| Levenslied | |
|---|---|
 André Hazes Well known Levenslied singer. | |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1960s |
| Subgenres | |
Levenslied (Dutch, literally "life song" or "song about life") is a sentimental Dutch-language subgenre ofpopular music.[1]Levenslied lyrics can be sweet or bitter, light and sentimental, but also reflective and dark, about subjects such as love, misery and far-away, sunny, exotic holiday places. The darker, more sentimental songs are also known as "smartlap" ("sorrow bandage"). The levenslied is related to thechanson though for a lower-class audience, like theschlager.
A typical levenslied has catchy, simple rhythms and melodies and is built up incouplets and refrains. Traditional musical instruments in levenslied music are theaccordion and thebarrel organ. Modern levenslied artists also usesynthesizers andguitars.
The songs are usually inDutch but alsoEnglish orItalian.[citation needed]
Three cities in the Netherlands,Breda,[2]Tilburg andNijmegen, have annual Levenslied festivals.[3][4]
Notable Dutch levenslied singers:
Notable Flemish levenslied singers: