- Era: 1850s-1870s
Origins of the Schottische
One of the most popular couple dances of the mid- to late 19th century, the schottische first began appearing in dance manuals in the 1850s. The noted Parisian dance teacher Cellarius, writing in the late 1840s, did not mention it at all. In Markowski et ses salons, a gossipy look at the Parisian
demi-monde published in 1860, it is claimed that Polish dancer and
Parisian dancing master Markowski invented "la scottish" (among many other
dances, including the Hongroise) during a period of dire poverty but great choreographic creativity in the 1850s. The picture of the great dancer creating dances in his lonely Parisian garret has charm but in the case of the schottische seems unlikely to be accurate.
Markowski may have publicized the dance in Paris, but in 1885, German dancing master Friedrich Zorn stated (in German in the original; excerpts here are from the English translation published in 1905) that
In the year 1850 there appeared, in all parts of Europe, the “Schottische,” a round dance which had, as early as 1844, been executed in Bavaria under the name “Rheinlander,” and in the Rhenish countries it was known as the “Bavarian Polka."
American dance master Allen Dodworth claimed (in his 1885 manual) to have introduced it to his pupils in 1849, and another American dance master, Edward Ferraro, explained in 1859 that:
The Schottisch was introduced a short time after the polka, and acquired great favor in America. It is still held in high repute by the Germans, from whom it is, by some, supposed to have emanated.
London dance teacher Mrs. Nicholas Henderson, in her mid-1850s dance manual, was more definite:
It is in fact, a German peasant dance. The music, too, is German, although many suppose it to be of recent composition.
The name of the newly popular dance went through various spellings in its early years. Zorn agrees with the Markowski book on its early spelling:
This dance was known in France, England, Russia, Italy, Greece and various other countries as the “Scottish,” and it would be difficult to explain, if indeed, it could be satisfactorily determined, how the title “Schottische,” which is the German form of the word, ever came to be so definitely applied to the dance as to warrant its adoption, untranslated, into the languages of all the countries referred to.
Mrs. Henderson referred to it in different publications as the "Schottisch" and the "Schottische", while the Parisian dance master Gawlikowski , as his Guide Complet de la Danse went through different editions, corrected his 1858 "Schotisch" to 1862's "Schottisch." The spelling with the final "e" became the standard.
Despite the dance's popularity, at least one author, of the anonymous American manual Beadle's dime ball-room companion and guide to dancing (1868) was contemptuous toward the schottische:
This is probably danced less than any of the other round dances in "best circles," being deemed "vulgar." With children and young persons it is, however, still a favorite; and therefore we give a description of the manner in which it is danced.
Mrs. Henderson's attitude, copied word-for-word by Durang (c1856) and Hillgrove (1857), is more common:
The Schottisch is now becoming quite universal. It does not require so much practice as many of the other dances, and when properly danced, it is a very elegant and withal a particularly pleasing movement, for it is a combination of two movements, a polka movement and a circular hop movement; and the two combined make up a most agreeable variety not to be found either in the Polka, the Deux Temps or Redowa.
She goes on to helpfully warn gentlemen of their responsibilities in the schottische and the dire consequences of error:
The step is very easy, but the double movement requires so much more care and attention than the Polka, that it becomes difficult for the Gentleman to guide his partner through the mazes of the Schottisch without encountering many of those awkward mishaps, such as treading upon toes and dresses, to which unskilful dancers are constantly subject. It is chiefly in the circular, or hop movement, that the difficulty is experienced, for if the time be not precisely kept, so as to make the two hops perfectly simultaneous, a collision is inevitable, and a solemn pause immediately follows, to the great disappointment of both parties, but especially of the Gentleman, on whom the chief responsibility lies.
The schottische is described, variously, as being in either 4/4 time or slow 2/4 time. Dozens, or even hundreds, of pieces of music for the schottische survive in libraries and sheet music collections today.
Illustration from "The Hungarian Schottische", sheet music published probably in the mid-1850s with instructions by Mrs. Nicholas Henderson for the "Schottisch" included.
Performance of the Schottische
The schottische is divided into two parts; Zorn refers to them as the balancée (or rocking) and the sauteuse (or hopping). The few sources which specify dance position agree that the dance is performed in waltz (closed hold) position, as in the polka; the side by side position of the later "military" schottische is nowhere to be found in the early sources for the dance.
The first part of the schottische consists of a sequence generally described as:
1. Slide the leading foot (gentleman’s left, lady’s right) sideways
2. Close the second foot (some sources specify behind, or behind in third position)
3. Slide again or leap with the first foot
4. Hop on that foot.
The entire sequence then repeats leading with the second foot.
Most sources describe both the first and third movements as a glide or slide; this description is found in Zorn, Henderson, Howe (1862), Hillgrove (1857 & 1863), Brooks, deGarmo Brookes, Durang, Ferrero, and Beadle's. Coulon, Roberts, and an earlier edition of Howe (1858) describe three "walking" steps. Gawlikowski is alone in this set of sources in describing the third step as a "leap"; he also compares it to an elongated polka (at its most technical, a slide-cut-leap sequence) followed by a hop.
