A treasury of unique folk songs sung in the Deitsch language

New Zealand’s German-Bohemian settlers have played, sung and danced to the music, songs and rhymes collected in this treasury of folk music for over 150 years.

Sung in their dialect and played with traditional instruments, this music is a unique link between New Zealand and Bohemia. Bohemia was part of Czechoslovakia until 1993, when Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Since then Bohemia has been part of Czech Republic. To combat the threat of this heritage being lost as time passes, the songs have been painstakingly rebuilt through interviews with descendants of those first settlers, research into European folk songs and transcriptions of recordings.

After Winter Comes the Summer also offers insights into the lives of the people of Pūhoi, and later Ōhaupō, both in their native country and in a new and unfamiliar land. It is a case study of a small colonial New Zealand village, its development and growth, its music and culture, and its relationships and links back to Bohemia.

To look inside, click here.

‘Contains many riches and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand’s musical and cultural history’ — Samantha Owens, NZJH