Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Is anyone familiar with a piece called Kareltje?

Years ago (1980's) I taught this song from a book I no longer have on hand - it was probably a method book from someone in the 1940's to 1980's - as I've never seen it again.

I think it is a Holland or Swedish folk dance, but I've had no luck in googling it or finding it these many years.

Does anyone know the piece I'm asking about?

Betty,
Here's a video, but I'm not sure if this is the piece you're looking for:
http://s112.photobucket.com/albums/...p;current=JohnnyRijk-KareltjedeGrote.flv

Do you remember if it had lyrics (in Dutch)?

Wie, uit vaderlandse plicht, heeft de scholen opgericht
Wie, uit vaderlandse plicht, heeft de scholen opgericht
Dat was Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote
Wie gaf ons, op zijn gezag, eens per week een vrije dag
Wie gaf ons, op zijn gezag, eens per week een vrije dag
Dat was Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote

Ja, dat zoontje van Pepijn deed ons veel verdriet
En hij stuurde ons heel fijn met een kluitje in 't riet

Wie, uit vaderlandse plicht, heeft de scholen opgericht
Wie, uit vaderlandse plicht, heeft de scholen opgericht
Dat was Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote

Voltooid verleden tijd
Drie plus drie is zes
Dierkunde en vlijt
Aardrijkskundeles
En veel, en veel
Dictees, dictees
Dat is dan te danken aan de Kareltje de Grote

Had 'ie maar z'n baard gestreeld, dan had hij ons niet verveeld
Had hij maar z'n baard gestreeld, dan had hij ons niet verveeld
O, o, Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote

Was 'ie maar op jacht gegaan, dan zou er geen school bestaan
Was hij maar op jacht gegaan, dan zou er geen school bestaan
O, o, Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote

Bijna had men hem vermoord
Maar 't staat wel vast
Dat hij, het is ongehoord
Werd gered door ed'legast
Had men hem toen maar gedood
Dan was hij nu niet meer groot
Had men hem toen maar gedood
Dan was hij nu niet meer groot
O, o, Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote

Voltooid verleden tijd, voltooid verleden tijd
Drie plus drie is zes, drie plus drie is zes
Dierkunde en vlijt, dierkunde en vlijt
Aardrijkskundeles, aardrijkskundeles
En veel, en veel
Dictees, dictees
Dat is dan te danken aan de Kareltje de Grote

De moraal van dit verhaal

Hahahaha!

Never heard of this song, but it's Dutch. Kind of old fashioned dutch. Let me know if you want a translation!!(it's about compulsory education, of all things!)

(I never visit the teacher's forum, but I saw the title of the posting, and 'Kareltje' is so obviously dutch that I had to check what this was about!)

Ingrid (from the Netherlands)

edited to add:

http://s112.photobucket.com/albums/...p;current=JohnnyRijk-KareltjedeGrote.flv

(This is really funny! It's decades old, by 2 very famous dutch cabaret guys. Really curious -if this is the song you were looking for- how it ended up in an (american??) piano book)

Thank you all so much!

Boira provided a great old video and a lot of fun to listen to and it's similar in the spirit of the rhythm of the song I'm looking for but there were no words and mine seemed more like folk music. I'm glad to see all the words here because they are the words to the video and I know I'll save that and reuse it and maybe share it with teaching friends. That's so nice of you to include the native language.

Then Ingrid told us more about it being a song about compulsory education! Yes, Ingrid I would love to have the English translation! Thank you so much!

I believe Apple has found the one I used as I recognize the cover and the composer but the book is no longer in my collection. I will try to check further as to seeing a copy of the Kareltje before purchasing if possible.

Can someone provide me with more information about a "Kaleltje"? It sounds perhaps like "program music" with a special form, or it may be a title for all pieces about a certain subject and with a particular rhythm. I wonder if any country besides the Dutch use the Kareltje form?

You have each made my early morning visit to PWF so fun and productive! From Kansas, Barcelona and Netherlands this great info has reached me in Washington State, USA. I thank you all!

