The document summarizes the history and evolution of Dutch Hop music, which originated among ethnic Germans from Russia who settled in the Midwest United States. It traces the development of the instrumentation from fiddles, cello, and dulcimer in Russia to the inclusion of accordion, upright bass, and other instruments. It discusses the origins of songs and dances like polkas, waltzes, and the unique "hop" dance. The document also profiles influential Dutch Hop families and bands from the 1940s-1970s, when the genre saw a "golden age" with the rise of amplification and other changes. It analyzes how the style was influenced by broader musical trends but maintained its distinct beat and heritage among the

1. “Dutch Hop”
Music of the Volga
Germans

2. • Origination of the Dutch Hop Style of Music
• Evolution of the Instrumentation
• Evolution of the Dance
• Name – “Why Dutch Hop?”
• Evolution of the Music and Sound Itself

3. “A Dutch Hop is a polka . . . . but a polka isn’t
necessarily a Dutch Hop.”
-Steve Deines

4. What Exactly is Dutch Hop?
Put simply, “Dutch Hop is the music unique to
the Volga Germans. No other ethnic group in
the world has the beat, instrumentation,
dance steps, or heritage in their ethnic music
more so than the music played by those
descendants of Germans from Russia. It is a
musical genre consisting of polkas, waltzes,
schottisches, drinking songs (Dusches), and in
later years two-steps with a solid beat and a
unique instrument grouping.”

5. From where did the Dutch Hop songs
come?
• A song in German is a “Lied” (LEED)
-Kirche Lieder
-Trinken Lieder
-Story Telling Songs (Funny, Happy, Sad)
-And yes, even raunchy
• Evenings were occupied by singing songs

6. Dusch (prounounced “Dooosh”)
• A German drinking song, usually funny, and
sometimes a bit ribald in nature.
• Everyone knew the words – and some made
them up as they would sing along

7. Dusches Turn into Fiddle Songs
• Usually a single fiddle accompanied
the group as they sang
Polkas
• Hinter’em Ova Sitz Der! (Behind the Stove)
• Bei der Windmill, geht der Weg Naus (By the Windmill,
the driveway goes out)
• Hingle und die Giegel (Chickens & Roosters)
Songs with a 2/4 beat, played moderately and never too fast –
a polka beat

8. Waltzes
• Ich Habt Dich Geliebet, Was Hab Ich Davon? (I
have loved you, but what do I have to show
for it?) GAWWW NIX!
• Nicht Gesehn (Hätte Ich Dich Nicht Gesehen,
Wie Glücklich könnte ich sein?) (If I hadn’t
seen you, how unlucky could I have been?)
• Skipper (or Shgipper) – Very fast 3/4 beat
Love songs, ballads, songs of lost love or jilted
lovers – a slower, 3/4 timing – except the
“Shgipper”
Song 1: Polka Kings, 1989
Song 2: Nile Valley Boys,
1940’s

9. Songs Traveled to Russia
• Entertainment on long Russian nights
• Way to gather and socialize
• No TV, Internet or Cable
• Visiting, playing cards, Duroc, Solla, Pinochle

10. Instrumentation

11. The Dulcimer
• History is unclear
-Greek?
-African?
-Asian?
-Taken to Europe
by Marco Polo?
• Bavarian (Tyrolean) Music

12. •Cymball (Tsimbal)
•Zymball
•Hackbrett (our dialect) {literally, “hacking,” or
“chopping” a board}
•In Colorado, “The Board”
•Precursor to the Piano

13. • Henry Heinze – Windsor, Colorado
• Built 151 Dulcimers
• Alex Weimer
Arlo Deines, Fort Collins, plays one of
Henry’s dulcimers

14. In Russia – Instrumentation Takes
Shape
In our Volga German villages, instrumentation became:
• Two Fiddles (one lead melody, second plays harmony
and fill)
• The Hackbrett (Rhythm)
• Cello (not bass, but played a bass line and a rhythm)
(This was basically the only instrumentation in Russia – in
rare instances, and upright bass, or “Kuh” was used”

15. In Russia
• There were no Dutch Hop bands – as an
organized group
• Hardly one group (the same group) played twice
• Usually consisted of family members, close
friends
• Played for weddings at the request of the
Groom’s family (where the wedding receptions
were held)

16. Kratzke Musicians – 1875

17. Brass “Bands”
• At Weddings . . . Brass Band Escorts – but no brass in the Dutch Hop – not
just yet
• To the Church (Nei Ge-Bloasa)
• To the Groom’s Parents House – the Reception (Raus Ge-Bloasa)

