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My Father Was A Dutchman waltz

Also known as The Dutchman’s Varsovienne, My Father Was A Dutchman Varsovienne.

There is 1 recording of this tune.

My Father Was A Dutchman has been added to 11 tunebooks.

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Two settings

1
X: 1
T: My Father Was A Dutchman
R: waltz
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
D2|:G2 GFGA | B2 BABc | d2e2B2 | d2c2B2 |
A2 AGAB | cBA G F E | D2E2D2 | B4 D2 |
G2 GFGA | B2 BABc | d2e2B2 | d2c2B2 |
A2 AGAB | cBA GFE | D2E2F2 |1G4 D2 :|2 G4 D G ||
B2 B2 DG | B2 B2 DG | B2 c2 d2 | e2 d2 DF |
A2 A2 DF | A2 A2 DF | A2 B2 c2 | e2 d2 DG |
B2 B2 DG | B2 B2 DG | B2 c2 d2 | e2 d2 B2 |
A2 AGAB | cBA GFE | D2E2F2 |1G4 D G:|2 G4 D ||
2
X: 2
T: My Father Was A Dutchman
R: waltz
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmin
G2 GF GA | B2 BA Bc | d2 e2 B2 | d2 c2 B2 |
A2 AG AB | cB AG FE | D2 E2 D2 | B4 D2 |
G2 GF GA | B2 BA Bc | d2 e2 B2 | d2 c2 B2 |
A2 AG AB | cB AG FE | D2 E2 F2 |[1 G4 :|[2 [M:2/4] G4 ||
DG B2 B2 | DG B2 B2 | DG B2 c2 | d2 e2 d2 |
DF A2 A2 | DF A2 A2 | DF A2 B2 | c2 e2 d2 |
DG B2 B2 | DG B2 B2 | DG B2 c2 | d2 e2 d2 |[M:1/4]
B2 | A2 AG AB | cB AG FE | D2 E2 F2 |[1 [M:2/4] G4 :|[2 [M:3/4] G4 |]
G2 G^F GA | B2 BA Bc | d2 e2 B2 | d2 c2 B2 |
A2 AG AB | cB AG ^FE | D2 E2 D2 | B4 D2 |
G2 G^F GA | B2 BA Bc | d2 e2 B2 | d2 c2 B2 |
A2 AG AB | cB AG ^FE | D2 E2 ^F2 |[1 G4 :|[2 [M:2/4] G4 ||
DG B2 B2 | DG B2 B2 | DG B2 c2 | d2 e2 d2 |
DF A2 A2 | DF A2 A2 | DF A2 B2 | c2 e2 d2 |
DG B2 B2 | DG B2 B2 | DG B2 c2 | d2 e2 d2 |[M:1/4]
B2 | A2 AG AB | cB AG FE | D2 E2 F2 |[1 [M:2/4] G4 :|[2 [M:3/4] G4 |]

Nine comments

Aussie Tune " My Father was a Dutchman"

This is an old bush tune, but I’ve not met anyone who knows where it comes from, but it has a decidedly Continental feel. I learnt if off Brisbane fiddlers Danny Holmes and Helen Rowe.

Goes very well as an instrumental in a 3/4 song.

The successive B’s in the opening bars of the 2nd part should be played staccato. likewise the successive A’s in bars 5 and 6 of the 2nd part. they’re what gives the tune its distinctive swing.

Mazurka more than a waltz

having justb looked at the recently posted "Mazurca de comptoir" I realise this tune is really more of a mazurca than a waltz.

Mine is strikingly [ and completely incidentally] similar to Comptoir, and they’d make a nice set

You might want to double the note lengths otherwise you could rename it "My Father Was On Amphetamines".

Amphetamine Daddy-O

yeah alright Dow, very funny.

Our webmaster has been kind enough to remedy my technical shortcomings, so daddy is now more chilled out

In true Dutchman style then eh? 🙂

As to the origin of the tune, I would guess from the title that it has, at some point, had words to it - not that it necessarily started out as a song. Perhaps it was a dance tune brought to Australia by Dutch settlers and was popular in their communities, then some English-speaker composed some comic words to it, making fun of the Dutch.

Varsovienna

This tune is in the style of the "Varsoviennas", a ballroom dance in the late 1800s. Especially the B part is very much the same as in some other tunes i know. Mind you, all the varsoviennas I have heard are very much the same. And there are only about half a dozen.

Posted by .

Mazurka-Varsovienne: "My Father Was a Dutchman"

The Dutch seem responsible, in part, for spreading this dance around in their pioneer days in the 1800s ~ including North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Also, that tag, as "Dutchman" or "Dutch" has been given appended to versions of these tune forms as alternate titles for some of them. I have also seen lyrics and will look to see if I have another one of similar name, with words. For now, here is how I’d have transcribed this, as a Mazurka-Varsovienne, the dance or steps being the main reason for the barring (| NN N2 N2 |, as distinguished from the greater family of mazurks (NN | N2 N2) ~ But, this seems to be a mazurka for the first half, and a varsovienne for the second? It is possible that the final G4 of the first part, the A-part or mazurka, may have been originally fermata, held say for G6 before the change into the varsovienne? I’ve also given what was more natural to my ears and sense, the g minor mazurka into a G Major varsovienne ~

X: 1
T: My Father Was A Dutchman
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: G Major
|: D2 |\
G2 GF GA | B2 BA Bc | d2 e2 B2 | d2 c2 B2 |
A2 AG AB | cB AG FE | D2 E2 D2 | B4 D2 |
G2 GF GA | B2 BA Bc | d2 e2 B2 | d2 c2 B2 |
A2 AG AB | cB AG FE | D2 E2 F2 |[1 G4 :|[2 [M:2/4] G4 ||
|: [M:3/4]
DG B2 B2 | DG B2 B2 | DG B2 c2 | d2 e2 d2 |
DF A2 A2 | DF A2 A2 | DF A2 B2 | c2 e2 d2 |
DG B2 B2 | DG B2 B2 | DG B2 c2 | d2 e2 d2 |[M:1/4]
B2 | A2 AG AB | cB AG FE | D2 E2 F2 |[1 [M:2/4] G4 :|[2 [M:3/4] G4 |]

K: G minor
|: D2 |\
G2 G^F GA | B2 BA Bc | d2 e2 B2 | d2 c2 B2 |
A2 AG AB | cB AG ^FE | D2 E2 D2 | B4 D2 |
G2 G^F GA | B2 BA Bc | d2 e2 B2 | d2 c2 B2 |
A2 AG AB | cB AG ^FE | D2 E2 ^F2 |[1 G4 :|[2 [M:2/4] G4 ||
|: [M:3/4 K:G Major]
DG B2 B2 | DG B2 B2 | DG B2 c2 | d2 e2 d2 |
DF A2 A2 | DF A2 A2 | DF A2 B2 | c2 e2 d2 |
DG B2 B2 | DG B2 B2 | DG B2 c2 | d2 e2 d2 |[M:1/4]
B2 | A2 AG AB | cB AG FE | D2 E2 F2 |[1 [M:2/4] G4 :|[2 [M:3/4] G4 |]