Popular Song Topics in the Dutch Republic

A Data-Driven Study into Topical Fluctuations in the Dutch Song Database (1550-1750)

Abstract

This article investigates popular topics and topical fluctuations in a diachronic corpus of 43,772 Dutch songs, all written between 1550 and 1750, contained within the Dutch Song Database. Computational methods such as topic modelling are used to analyse the relationship between topical changes and cultural-historical developments. Two cultural trends are used as case studies: the role of Petrarchism, and the articulation of a patriotic identity in early modern Dutch song culture. Furthermore, this data-driven approach reveals how subcategories can be defined within the existing but incomplete genre classification in the song collection. The results obtained contribute to a better understanding of the richness of the Dutch Song Database, and will facilitate the use of the song collection by future users.