In the second part of the schottische, the sauteuse is usually described as a series of "leaps" followed by "hops" or occasionally as double "springs", similar to the Jeté or Quick Sauteuse waltz of the Regency era (though probably without the extended foot on the hops!)
1. Leap
2. Hop
3. Leap
4. Hop
(those four counts then repeated for a total of four "leap-hops")
This is consistent across the majority of sources used: Henderson, Gawlikowski, Zorn, Howe, Coulon, DeGarmo, Durang, Ferrero, Beadle’s, and the 1857 edition of Hillgrove. Zorn (published in 1885 but reflecting the practices of the elderly author's younger days) adds the further information that the free foot is raised in third position behind the other while hopping. However, the 1863 edition of Hillgrove and Brooks (1866) describe the move as a “step” rather than a leap or spring. DeGarmo Brookes (1867) gives either a leap or step. Leaping seems to be the preferred method, though modern performance generally involves the more sedate "step".
Direction of steps in the schottische
Some sources, such as Gawlikowski, do not mention direction of the steps at all, but most sources are more detailed. The second part of the schottische is almost always described as turning twice around, with each step/leap and hop carrying the couple through a half-turn (the gentleman and lady alternate stepping across the line of dance with the left foot and stepping along it with the right foot to accomplish this turning). Those having difficulty with the turns may take comfort in Durang (c1856), who may be alone in noting that the dancers sometimes complete only one full turn in the four step/leap-hops of the second part. DeGarmo (1875) is unusual in stating that the second part can also turn in reverse or be used simply in advancing or retreating (gentleman moving either forwards or backwards along the line of direction, backing the lady or himself). He advises on foot position for the latter:
In moving forward in the 2d part, the foot that has no weight upon it during the hop must be in front in 4th position. In moving backward it must be behind. After a little practice the feet need not leave the floor at all.
The direction of the first part varies more. Early versions of the schottische seem to have involved performing the step along the line of dance, first moving with and then against the normal flow of traffic around the ballroom. This would be no problem if the entire room were following the same pattern but is otherwise likely to prove hazardous, as Mrs. Henderson notes:
The common style of dancing this part of the Schottische is, to advance and retire instead of going right and left but this style is very apt to cause collisions, which it is always prudent to guard against, for even good dancers are liable to encounter them from the awkwardness of the unskillful. These collisions are far less likely to occur in the right and left, or diagonal, than in the forward and backward movement.
Durang, otherwise quoting Mrs. Henderson, explains that this was a modification from the plain German mode by European teachers. The "right and left, or diagonal" motion moves the dancers toward the center of the room and away, across the line of dance (in effect, backing the lady slightly). Other, less common variations, for the first part include turning like a very slow polka, or, Durang suggests,
the reverse turn, or even in going in a direct line round the room. The step rather changes in this figure of retiring and moving forward to a pas marché (or walking steps) gliding back like the Redowa pursuit.
The Valse à deux temps or galop in the schottische
While the "sauteuse" is clearly the default version of the second part, there is a variation mentioned from the earliest sources onward: the use of the galop or valse à deux temps to replace the four step- or leap-hops. Gawlikowski claims the credit:
Quant au pas de sauteuse, j’ai prévu l’effroi que causeraient au bon goût les huit petits sauts, et, en les remplaçant par quatre glissés et chassés alternatifs, comme dans la Valse à deux temps, j’ai eu le bonheur de voir cette légère innovation bien accueillie de la société.
which I translate as:
As for the sauteuse step, I have foreseen the dread that the eight small jumps would cause to [those with] good taste, and, in replacing them with four alternating glissés et chassés, as in the Valse à deux temps, I have had the pleasure of seeing this minor innovation welcomed in society.
The welcome was not universal. While Mrs. Henderson was neutral on the topic in her book:
The Valse à Deux Temps is now very generally introduced instead of the double hops.
Zorn was downright hostile:
Many dancers find it more convenient to vary this movement by substituting regular Galop steps for the jetés en tournant, but this alteration, while it may, perhaps, simplify the execution, detracts from the beauty of the dance.
and even Mrs. Henderson joined in the condemnation in instructions published with sheet music for "The Hungarian Schottische":
Some introduce the Deux Temps step into the circular part; but this destroys the character of the dance, and confounds two dances together.
This seems a strange criticism given that (as quoted previously) she also commended the variety of the schottische and its mingling of the polka with the sauteuse movement! American sources such as Hillgrove (1857) which copied her text copied this as well. Durang (c1856), who usually copied her words exactly, interestingly specified that it was an English variation:
In England, they introduce the Deux Temps step into the circular part; but this destroys the character of the Valse, and confounds two dances together.
Others were more positive; Howe (1862) and Ferrero (1859) felt that it made the dance more lively and Ferraro suggested that in "accelerating the movement, [it] will find more favor among rapid dancers." The acceleration referred to is in the more involved step-sequence of the deux temps, with three movements rather than two squeezed into every two beats:
1-and-2 Slide-close-slide
3-and-4 Slide-close-slide
1-and-2 Slide-close-slide
3-and-4 Slide close-slide
Mrs. Henderson's sometime fellow London dancing master and sometime partner Eugène Coulon was even more definitive:
Lately the Valse à Deux Temps has been introduced instead of the four jettés and jump, and it is far superior.