18. Rohr Brothers from Mariental,
Russia

19. Weingardt Brothers: Frank, Paul, Alex, Sully, and Joe – Sterling, Colorado,
1930’s

20. The Dance – The Hop, or “Hoopser”
• Clues abound to the “Steps”
• Polish “Jump” – the Pogo Stick Dance
• The German “Rutscher” (root-chur)
-Old German way to Polka
-”1-2-3,1-2-3”
-Round-n-Round, drag feet
-Similar to ballroom dancing, Foxtrot

21. The Hop!
• Unique to Germans from Russia
• Only danced in Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming
• Side-by-side, then face-to-face
• Man (leader) starts on left foot, woman on right foot
• Foot goes down on the count of “1,” and is usually held for the successive counts
of “2 & 3.” Meanwhile, the upper body or the shoulders contain the “hop”
• Shoulders of the dancers go up and down, giving the impression of a “hopping”
motion
• Easier on the knees and back; weight is displaced more so on the foot as opposed
to the entire leg

22. Why Did They Hop?
• Dances were at weddings – usually no public dances
• No dance halls or ballrooms in the villages – wedding receptions were traditionally held at
the home of the groom’s parents
• Room for only 3 – 4 couples to dance; the Haus Vater (usually the Father of the Bride)
determined who – and in what order – couples were allowed to dance at one time
• A group of dancing couples would enter and dance. They were “budgeted” 3 or 4 numbers
to dance. The Hackbrett player would move the tuning hammer down a notch after each
song to keep track of the number of songs (unless the musicians were bribed!)
• After the 4th song, the next group would come in

23. • Rooms were very small
• Not a lot of space to dance the “Rutscher”
• The Hop evolved as a necessity for dancing
real estate
• Each couple could dance, have a good time,
and no mind of space was required

25. Our Dutch Hop Beat
• Stomping – at the end of a measure, Dutch Hop music has a unique,
“Boom! Boom!,” which were emphasized by the dancers stomping their
feet. When they got to a corner, the men would twirl the ladies whilst
hopping
• Showed gratitude for the band
• Would shout, “Hochzeit!,” or “High Time!,” (also means “Wedding”)
• “Hey-Ho-Hup!”
• Side-to-Side: Women wore long floor-length dresses; one hand free to
hold their dresses
• Brought to Kansas with the first U.S. settlements in 1876

26. Lawrence Welk and the Germans from
Russia Dancers
Premiere Show – “The Dodge Show” – 1955 from
Chicago
Mr. and Mrs. Gerren (Gören) and the Dutch Hop

27. From Early 1900’s – to 1925
Munjour, Kansas Band: Felix Werth, Fidelis Sauer, Anton Sauer, Alex Befort, Peter
Sauer

28. Templing Brothers – Late 1920’s
Song #3: Russian Fiddler Polka – Two Fiddles,
Hackbrett, and the Bassgei (Cello)

29. Proof These Songs Came from
Russia
• Song #4: Windsor Special – Bob Schmer
• Song #5: Rutz Tutz – Los Henkels – Santa
Anita, Argentina

30. 1925 – 1940
Influence of the “Roaring ‘20’s”
• Two Fiddles
• Hackbrett
• Upright Piano – sometimes Upright Bass (Die
Kuh)
• Accordion replaces cello for rhythm – chording
only – NOT A LEAD INSTRUMENT

31. Templing Brothers – Late 1930’s
• Song 6: Kalya Polka
• Song 7: Hingle und die Giegel
Two Fiddles, Dulcimer, Upright Piano,
Accordion for Chording

32. 1940 – 1955 – The Name “Dutch Hop”
WWII Changes Our Music – Literally – in name and style
• Hochzeit/German Dance/Hoopser or “German Hop”
• Most dances were wedding dances in Russia and in the early days in the
U.S.
• Public Dances started in the 1930’s – Church Picnics – Saturday Nights
• Unaffected by WWI – as most were still weddings
• WWII – German not used in schools, in households, and in public
• German no longer “politically” correct. “Dutch Hop” used for 1st time as a
code language
• English Neighbors referred to us as “Rooshans,” or “Dutch”
• Or, was it a code variation on the word, “Deutsch,” or “Deitsch,” which is
the word for German?

