Edward Moore passes along Stockhausen's ideas of what the waltz is about:

>... the waltz (valse) corresponds to the movement of the human body as the
>vivifying Platonic 'light' corresponds to the passive _hupokeimenon_ of the
>material realm.  That is to say, the sensual and sensuous movements of a
>waltz enliven the form that is already immersed in the music as a piece of
>cold, dry earth is bathed in material light....

The cold dry earth of Vienna created the waltz to warm the cockles of
the heart.  The citizen gets dressed up, pays up, checks her wrap at the
garderobe, and then twirls away the evening with the help of a band playing
Strauss and Kalman.  The while, a certain amount of wine is consumed, and
apres la valse....

Denis Fodor