Zwiefacher

The Zwiefacher is a folk dance of southern Germany that changes its time signatures between 2/4 and 3/4 for a given number of measures.

Diffusion

The Zwiefacher is widely spread in Bavaria, especially in Niederbayern and Oberpfalz; however, it is also popular in the Schwarzwald, in Austria, in Alsace, in the Czech Republic and in Sudetenland.

About its name

It's believed that the word Zwiefach (first reported in 1780) - which in German means of two ways - is used not because of the usually two different time signatures, but because of the round dance of a couple, man and woman, who are tightly clamped against each other, something unconventional to early traditions.

Originally, this form of dancing had other names, such as Schweinauer, Schleifer, Übernfuaß, Mischlich, Grad und Ungrad, Neu-Bayerischer and, above all Bairischer which formerly meant Farmer Dance and is often confused with Bavarian Polka.

Choreography

The couple dances very fast, in closed waltz position.

The striking feature of this dance is the changing between even and odd time signatures, e.g. from 3/4 to 2/4 rythm.
The changes may occur in a regular way - e.g. two measures for each time signature - but also just once or irregularly.

While dancing, the rythm change looks like a change from normal waltzsteps to drehersteps, occasionally also to polkasteps.

Musical notation

Lyrics

It's hard to dance many Zwiefachers. Dancers had to learn them by heart, and it was easier to study the text than just the melody. This lead to the diffusion of many songtexts for the melodies. Nevertheless, new lyrics have been used together with old melodies, like the McDonalds-Parody "Hunger kriag i glei" by "Bayrisch-Diatonischer Jodelwahnsinn" which has the same music of the Suserl-Zwiefache.

In the past, dancers used to sing before the music was played. If the music didn't follow the Zwiefache appropriately, it was laughed at. This was another reason to create lyrics.

History

The first Zwiefachers came to life even before the bar line was invented. There is signature-changing music of the 16th century; however, we don't know whether people danced to this music.

Carl Orff composed one dance of his Carmina Burana in the Zwiefacher form.

The Furiant in Act Two of Bedrich Smetana's The Bartered Bride is also a Zwiefacher.