My Old Dutch (song)
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| "My Old Dutch" | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music cover | |
| Song by Albert Chevalier | |
| Published | 1892 |
| Composer | Charles Ingle |
| Lyricist | Albert Chevalier |
"My Old Dutch" is an 1892 music hall[1] and vaudeville[2] song performed by Albert Chevalier. The lyrics were written by Chevalier, with music composed by his brother Auguste under the name Charles Ingle.[3] Described as one of Chevalier's most popular works,[4] the song was possibly written as a tribute to Chevalier's wife Florrie.[3][5]
The song's title refers to an 1880s colloquialism for a partner or friend. The phrase has a number of suggested etymologies: three Cockney rhyming slang explanations identify the phrase as coming from "dutch plate" ("mate"), "Duchess of Fife" ("wife"), or "Dutch house" ("spouse").[6] These explanations have been scotched by researcher Gary Martin.
- "Dutch plate" was never a familiar collocation, a first requirement for adoption into rhyming slang, unlike the genuine CRS "China plate" (for "mate").
- "Dutch", short for "duchess", was used as an affectionate term in London slang long before 27 July 1889, when the Dukedom of Fife (and hence its duchess) was created.[7]
- See #1.
Chevalier, however, claimed that his wife's face reminded him of the clock face of a Dutch clock.[6]
As with many music hall songs, the lyrics dealt with poverty and sex differences. When introducing the song, Chevalier would enter dressed as an elderly Cockney man with his elderly partner. They would head towards a workhouse, whereupon the porter would separate them under the sex segregation rules. Chevalier's character would cry out in refusal, "you can't do this to us; we've been together for forty years!" The porter and woman then exited the stage, and Chevalier would begin the song.[1]
Reception
Henry Chance Newton described the song as a "famous domestic monologue". Laura Ormiston Chant commented that the song outlined "the finest sentiments of the human heart [...] in a language understood by the people". Lewis Carroll said that the song influenced public taste "towards refinement and purity".[8]