Berendanse

[Jim Besser]

Berendanse. Just messing around today. I played this one years ago and quickly forgot it. I always heard that it's Flemish in origin, which may or may not be true; you know how these things go.  The A part is almost identical to the 'Bear Dance' used for some border dances. Played on a 30 button Jeffries GD Anglo concertina.

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by Jim Besser

[Dissonance]

For what it is worth. In the 70’s a folk revival band “Fiedel Michel” played it. I assumed it was from the flat lands of North Germany, so Flemish would be entirely believable as well. I have since heard it from a bunch of different sources almost identically played and mostly a Norther European source was claimed. However a kid I played with recently was calling it “Dance Urso (SP?) and had learned it out of a Mexican tradition on the button accordion. I know there is a solid German-Mexican connection in Tex-Mex accordion tradition. 

[Jim Besser]

10 hours ago, Dissonance said:

For what it is worth. In the 70’s a folk revival band “Fiedel Michel” played it. I assumed it was from the flat lands of North Germany, so Flemish would be entirely believable as well. I have since heard it from a bunch of different sources almost identically played and mostly a Norther European source was claimed. However a kid I played with recently was calling it “Dance Urso (SP?) and had learned it out of a Mexican tradition on the button accordion. I know there is a solid German-Mexican connection in Tex-Mex accordion tradition. 

 

That's really interesting.

 

I love these stories of convoluted musical provenance. 

 

 

[Roger Hare]

14 hours ago, Jim Besser said:

I love these stories of convoluted musical provenance. 

I recently came across a Norwegian tune called 'Seksmannsril' on the Northern Roots web site.

Great tune - sounds a lot like 'Soldiers Joy'? I'd love to know the convoluted story behind that one...