Role Of Music During The War Essay

Another thing was the music of the 1940s, the 1940s was the decade of “the crooner” as the other form of entertainment the musical entertainment also played tribute to the war by many popular songs like “God Bless America”. This songs were sometimes were taken to war and it made solders said that the music took them home and they loved it.

Francis Poulenc was born Jan. 7, 1899 in Paris. France. Poulenc, a composer who made an important contribution to French music in the decades after World War I, remains one of the best composers of the 20th century. Throughout his career Poulenc composed orchestral, chamber music, ballets, concertos, film scores, and opera, as well as powerful choral and sacred music, but only three works for piano and woodwinds.

General Lee once remarked, “Without music, there would have been no army” (Kehoe). The New York Herald concurred with Lee in 1862 when a reporter wrote, “All history proves that music is as indispensable to warfare as money; and money has been called the sinews of war. Music is the soul of Mars...” (Bowman). It is evident from these quotes the important role music played in helping soldiers from both armies cope during the war. The Civil War would have been immensely different without the considerable influence that music had on both the Union and Confederate armies. Music played a significant role in motivating soldiers to overcome their hardships in both the Union and the Confederate armies by entertaining and comforting, bringing back memories of home and family, and strengthening the bonds between comrades and helping forge new bonds.

In the memoir A Long Way Gone, author Ishmael Beah describes his survival journey as a lost child in his country, because of the civil war in Sierra Leone, then becoming a child soldier facing war daily, afterward the process that Beah went through during rehabilitation and finally in fear escaping the civil war. Ishmael Beah emotional journey has three stages of development in which Beah utilized music. In the first stage, Beah uses music as a survival mechanism to keep sane and safe. In the second stage, begins when he loses his brother and friends, Beah reaches the lowest point with the loss of his entire family again, some friends, music, and being forced to join the war. In the final stage, is the process of rehabilitation where Beah connects with music once again. Ishmael Beah exposure to music at a young age stayed with him throughout his life. (Beah, 2007, p. 5-218)

In the American Revolution, music played an important part of American culture no matter what sector of society. The music of the era served as a social commentary on the political concerns of the period aside from entertainment. The music was expressed through many forms, songs, hymns and varied instrumental musical traditions that reflected the social conditions which created it. Church music was an important source of spiritual inspiration and expression of the patriotic sentiment. The music in the Revolutionary period in the thirteen colonies varied according to region and the region’s prevalent religious views, it was used for revolutionary propaganda and expressed the tensions and sentiments of the revolutionary culture of the time.

On the day of April 12, 1861, the civil war began. It was a war between the north, or the Union, and the south, or the Confederacy over slavery. The Union had an army of nearly two million soldiers, while the south had approximately half because of their population differences. About 620,000 total soldiers died from combat, starvation, disease, or even accident. The civil war was the bloodiest battle in the history of our country and resulted in the greatest number of casualties compared to any of American war. Soldiers who fought in the civil war witnessed and experienced countless sights of death and sorrow. In order for spirits to be raised and for them to be distracted from war, music was often played or sung. Music

There were plenty of people who raised their voices and sang along to songs when the Civil War was occurring. Soldiers, however, were the most favored singers to the people they were surrounding. The main reason was that it rose up the people 's spirits and gave them more optimistic views about the war, especially since it created that "sense of national identity" that brought people together; to the Confederates this was crucial since they were a developing nation. The soldiers from both the North and South also sang for their own benefit. Music helped ease their boredom and it served as a way to pass the time, since it "entertained and comforted." The songs that were sung by soldiers were a way for them to think back to any memories from back home, like family or childhood memories. Another thing music did was strengthen "the bonds between comrades and helped forge new ones." Comrades, or soldiers, could connect

The soldiers in the war had a chance to visit other plantations where some of their family and friends were located. They sung to express their oppression and true feelings of this enslaved environment and the struggles that came with it. The songs used animal characters to supplement the slaves and their masters and were very popular and powerful. This was also a part of

The Allies and the Axis, two opposing alliances battled each other from 1939 to 1945 with an estimation of over 60 million causalities. With the surprise aerial attack from Japan on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, many musical artists were underway with recording war-themed songs. “Music played its role, whether as an instrument of blatant propaganda or as a means of entertainment, and uplift, music pervaded homes and concert halls, army camps and government buildings, hospitals and factories.” World War II had a colossal effect on the growth of jazz music, which also performed a part in the United States’ war effort. “Jazz and jazz-influenced popular music were a rallying cry for U.S. servicemen, and helped as well to boost the morale of loved ones at home, who by listening to patriotic and romantic songs on the radio and on their phonographs were encouraged to wage war on the home front.” In 1943 Bing Crosby recorded the infamous “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” track with its intention of praising the soldiers fighting for the American citizen overseas in Europe. Christmastime in the United States is revolved around spending time family and friends. Once World War II was underway, the typical rituals performed around this time were broken. Crosby’s song recognized the belief that even if things have changed, the loved soldiers, fathers, anyone in context overseas

Music was important to the Union and also to the Confederacy. The troops sang on battlefields, around campfires and while marching. They sang to make

The music that was present in World War II was extremely versatile and happy, which helped keep spirits high among everybody. Styles such as swing, blues, and jazz were popular music styles at the time. By the end of 1941, 96.2% of Americans owned radios. This granted greater access to music and information on the war. This is in contrast to World War I, where most citizens of the world were not as connected to the war through radio. In a way, the mass distribution of music was unifying for the American citizens and troops. However, many African-American musical artists used music to highlight the hypocrisy of the Americans fighting for freedom at that time because there was still a lot of segregation and discrimination in the United States and in it’s military.

Throughout all the anti-war protests and marches during the Vietnam War, it is interesting to note the changes in the music of that time. From the beginning of the war, where support and loyalty from Americans was present in songs, to the end of the war, where anger and distrust was evident in musical lyrics, American’s opinion changed about the war. This change in opinion was easily recognized by the altering of musical lyrics about the war when Americans grew tired of the constant sending of U.S. troops to Vietnam. The growing dissatisfaction with the Vietnam War led to increasing levels of anger and hostility in the popular music of the time.

Throughout time, music has been an influential part of society. As a form of entertainment and expression, its impact has always been felt both economically and emotionally. During the Vietnam war, music evolved into more a form of expression rather than pure entertainment. Emotionally charged songs became a method to oppose the war, and vent frustrations. While many songs opposed the war, numerous others focused on peace and happiness. They provided a positive perspective in an otherwise depressing time. Along with incorporating passion into music, cultural diversity increased in music greatly. Black artists became progressively more popular and accepted in the musical scene. This respect

The major war of World WarⅡhad a bigger impact on the music that surrounds us more than most realize. The war caused many gradual changes such as, the change into musical groups instead of Big Bands, musician royalty payment, and the limit to materials used in musical instruments. Between 1941 and 1951 bands have became smaller because of expenses and obstacles from the war. During the musicians protest there was the want for royalty payment for albums and artists. Lastly, the war caused a limit in the materials used to make musical instruments.

Music for a Time of War is a 2011 Oregon Symphony concert recording of four compositions: Charles Ives' The Unanswered Question (1906), John Adams' The Wound-Dresser (1989), Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem (1940) and Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 4 (1935). The program was performed on May 7 and May 8 under the artistic direction of Carlos Kalmar at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (pictured) in Portland, Oregon, and again on May 12 at Carnegie Hall. A concert album, the orchestra's first in eight years, was released five months later on CD by Dutch record label PentaTone Classics. The live performances and album received favorable reviews; the recording debuted at number 31 on Billboard's Classical Albums chart, and made several