Interesting albums from the folk and roots music history by Marius Roeting.
In the 1970s, we had “formation theatre,” a form of drama often including songs, sketches, and cohesive stories about social and societal events. It was performed in schools as educational theatre, in the then-existing Open Youth Centers, as well as in “regular” theatres that gave audiences a critical look at society, and of course, on the street and during demonstrations, gatherings, or actions of interest groups like women’s movements, anti-nuclear weapons and nuclear energy movements, etc. The most well-known group in this regard was the Proloog group from Eindhoven. Starting in 1964 to make theater more accessible to the average person, this group, in varying compositions, increasingly developed into socio-political formation theatre. In 1970, this direction became dominant, until in 1983, the then Ministry of Culture turned off the subsidy tap. What we now take for granted – theatre with music in between – was progressive at that time. The Proloog performances, featuring actors including Nelly Freijda, Thea Roding, Janneke Stam, Ton van Otterloo, Nienke Sikkema, Ber Huiskens, Jan Smeets, and many others, were supported by a musical group including, over the years, Hans Sanders (Bots), Joost Belinfante (CCC inc), Bonki Bongaerts (Bots), Horst Rickels, Peter Muskens, and Peter Koene.
In 1981, the production De klucht van Pierlala was performed, a show about four centuries of a musical resistance, labour conditions, and struggles. Koene and Smeets collected Dutch-language songs of engagement and politics from 1566 and supplemented them with contemporary and original songs. The eponymous LP, released in 1982, is full of Dutch-language folk music about and for the “little man.” A unique political pamphlet and, thus a valuable contribution to the history of Dutch folk music.
Proloog – Liedjes uit het repertoire van de afgelopen drie jaar – eigen beheer 2836195
- Proloog moet blijven 0:37
- Tommie 1:59
Proloog – Kernenergie, nee bedankt – Xilovox XLP010581
- De brede maatschappelijke discussie 2:09
Proloog – De klucht van Pierlala – Xilovox XLP 210982
- Neemt me bij de hand 0:42
- Den Brielle 1:57
- Calislied 1:46
- O langgewenste dag 2:22
- Drie jonge maagden 1:28
- De scheepstimmerman 1:42
- We waren met drie (trad, Smeets) 2:49
- Weverslied (trad, Koene) 1:25
- De Franse Tiranny (trad, Koene) 3:14
- Franse ratten 1:10
- Moederke Alleen (R de Clercq, J Wierts) 1:52
- De ploegtrekker 2:42
- Wij spinsters (H van Daele) 1:49
- De rijken hebben een woning 1:30
- Brief van het front 2:11
- Mijn vaders houwer 1:01
- Tam
- Hallo, zingt op ons samenzijn (T Wibaut-Guilonard) 0:56
- Pierlala (trad, Smeets) 0:42
- Negentiennu 3:47
Peter Koene – De Lindeboom Voorbij – Clipsound LMCD 9913031
24. MisbaksellieDJe (L. Penn, J Smeets) 2:31
25. Het Bankbiljet (JH Speenhof) 2:30
26. Lachspiegels (J. Smeets, P. Koene) 3:36
27. Oude Stad (Koene) 3:27
28. Onder De Lindeboom (Koene) 3:06
Text and music Prologue (track 1-3), traditional/Prologue (track 4-23, unless otherwise indicated).