Betty

Well, I can chip in from Norway and tell you that a "Kareltje" is in fact not a musical form, but a diminutive form of the first name of the subject of the song, Charlemagne - or "Karel de Grote" in Dutch :-)

Edit: Also, from a quick search, it says here that this is a Dutch version of an originally French song - "Sacré Charlemagne", by France Gall of Eurovision fame. Making it even stranger that it ended up in a method book under the Dutch name .

Kareltje de Grote

(meaning little Karel 'the big one'. Famous emperor of a big part of europe in the 8th century, ruling over most of western europe. He was truly a powerful guy, and amongst lots of other things was also the founder of the (obligatory) schooling system, which later on apparently not everybody was happy with...at least according to this song. Maybe you know Karel de Grote better as Charlemagne, which is french, but apperently also his name as used in english speaking countries.)

Here's the text in english...(a quick translation, of course lacking any rhyme or rythm...)

----------------------------------------------------------------
Who (for the sake of the home country) founded all the schools?!
Who (for the sake of the home country) founded all the schools?!
That was Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote
Who gave us, because he had the power, one day off a week?
Who gave us, because he had the power, one day off a week?
That was 'Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote

Yes, that son of Pepijn really made us sad,
And he sent us off so nicely on this utterly useless track

Who (for the sake of the home country) founded all the schools?!
Who (for the sake of the home country) founded all the schools?!
That was 'Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote


Past tense
Three and three is six
Biology and diligence
Geography lessons
And many many
Dictations, dictations
All thanks to Kareltje de Grote

If only he would just have patted his beard, then he wouldn't have bored us
If only he would just have patted his beard, then he wouldn't have bored us
Oh, oh, Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote


If only he would have gone hunting, then we wouldn't have had school
If only he would have gone hunting, then we wouldn't have had school
Oh, oh, Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote

He was almost killed for that
But it is most certain
that he was saved (isn't it incredible)
By a noble man
If only he HAD been killed that time
He wouldn't have been 'groot' (big) anymore
He wouldn't have been 'groot' (big) anymore
Oh, oh, Kareltje de Grote, Kareltje de Grote

Past tense, past tense
Three and three is six, Three and three is six
Biology and diligence, Biology and diligence
Geography lessons, Geography lessons
And many many
Dictations, dictations
All thanks to Kareltje de Grote

The moral of this story....
Without him there wouldn't be any classrooms!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Have fun with it!

Ingrid

(oh, and sorry, I had a really good laugh to hear you assume thet a 'Kareltje' would be a typical musical form or something like that. Hahahaha! Of course, how could you know, but sorry..it was so funny. It's a very common old fashioned dutch name, Karel. Not used a lot anymore, but loads of dutch men aged over 50 are called Karel. The 'tje' turns Karel into a 'little karel' which is kind of an insult in this case of course!)

Betty, this is a hoot. I'll be my grandparents knew it well!

Thank you oddsignals and Irene for adding to our knowledge! Having the Dutch and the English words is fantastic! The story is outrageously funny and about the founding of educational classrooms!

Who would expect this to be such an adventure? I had no idea when I made my request. I thought it would be a simple folk song and actually I didn't expect to find it and I thought it was lost forever.

Of course, let's not forget that Apple's resource is a musical composition by Jeno Takacs and I must research his biography to find out how Kareltje fits into his book of music. I believe it will be a different Kareltje and the one I was familiar with as the book cover looks like one I think I have owned long ago.

John, you are so right! This is a "hoot"! What's next?

Any one wanting to contribute more to this topic is very, very welcome!

Betty

If you like this piece, you should also have a look at his other collections, like Double Dozen for Small Fingers and For Me.

Thanks for the recommendation, Currawong!

I still have resourcing Jeno Takacs on my list of to-do's today which is a rainy, stormy, high winds day here in Washington State. I'll be fine if the power doesn't go out.

The Kareltge search has been so rewarding thanks to all of you!.

Betty