Broadside ballads > 2. Al is ons prinsje - Although our little prince
Listen to the song, performed by Joost Prinsen
MP3 soundfile'All those born in January, rise up'. Even today this song remains a part of the collective Dutch song memory. The original lyrics are less known today.
'Als is ons prinsje nog zoo klein En hoezee - Although our little prince is so young And hooray
Al evenwel zal hij stadhouder zijn En hoezee'. - He will yet be our stadtholder And hooray
This lyric to this 'Orange-song' dates back to the days of the Republic and is not a part of the collection. The oldest Dutch version in the collection dates back to around 1813, when the later king William I returned to the Netherlands. It was set to a French melody.
All in all, over a hundred songs are known with this melody, with lyrics that vary from official royal songs and political satire to sunny, racy or vapid amusement songs.
Joost Prinsen performs the modern version of 'Al is ons prinsje'. He is accompanied by Bouke Feleus and Grigori Sarolea on violin and by Erik Beijer on double bass.
