In town today I was stopped by two dutch students ‘doing a survey of british culture’ and finding out what response people gave when the said ‘Holland’…enjoyed talking to them immensley…it seems most people replied cheese and windmills’ bit sad I thought…we chatted for ages and eventually got onto the subject of music…I ended up asking them what their traditional music was…and drew a total blank…come to think of it I coulnd’t find the answer either…I wonder if they have the equivelant to our ‘folk’…Scottish, Irish etc. I then mentioned that I was into Irish trad…and that really burst the proverbial bubble…they were also into Irish trad and seemd to be very familiar with it…I’m still at a loss though as to whether or not the Dutch have a traditional music ?Les.
Wow, what a good question. I don’t know the answer, but as for the IrTrad enthusiasm … when my fella was over in Amsterdam last fall he enjoyed a couple of lovely and well-attended Irish sessions and met some fellows from a Dutch IrTrad band called Dolmen … their CD, Poulnabrone, has some really nice moments on it.
Dutch folk music. Hmmmm. I’m looking forward to learning about this!
There is a book with the awkward title Oude en Nieuwe Hollantse Boerenlieties en Contradansen. I guess that means something like Old and New Dutch Somethingorother and Conrtadanses. There are hundreds of tunes. The tunes originally appeared in smaller books have have been collected into one. I’m totally unfamiliar with the kind of dances that would have been done to the music. The music itself is kind of baroque like. As a matter of fact there’s one piece which sounds like it came from JS Bach. There are some interesting titles too, like De Oude Schuyter and Dronk Wyf.
I’m not sure where you could locate a copy except through the library or interlibrary loan. The university music library here has a couple of copies. (University of Western Ontario)
GOODNESS!! Of course, since I AM dutch and DO live in the netherlands I am the person to really make a fool of myself here of course 
)
Because I am just stuck for an answer.
DO we actually have traditional dutch music??? HMMMMM
If we do at all…I am stumped! Nothing like the irish trad, or the german schlagers, or the indian music which is all so typical.
Now what’s typical music for the netherlands???DUHHHH
I read that there are books out with dutch tunes to dance on, yeah that might fit in the picture, for dutch folkdancers at least…dying out breed.
We do have some groups which are known abroad, do a search on google, golden earring is very famous for instance and so is the group “normaal” which does sing dutch songs, pop style music.
But to say we DO have something traditional for us tulipsniffling cheeseheads??? HMMMM NO I am stumped…
sorry guys.
berti
Just to say that even though you are stumped…the answer was most enjoyable…the fact though that I T is, for many of us unsurpassable…there are many other traditions that seem to be hidden in the mists of time…English trad( with more than three chords!) has been rediscovered…some brilliant dance music here…Scotland, of course speaks for itself…the music of the Bretons etc etc etc…mostly in some way or other linked to the Celtic connection…I cannot believe there is not a Dutch folk or traditional music genre…if there is perhaps you coud help resurrect it?..Les.
Folkmusic in many countries is in a pretty sorry state…
In Eastern Europe it never seemed to have died, in the ‘Celtic’ nations it lives on after some CPR and intensive care from dedicated individuals. Swedish folkmusic is alive and well. Maybe many countries forgot to maintain their traditions at the onset of the industial revolution. I’m sure there’s a thesis to be written there, but not by me
Yes, there is traditional Dutch folk music, played to (clog) dances.
Nearly extinct tradition, not maintained and would be considered by most to be pretty corny (including me, it ain’t got swing 
)
The seafaring history left its share of shanties, mazurka’s and hornpipes, which I’m sure can be found in the “Oude en Nieuwe Hollandse Boerenliedjes en Contradansen” collection Steve mentioned.
Some years ago there was a group called “Pekel” who performed some kind of musical-like show with trad/new tunes and songs, on traditional instrumenents. They had some funny songs too (not corny).
Found their website (in Dutch)
Another fellow who has made an effort for dutch folkmusic in recent years is Guy Roelofs with the group “Grond”.
I believe he since moved on to other things. Grond’s website sends you on to one of his new (worldmusic) projects.
WOW and then there is someone from DANMARK telling us all this…
hard to believe but you might be right though those names don’t say anything to me.
well I personally don’t think anything would be lost with the clog dance types of music ARGH )
cheers
berti
Hallo Berti,
Just for the record: I am a Kaaskop myself. I moved to Denmark from the ‘Bollenstreek’ in Holland about 5 years ago
I do think though that it’s a loss if a tradition disappears, even Clogdancing. The problem is that it’s not alive… and the music is played in a very boring way. Imagine a clogdance party with the same spirit as a Fest-noz in Brittany. That would shake the dutch earth, ehm, mud… whatever 
PS:
Started reading around the net about Dutch Traditional Music (DTM )
Here’s a link to a series of articles about some recent bands:
http://www.folkworld.de/29/e/dutch.html
groetjes,
Jeroen
hmm this sounds interesting to me as I knew at least one of the names of these groups (ambrozijn ) .
jeroen would you mind if I did pm you, in dutch or what would you prefer let’s see what comes out of this hm?
would be fun to let the ITM people hear some DTM at meetings…
cheers
berti
Hi Berti,
sent you a PM (in dutch)
Jeroen
I found the ‘Boerenlietjes’ collection Steve mentioned earlier online.
Looks like a scan of handwritten tunes, some of them just 8 bars long
Have a look Here for Tunes
I’ll take out me clogs…
I found this website with traditional dutch songs.
of course you english people cannot read dutch but when you click on the titles, you can listen to the melodies.
the first listed songs are patriottic songs, the others childrens songs, christmas songs, or general ones.
cheers
berti
thanks to jeroen, I am currently looking into more trad dutch music.
there is a group, www.rapalje.com who mixes trad dutch songs with trad celtic/ irish ones!!! very original and inspiring
http://www.xs4all.nl/~bslikker/titels_thematisch.html