Foxtrot Oddities
The piece to the left is called Stumbling, A Fox Trot Oddity, and it was written by Zez Confrey. The piece lives up to its name; it is odd for a foxtrot. The piece is in cut time, which is normal for a foxtrot, however, the accented beats aren’t on 1 and 3; instead they are on 1 and 4 in the first measure, and then beat 2 in the second measure. The third and fourth beats have the expected accents on beats 1 and 3. The next four measures follow the same accent pattern. The entire piece has a syncopated feel because of the accents. This is unusual for a foxtrot, because the foxtrot is considered a smooth and graceful dance. Also, the lyrics describe a man who is stumbling around the dance floor and stepping on his partner’s toes, which is the opposite image of the beautiful foxtrot dance.
The image below the score shows an example of how the steps of the foxtrot would fit with the music.
The piece to the right is called Bandy Bandolero by Harry Tilsley and Raymond Wallace. This piece doesn’t appear to be unusual if you just listen to it; it sounds like it’s in two, which fits the foxtrot style. However, this piece is written in 6/8 time, which is a complex duple meter. Most foxtrots are written in some form of simple duple meter. The meter gives the piece a faster, more hurried feel, even if the beats are the same as a foxtrot song in cut time.