Broadside ballads > 16. In de Nes daar moet je wezen - The Nes is the place to be
Listen to this song, performed by Marc Krone
A drinking song. The bar 'Het Fortuintje' is the place to be, because that's where brandy is sold and where the farmers are always drunk on gin. And the café 'Fortuintje' isn't the only place to be: other versions show that many other tavern names and locations have been set to this tune. The most famous one is 'In de Nes (In the Nes)', but names from outside Amsterdam also occur.
The melody is a simplified version of 'la poulle', a quadrille from the opera 'Robert le diable' (1831) by G. Meyerbeer.
'In het Fortuintje' is sung here by Marc Krone, accompanied by Bouke Feleus and Grigori Sarolea on violin and by Erik Beijer on double bass.
