I play in the El Cajon German Band and a lot of our charts are from Eastern Europe. One of them is a polka named "DIDELDUDEL". Would you be able to help us find a translation for this title? I can find references to this word on line, but no information as to its meaning or use.
Thanks in advance.
It appears not to be a word, but rather a sequence of sound associated with song, imitative in nature: deedle-doodle. It is often repeated, and sometimes appears with extra syllables as required by the rhyme meter: didel-dudel-dei (deedle-doodle-day and also yodel-deedle-doodle, deedle-doodle-dodel). In this context, I see it associated with a few types of rhyme, song, and music, communicating simplicity and accessibility.
Context might dictate your choice: yodelay-hee-hoo; tra-la-la; oom-pah-pah; tweedle-deedle; deedle-doodle. Since the last is a simple orthographic transcription of the language sounds, it focuses on the idea of imitation, but transcribes the sounds in English rather than German orthography. This is often the best choice with such words, unless you must also use them to carry additional context info within the target culture (eg. Yodelay-hee-hoo for instant reference to yodeling; oom-pah-pah for reference to brass ensembles playing folk tunes.)
Go with deedle-doodle unless you have reason not to.
I'd agree that it's a bit of rhyming reduplication. The second part, "dudel", may come from the German word "dudeln" (translated "to tootle").
(A Dudelsackpfeifer is a bagpiper, in case you were wondering.)
Probably too obvious to mention, but compare "dideldudel" to the nonsense syllables in the song "If I Were a Rich Man" from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof", pronounced "...dighdl-deedl-dighdl digga-digga-deedl-dighdl dum".
Happens in other languages too. Recall the "man selling ice cream, singing Italian songs" in Chicago's "Saturday in the Park".
Even in languages where you wouldn't expect it: "Di-Dar" by Faye Wong
I'm told that "Di-Dar" is meant to imitate the sound of a bell ringing.