Hoe Ry Die Trein – Silwer de Lange

Silwer de Lange

Silwer de Lange was born Johannes Petrus de Lange in 1904. He apparently earned the nickname ‘Silwer’ from the pure sound he could coax out of a concertina. He was the leader of the Vyf Dagbrekers boereorkes and passed away on 18 December 1956. What this tells you is that this entry on this list is one of the oldies.

It is a simple concertina led ditty, that has Silwer twiddling away (or whatever the correct term is for pushing and squashing) over what sounds like a banjo and and guitar. The recording that appears on the ‘Huisgenoot 90 Jaar Van Afrikaanse Musiek’ does sound like it was recorded in black and white as it sounds old.

The song was also known as ‘So Ry Die Trien (Die Kimberly Se Trein)’ and was recorded by a number of artists including versions with lyrics. Any of these other versions can be listened to, but as Silwer de Lange was a much respected master of the concertina, perhaps his one is the one to get.

Where to find it:
Huisgenoot 90 Jaar Van Afrikaanse Musiek – Various (2010), NML, NEXTCD267

Video: