Besides smoking, the young people of the Golden Age had another habit that they indulged to excess: namely, their own form of rock ‘n’ roll. Obviously the seventeenth-century version was very unlike that of the 1950s, but it was equally entertaining and addictive. The young people of the age were musically inclined and loved to sing, preferably from specially compiled songbooks. In the Dutch Republic, singing was a popular pastime for young and old alike. The Dutch were known for their love of singing, and singing was the rock ‘n’ roll of the youngsters of the Golden Age.

They sang from songbooks that were usually compiled by one songwriter. The music consisted of familiar old tunes that had been modernized with new lyrics. These seventeenth-century songwriters were similar to today's DJs, who remix old songs and add a techno-beat. Some songwriters became celebrities, such as Gerbrand Adriaensz Bredero (1585-1618). His songs were included in many songbooks. By the time he released his own songbook, Bredero enjoyed an idol-like status, especially in his hometown of Amsterdam. He proudly named his first songbook Bredero, Amsterdam (1617). The lyrics of the songs praised everything that was Dutch and made fun of foreign habits. Bredero had a talent for such things. He satirized peasants and low-class foreigners, portraying them as boorish while at the same time glorifying the Dutch and their cities.

Bredero

Bredero was a well-known figure in Amsterdam, especially among young people. His lyrical style and topics touched the hearts of youngsters; Bredero could easily relate to them. His songs were primarily about love, and no doubt the 32-year-old poet and bachelor based his lyrics on his own amorous adventures and heartbreaks. Bredero had a reputation for falling in love with beautiful women who eventually turned him down and broke his heart. His songs and poems refer to at least eight different women.

The most famous heartbreak was caused by Maria Tesselschade, the daughter of Roemer Visscher, who was also a wellknown poet and writer. Maria's father had named her after one of his grain ships that had been wrecked off the island of Texel. Hence the name Tessel (the name of the island) and the Dutch word schade (meaning loss). Later in her life, this curious name suited her personality.