33. The Term, “Dutch Hop” Survives
Dutch Hop (dut-ch’-hawp): (noun, noun, noun, noun, noun,
verb, noun, adjective): 1. (noun) of or relating to a Dutch
Hop; 2. (noun) a dance; a gathering of Volga Germans; 3.
(noun) a public dance (i.e.: “No, that was no wedding
dance, that was a Dutch Hop”); 4. (noun) a dance step
performed by the Germans from Russia when dancing their
version of a polka (“they did a Dutch Hop”); 5. (noun) a
type of music synonymous with the Germans from Russia
(“They only listen to Dutch Hop”). 6. (verb) a dance of the
Germans from Russia (i.e.: “I saw them Dutch Hop!”) 7. An
ethnic group of Germanic peoples who live in America by
way of Germany, Russia, Germany, and finally the U.S.
(“Those ‘Dutch Hoppers’ can really dance!”)

34. 1940 – 1955 (con’t)
• Accordion replaces Fiddles as lead instrument
• Fiddle remains, but only one (not two); used
second, harmonize, or take lead in the second
part of a song
• Saxophone, trumpets, replace clarinet (which
was gradually phased-out)
• Big Bands such as Tommy Dorsey, Lester Lanin
and Glenn Miller affect Dutch Hop
Instrumentation

35. Song 8: Joe Rupp Orchestra –
Antonino, Kansas – 1946 – “Antonino
Polka”
Trumpet, Clarinet, Saxaphone, Upright Bass, Upright
Piano, Accordion for Chording
Song 9: Weingardt Brothers Band –
Denver – 1951 - “Anna Barbara Polka”
Accordion, Dulcimer, Fiddle, Upright Piano
Song 10: Nile Valley Boys – Scottsbluff,
Nebraska - 1947 - “Gallop Polka”
Accordion, Dulcimer, Fiddle, Upright Piano, Upright
Bass, Baritone

36. Family Dynasties
• Weingardt (Colorado)
• Deines (Kansas, Colorado, Montana)
• Templing (Kansas)
• Basgall (Kansas)
• Kufeldt (Nebraska
• Wiedeman (Nebraska)
• Schneider (Nebraska)
• Bauer (Kansas & Nebraska)

37. The Deines Family
Georg Jakob Deines (Yawdy Op) married
Katharina Margaretha Müller in Kratzke
Russia in 1848 (both born in 1827)
• Had 10 children; 7 came to the U.S.
• Had at least 80 grandchildren
• Georg Jakob Deines died in Russia in 1882 and
was buried in Kratzke

38. Adam A. Deines – “Yawdy Adam”
•Came to the U.S. in 1900
•Had 8 Children
•Many of his grandchildren, great grandchildren,
great-great grandchildren, and even great-great-
great grandchildren became notable musicians
Left: Pete Deines, master of
the Hackbrett. Accordionist is
Wilhelm “Chicago Bill”
Deines.

39. Solomon “Solly” Deines – Master of the
Accordion, Dutch Hop Accordionist, with
his children, Harriet Deines Jennings,
Terrance & Ted Deines, 1955 – Grandson
of Adam A. Deines

40. Great Great Grandsons of Adam A., and Great-Great-
Great Grandsons of Georg Jakob Deines (6
Generations)

41. Georg Heinrich Deines
• First Deines sibling of Georg Jakob to arrive in U.S.
• Had 6 children from his first wife, Katherina Elizabeth Deines
• She died in childbirth December 27, 1898 in Milberger, Kansas; baby son died the
next day
• One of the 4 living children, Solomon, 3 years old, died less than one month later
• Remarried a widow with 5 children in Milberger, and moved to Fort Collins,
Colorado; they had 11 more children
Right: Sig
Deines plays
the organ in
Windsor,
Colorado

42. Kristoff Deines

43. Bill Deines: Leader of the Deines Trio with wife, Lizzie, and son,
Arlo. Son Vernon also an accomplished musician. Grandfather to
Steve and Rod Deines. Great-Grandfather to Steve Deines, Jr.
Sam Deines: Virtuoso on the fiddle, banjo,
and accordion. Paul Weingardt is once
quoted as saying that Sam could out-play him
on the accordion. Sam wrote the very
famous Dutch-Hop, “The Overall Polka,”
which is one of the hardest and complex
accordion-fingering Dutch Hops played (when
played correctly).
Palmer Deines: One of the top fiddle
players in Dutch Hop. Recorded with Paul
Weingardt as the Weingardt Brothers, and
with Paul’s Band, the Alpine Dutch Hops.
Took over for brother Sam’s band, “The
Jolly Polka Band.”

