Butterfly Waltz

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Theme code Index	335 1H1H2H
Also known as
Composer/Core Source
Region	United States
Genre/Style	Old-Time
Meter/Rhythm	Waltz/Valse/Vals
Key/Tonic of	C
Accidental	NONE
Mode	Ionian (Major)
Time signature	3/4
History	USA(Central), USA(Southwest)
Structure	AB
Editor/Compiler	Biography:R.P. Christeson
Book/Manuscript title	Book:Old Time Fiddlers Repertory vol. 1
Tune and/or Page number	No. 236, p. 191
Year of publication/Date of MS	1973
Artist
Title of recording
Record label/Catalogue nr.
Year recorded
Media
Score ()

BUTTERFLY WALTZ. AKA and see "Kitchen Waltz (The)," "Life Let Us Cherish." Old-Time, Waltz. USA; Texas, Missouri. C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. R.P. Christeson noted the tune from fiddlers at the Texas Fiddlers' Association in 1950, who played it under this title. The Butterfly Waltz is the name of a dance performed to the tune in which a man dances with one woman on each side (hence the name "Butterfly"), first in a stately march up and down the hall, then a turn in place and a right-and-left figure. As happens with a popular named dance, the name of the dance became attached to different melodies, so that there are other "Butterfly Waltzes" extent. However, Christeson's melody was originally a song air called “Freut Euch des Lebens” (Come Let Us be Joyful), composed in Switzerland in 1795 by Hans Georg Nageli with words by poet Johann Martin Usteri (1763-1827). It was adapted in English as “Life Let Us Cherish” and became an enormously popular air in Britain and America, where it served as a waltz as well as an air.

Printed source: R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, vol. 1), 1973; No. 236, p. 191.

X:1
T:Butterfly Waltz
M:3/4
L:1/8
R:Waltz
S:Christeson - Old Time Fiddler's Repertory, vol. 1, No. 236  (1973)
K:C
E2|E4G2|c4 de|g4 a2|g6|ga ge cA|GA GE CA,|B,6|G,6|
F4G2|B3c ^cd|g4a2|g6|gag a ga|gag a g^f|a4g2|e6|
E4G2|c4 de|g4a2|g6|ga ge cA|GA GF Ec|d4 c2|A4c'2|
c'6|b4a2|(g6|g2)G2f2|e4G2|e4d2|[(E6c5][E4)c4]||
gf|e2 ed (c2|c2)g2f2|e2 ed (c2|c2)g2f2|e3d e2|
a4e2|g4^f2|=f2a2g2|f2 fe (d2|d2)a2g2|
f2 fe(d2|d2)a2g2|f3 g ag|b3 f ab|a4^g2|g4 gf||