Music has often been a vital part of human history. Often specific types or even specific pieces of music came to symbolize and in some cases immortalize historical events.
"Popular music is the soundtrack to much of our history. When Revolutionary War soldiers went off to war, they did so to the tune of “Yankee Doodle.” Abolitionist songs, sung by groups like the Hutchinson Family Singers, brought the anti-slavery message to hundreds if not thousands. As Americans faced each other in battle, the army in blue took heart from the strains of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” while soldiers in grey rallied to “Dixie.” Nineteenth-century men courted their sweethearts to the tunes of Stephen A. Foster, while slaves in the cotton fields found solace in spirituals. Union organizers led working-class men and women in choruses of “Union Maid,” Doughboys went off to war humming “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” and Depression-era optimists as well as cynics could be heard to sing “Happy Days Are Here Again.” In every era, music has reflected—and shaped—social and cultural change, political choices, and mass protest and support for government policies. Each of us knows that a familiar song from the past can produce a vivid memory of an event, a person, or a movement we were once a part of. Popular music is thus a vital primary source in the classroom, able to evoke a bygone era or provide a starting point for us to present the historical context in which events occurred." Read Article: www.gilderlehrman.org/history-now/2012-06/from-editor Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2016
Categories |