagé family, as well as for duple-meter assemblé combinations.
They can also be written in 2/4. (See example 39.)