Stellenbosch Boerorkes....Soewenier Program 1938, Afrikaans text, illustrated, multi-page, landscape format, 32 pages, some marks to covers otherwise condition: very good.
Petrus Jacobus le Roux was the founder of the Stellenbosch Boerorkes. Note that he did not call his orchestra a farmer's orchestra and not a farmer's. The members of the orchestra, mainly students of Stellenbosch University, grew from a humble beginning of 16 members, so that the orchestra already had 64 members in 1938.
The orchestra included several instruments: violins, bass violins, concertinas, guitars, banjos, bandolene, accordions and pianos. There were even three saw players, of which Uncle Pietie was one. There were also singers and members who did lectures in the orchestra.
The orchestra existed for almost 30 years until 1959, and toured the country during school holidays to create appreciation for our own African folk music and raised funds for worthy causes such as the Voortrekker Monument, the Rescue Fund and Stellenbosch University. In 1943 the orchestra also made a contribution to the dry fund. By the last tour in 1956, more than R100 000 was already collected.
In a time of rise in cultural sphere, the orchestra quickly became popular and awakened a new understanding and drive for own music. Performances filled the halls. By 1944 the orchestra had already performed in 250 towns in front of 250 000 people and the newspapers reported the successful tours of the orchestra. Wreaths at graves of celebrities such as CJ Langehoven and AG Visser and at the Women's Monument were also part of the orchestra's tours.
Today several artifacts of Pietie le Roux's orchestra are preserved in the Stellenbosch University Museum. In 2005 the cultural historian, prof. Mathilda Burden, items from this orchestra included in an exhibition about orchestras in Stellenbosch and in 2018 the orchestras Magic Lantern Projector was one of the 100 artifacts exhibited during the universitys centenary festival.
