In the 6/8 meter there are six eighth notes (or the equivalent thereof) in each measure.
The major distinguishing factor of 6/8s is that there are usually rests in-stead of sounds on the second and fifth beats of each measure, either in the melody or in the rhythm, or in both. (Refer back, if necessary, to the com-ments under Fast Waltz for clarification.) This produces a lilting or rocking rhythm, which is especially noticeable in barcarolles.
Pieces in 6/8 are never counted in six. This is discussed in the “Learning to count correctly” section of chapter 4.
Barcarolle - example 40: three
Originally songs of the Venetian gondoliers, barcarolles are especially obvi-ous examples of the lilting rhythm described above because they almost al-ways lack the second and fifth notes in both the melody and the rhythm. They are particularly useful for fondu combinations in triple meter; fondus gener-ally follow ronds de jambe à terre in the barre order and, since ronds de jambe are usually done to a waltz, another waltz for fondus could be less stimulating than a barcarolle, if a three is requested. Their gentle flow mirrors a beginning dancer’s glissade, and is also a pleasant change for port de bras and temps lié combinations. Pieces labeled “sicilienne” are often barcarolle-ish in feeling.
The median tempo and personality of barcarolles seldom vary.
How to count a barcarolle: “ONE - and two - and THREE - and . . . ,” up through “eight - and.”
March - example 41: two
A 6/8 march is counted in exactly the same way as a duple-meter march, and for all intents and purposes may seem to sound exactly the same. I think this is the reason accompanists get stuck in the “duple-meter march” rut: Nothing in a dance teacher’s counting suggests anything different. The 6/8 factor is constant in the rhythm and often in the melody, and is extremely difficult for nonmusicians to identify.
I will never forget the day I discovered the best thing about 6/8 marches:
They will always work for “and” grand battement combinations. Duple-meter marches with accents helpful to this kind of combination are not so
easy to find. 6/8 marches are also suitable for duple-meter pirouette combi-nations, and for walking and marching in children’s classes.
The quality of 6/8 marches seldom varies, but there is a wide range of me-dian tempos.
How to count a 6/8 march: like duple meter marches: “ONE and two and THREE and . . . ,” up through “eight and.” (Please refer to the last paragraph under 4/4 marches for a variation.)
“Big waltz” or “grand allegro waltz” - examples 42 and 43: three There may be musicians who insist that a 6/8 can never be called a waltz. But most dancers and many musicians find it difficult to tell the difference be-tween 3/4 big waltzes and 6/8 big waltzes.
There are two distinctly different categories of 6/8 big waltzes. The first group is comprised of peaks-and-valleys waltzes, as in example 42. The sec-ond group has the 3/8 factor, as in example 43. To add further to the confu-sion, some 6/8 big waltzes are written using the waltz bass, as in example 42, and others are “genuine” 6/8s, as in example 43.
How to count 6/8 big waltzes: exactly like 3/4 big waltzes: “ONE - and two - and THREE - and . . . ,” up through “eight - and.”
Just as I feel it is unnecessary for a teacher or dancer to be able to differen-tiate between 2/4 and 4/4, so I feel it is unnecessary that they must know the difference between peaks-and-valleys 6/8 and 3/4 waltzes. Likewise between 3/8 and 6/8 big waltzes. (I don’t recall any teacher in my career being able to define correctly why she specifically wanted a 6/8; I mention that not as a criticism, but as an emphasis on the communication problems between teacher and—especially beginning—accompanist.) What is necessary is that a teacher learn to demonstrate clearly—both verbally and physically—so that the accompanist can read the movement well enough to choose between a peaks-and-valleys waltz and one with stress on the “1” of every bar.
Tarantella - example 44: three
Tarantellas are written with a running eighth-note figure in the left hand, as in
or with single chords on the first and fourth beat of each bar, as in
or with a stride piano bass, as in example 44. They have a unique flavor, and are often in a minor key.
The median tempo of tarantellas is so fast that the 6/8 factor (“OOM - pah OOM - pah”) is not always readily discernible, except in those shaped like example 44.
Counting tarantellas can often be a bone of contention between accompa-nists on the one hand, and choreographers and teachers on the other. Most tarantellas have an anacrusis (as in example 44), which always feels like an
“eight and” to me. Many dance people, however, will count it as “ONE -and,” probably because their first step begins on it. It is one of the few
“dancerly” ways of counting that I have been unable to adapt to because, to me, it goes completely against the grain of the phrasing.
Tarantellas are especially useful for quick, small, Bournonville-esque jumps across the floor that go from one leg to the other (such as emboîtés), and for petit battement combinations. (Recently a creative teacher requested a tarantella for the Royal Academy of Dancing [RAD] combination of galops and spring points.)
The median tempo and quality of tarantellas seldom vary.
How to count a tarantella: “ONE - - two - - THREE - - . . .” or “ONE - and two - and THREE - and . . . ,” up through “eight - - ” or “eight - and.”
Miscellaneous - examples 45–48: all are threes
These unlabeled 6/8s share fairly similar median tempos, yet their personali-ties are distinctly different.
Example 45 is Giselle’s first-act entrance music from the ballet of the same name, and is probably the most famous 6/8 in the dance world. Contrary to what I said about avoiding the use of easily accessible music in this book, I have included this particular piece because it is so typical of what teachers usually want if they ask for a 6/8 for small jumps: light, bouncy, and happy.
Example 46 is more legato and lyrical than the previous example, and of-ten unconsciously becomes a waltz when I play it. (I play it for assemblé com-binations, but never the other two.)
Example 47 loses very little when played more slowly than Czerny’s tempo marking (“Molto Allegro [MM=112]”), and is more robust than the previous examples.
All three examples are very useful for varying kinds of petit allegro combi-nations in triple meter.
Example 48 is a full, lush, orchestral kind of 6/8, and it almost demands a sissonne or cabriole combination. Its median tempo is a hairsbreadth slower than the three previous examples.