44. Left: Bill on the
accordion and Lizzie on
the Piano.
Right: Arlo, Bill,
and Lizzie . . .
“The Deines Trio”
Song 11: Deines Trio plays the
Deines Special

45. Sam Deines on accordion; Frankie Frank on the dulcimer; Johnny Urban on
the piano. (Early 1950’s)

46. Johnny Urban, Piano; Frankie Frank, Dulcimer;
Palmer Deines, Fiddle, Sam Deines, Accordion

47. Rod &
Steve
(to the
left)
Steve Deines above, and Steve Jr to the
right.

48. Right: Vernon and Rod Deines
Below: Rod with the Al Holman Band - 1988

49. Deineses????

50. 1955 to 1970 – the “Golden Age of
Dutch Hop!”
• Amplification
• Upright Bass replaces Cello’s bass line - Upright
Piano becomes very prevalent
• Rhythm Guitar makes appearance
• Hackbrett takes more lead on certain songs
• Entrance of Hackbrett Lieder, or Dulcimer Songs
• Saxophone more prevalent – 5 piece band
arrangement
• Trombone makes it’s entrance in the position of
the old Cello’s place for chording and rhythm

51. Song 12: Polkateers – Scottsbluff,
Nebraska – Farmer’s Polka - 1956
Accordion, Dulcimer, Trombone, Trumpet, Upright Bass
Song 13: Carl Zeller, Jr – Greeley, Colorado
– Cheer Up Sweetheart - 1966
Accordion, Dulcimer, Guitar, Upright Piano
Song 14: Jolly Polka Band “The Jolly Hops” –
Denver, Colorado – Wiedeman’s Special- 1965
Accordion, Dulcimer, Trombone, Upright Piano

52. The Masters
• Paul Weingardt

53. Song 15:
Paul Weingardt
– Dark Moon -
1962

55. The Masters
• Adolph Lesser

56. Song 16:
Helena Polka -
1963
Accordion, Dulcimer, Piano,
Upright Bass, Trombone,
Saxophone

57. 1950’s
Alex Bauer,
Scottsbluff,
Nebraska

58. 1950’s
Wiedeman
Band
Scottsbluff,
Nebraska

59. Polkateers,
Scottsbluff,
Nebraska
The Kufeldt Family

60. 1960’s

61. Dutchmasters,
Russell, Kansas

62. 1970’s
The Electronic Age of Dutch Hop Begins
• Electric Piano replaces the upright piano
• Upright Bass, Fiddle, Saxaphone – all but
disappear
• Emergence of the 4-piece bands we know still
today: Accordion, Hackbrett, Bass Piano,
Trombone

63. Albert Holman and the Polkatoons
– Loveland, Colorado
Song #17:
Fielstievel
(Felt Boots)
by Al
Holman

64. Song #18:
I’ll build You
a Castle by
the Alpiners

66. 1980’s – “Electronic Dutch Hop”
Polka Kings –
Russell, Kansas
Song #19: Dulcimer Polka – Chris
VonLintel Wedding - 1984

67. Albert Holman –
Loveland, CO
Song #20:
Sunset
Polka - 1980

68. Song #21 – “Frankie
and Connie’s Polka”
by John Fritzler and
the Polka Band

69. 1990’s to Today – The Decline of a
Genre . . . . And the Preservation of a
Heritage
• Active Bands Today
-The River Boys (Bob Schmer, Steve Deines) {Neb}
-The John Fritzler Band {Colorado}
-The Polka Nuts (Mike Gaschler) {Colorado}
-The Polka Kings (Garry Batt) {Kansas}
-The Dutch Hop Music Makers (Eckharts) {Colo}

70. • Dutch Hop Bands
-Over 40 Active Bands at one time in the
Mid 1960’s
-Five to Six Bands today
• Dances: Every Band playing every week, 2 – 3
times per week
-Today, each band may play once a month
• Dancers: 300 – 500 people at one dance
-Today, 40 – 60 people is a good “crowd”

71. Some Dutch Hop Bands have left Dutch Hop for
variety, modern, or East-Coast (Cleveland)
style of music

72. Our Dutch Hop
Lives On
Song 22: “Pole Cat Polka” – Terry
Batt’s Rocky Mountain Dutch Hop
Boys, September 25, 2011