| They were labeled "Vliegende Bladen" (NL), considered the wrong translation of “Feuilles Volantes”, and contained a collection of poems and songs, sung by anonymous travelling singers, accompanied by a drum or violin. Most of them were composed on well known folk melodies, so the audience could easily hum along. In some cases the performer would simply pluck one string of a fiddle. Maybe they were not professional musicians at all, but then again, professionality is and was always very different from virtuosity. | They were labeled "Vliegende Bladen" (NL), considered the wrong translation of “Feuilles Volantes”, and contained a collection of poems and songs, sung by anonymous travelling singers, accompanied by a drum or violin. Most of them were composed on well known folk melodies, so the audience could easily hum along. In some cases the performer would simply pluck one string of a fiddle. Maybe they were not professional musicians at all, but then again, professionality is and was always very different from virtuosity. |
| More of interest was the content, which ranged from domestic issues, theft, murders and natural disasters, fantastic and romantic stories, to political and social critique. Suddenly I found vivid evocations about the war in Bosnia, the fighting in a war against the Dutch, the revolt of the spinners and cotton weavers in the early industrial revolution, famine on the countryside,... They were written in a direct but poetic language, addressing news items to an at that time 90% and more illiterate audience. As such these wandering poets/musicians were part of an important media channel. They lived from their poetic efforts and were selling these Feuilles Volantes for a couple of cents. The box contained pamphlets coming from the same specialized printer, sometimes decorated with the first lines of the melodies. It was obvious they were taking side of the poor peasant population and the exploited factory workers, men and women, children, at the moment that no political parties existed yet. They were the radio and television, newspapers and storytellers for the general population. | More of interest was the content, which ranged from domestic issues, theft, murders and natural disasters, fantastic and romantic stories, to political and social critique. Suddenly I found vivid evocations about the war in Bosnia, the fighting in a war against the Dutch, the revolt of the spinners and cotton weavers in the early industrial revolution, famine on the countryside,... They were written in a direct but poetic language, addressing news items to an at that time 90% and more illiterate audience. As such these wandering poets/musicians were part of an important media channel. They lived from their poetic efforts and were selling these Feuilles Volantes for a couple of cents. The box contained pamphlets coming from the same specialized printer, sometimes decorated with the first lines of the melodies. It was obvious they were taking side of the poor peasant population and the exploited factory workers, men and women, children, at the moment that no political parties existed yet. They were the radio and television, newspapers and storytellers for the general population. What's more, they were shared among the singers across the European continent, translated, put to different folk melodies, and adapted to new events. |
