Die Vier Ooms - Tant Antjie Ruik na Gom
4,681 views · Published 18 June 2011 · 1:57 · Indexed 20 October 2026
Channel: Jan Tak · 2011 · Music
I recorded this song from a radio station in South Africa around 1982. Since then I have been unable to find any reference to "Die Vier Ooms" (The Four Old Guys) - perhaps some listener could help. www.boeremusiek.org.za lists the following bands with similar names: Die Vier Afrikaners Die Vier Fouries Die Vier Hugenote Die Vier Springbokke Die Vier Staatmakers Die Vier Stellenboyz Die Vier Transvalers http://www.boeremusiek.org.za/Afrikaans/Biografie/Orkeste.htm UPDATE 2011-10-25: Just received a CD called "Die Twee Ooms, Vol 1" with this identical song. The only problem is that whoever made the CD did not care to verify the track listing, with the result that this tune (#2) is called "Oom Gertjie se Mazurka". The booklet even claims that it was written by "Oom Gertjie". This is patently false as the tune is actually called "Tant Antjie Ruik na Gom" a well known boeremusiek tune (originally named the "Plattoon Polka"). The same problem occurs on track #26 (see http://youtu.be/V3pl_THPw2M). In both cases I have several other versions of the same songs by other boeremusiek bands, and none of them make this mistake. Also, when I wrote the names down from the radio in the 1980s, these songs had their correct names. Unfortunately this confuses matters even more. The CD says the "Twee (Two) Ooms" are Gertjie Claassen and Hendrik Lotter. This might be so, but then I erred when I wrote down "Vier (Four) Ooms". In the light of the sloppy treatment of the track names on the CD, I am therefore totally unsure of the credibility of anything the CD cover says. What a pity. So my search for the truth continues. The CD in question is SR99LS, part of the "SKATKIS REEKS (SERIES)" made by AVA Systems of Kempton Park, South Africa in 2004. It is distributed by the Traditional Boeremusiek Club of South Africa. The music is reasonably restored from old albums, but don't buy it if you care about the accuracy of the information. -------------------------------- Boeremusiek (Afrikaans for 'Boer music') is a type of South African instrumental folk music with a concertina as lead instrument. Its original intent was to be an accompaniment to social dancing. Although its roots date back to Europe, perhaps the closest remaining cousin of boeremusiek in the West today is the Cajun music of Louisiana. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeremusiek http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concertina