At least some dancers seem to have agreed; by 1868, the Beadle's manual could state that
...the Valse à Deux Temps step is now generally substituted for the hops, and, indeed, when a Schottische is played, good dancers often use that step throughout it.
Later dancing masters such as DeGarmo Brookes (1867) and DeGarmo (1875) merely mention the variation, and Roberts (1875) gives it as the default and does not mention the hopped version at all.
As implied by Beadle's, it was also possible, though not commonly mentioned, to use the deux temps or a galop step for the first part of the schottische. This might have been the normal valse à deux temps, turning halfway at the end of each bar, as possibly suggested by some 1870s sources, such as DeGarmo and Roberts, which describe the dance without mentioning hops in the first part. Coulon (3rd ed. 1860) and Howe (1858) claimed, however, that it was possible to begin the schottische with "four steps of the Gallopade", which suggests a faster "one-and-two-and-three-and-four" four-slide galop pattern danced on each foot to begin the dance. But overall, varying the first part seems to have been considerably less common than varying the second.
Doubling the Schottische
One final variation is given by by Mrs. Henderson:
You may also double each part by giving four bars to the first part, and four bars to the second, or circular movement. The Gentleman is expected to regulate all these matters, according to circumstances, sometimes for variety sometimes to avoid collision in a crowded room; and it is only necessary for him to apprise his partner of his intentions, by saying, “double” or “four bars”, and she repeats the sliding step instead of proceeding to the hop.
Her words are plagiarized precisely in Durang (1856) and Hillgrove (1857), but this does not appear to have been a common enough practice (or, perhaps, not commonly done in America) to warrant inclusion in most descriptions of the schottische. The only other description similar to this is found in Beadle's, where using a revolving turn of the first part exclusively is (by implication) the current method of performance, with the usual alternation of parts being "as formerly danced."
Later development of the schottische
By the 1880s, a second version of the schottische known as the "Military Schottische" had begun to appear in dance manuals, and dancing masters had begun to compose intricate variations of their own for their students. By the early 20th century, the schottische was vanishing from the ballroom with only occasional echos such as the 1910s "Castle Schottische" remaining. These developments will be covered in a separate article on the later years of the schottische.
Other overviews of the early Schottische
Patri Pugliese, in his handouts for several Newport Vintage Dance Weeks (2003, 2004, 2006), ably covered all the major American sources of the early schottische. Richard Powers, in his handouts for Newport in 2007, provided a numerical analysis of performance variations given in fifty-two unnamed sources from c1850 on. Neither overview, to the best of my knowledge, has been made available to the general public, but both were helpful to me in composing this article. I am indebted to Richard in particular for his class at the New Orleans Vintage Dance Week in 2003, during which I was first made aware of the amount of variation in the early schottische.
Some sources for the early schottische
Anon., Beadle's dime ball-room companion and guide to dancing. New York, c1868.
Anon., Markowski et ses salons. 3rd ed., Paris, 1860.
Brooks, C. The ball-room monitor. Philadelphia, c1866.
Brookes, Lawrence De Garmo; Brookes on modern dancing. New York, 1867.
Coulon, Eugène b. 1808. Coulon's hand-book. London, c1860; expanded edition 1873.
De Garmo, William B. The dance of society. New York, 1875.
Dodworth, Allen. Dancing and its relations to education and social life. New York, 1900; first edition (identical except for added material at the end) published 1885.
Durang, Charles. The fashionable dancer's casket. Philadelphia, Baltimore [etc.], c1856.
Ferrero, Edward. The art of dancing, historically illustrated. New York, 1859.
Gawlikowski, Guide Complet de la Danse. Paris, 1858; 3rd ed. 1862.
Henderson, Mrs. Nicholas, Etiquette of the Ball-Room and Guide to all the New and Fashionable Dances. 3rd ed., London, n.d. (c.1854)
Henderson, Mrs. Nicholas, "Instructions for Dancing the Schottisch" on sheet music "The Hungarian Schottische". London, n.d. (mid-1850s?)
Hillgrove, Thomas; The scholars' companion and ball-room vade mecum. New York, 1857.
Hillgrove, Thomas; A complete practical guide to the art of dancing. New York, c1863.
Howe, Elias. American dancing master and ball-room prompter. Boston, 1862
Howe, Elias. Howe's complete ball-room hand book. Boston, c1858.
Roberts (?). Roberts' manual of fashionable dancing and vade mecum for the ball-room. Melbourne, 1875.
Zorn, Friedrich Albert. Grammar of the art of dancing. 1885 original Grammatik der Tanzkunst. English translation: Boston, 1905.
My thanks to Serge for reviewing my translation of Gawlikowski!
You can add the link to Markowski et ses salons: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k64723104
Posted by: Dmitry | August 28, 2014 at 01:34 PM