Introduction
Question 1
The music composers utilized on the information and events those were present during the Civil War and World War I to suit their musical works. For instance, the World War 1 was characterized by lots of chaos and havoc therefore music composed during this period was also very chaotic. The composers looked into the events of the World War 1 and came up with music which had the following characteristics: frightening, unstructured, vengeful, disturbing and violent. They composed music that painted a dark and blurred scenario full of bloodshed and need to fight for equality of human rights.
Many songs could tell how the events of the world war took place. The melodies of the war songs were accompanied by the tune of a random piano and the lyrics themselves were mysterious and unstructured. The music described how death was knocking in every corner and brought about the emotions of the members of the society. People seemed to be in confused states full of misunderstanding and chaos. Composers in the World War 1 showed how emotions varied from light hearted ones, to the darkest ones that instilled doomed in the lives of many.
On the other hand, the civil war was quite different from the events and music of the World War 1. Composers of music in the civil war based their lyrics on three major issues: the fight for freedom, the abolition of slavery and women suffrage. Many music pieces of this time tried to shed more light on need to have equality, issues of idealism and patriotism and social reforms in the society. Music in the civil war was composed in a way that it intended to do away with all forms of oppression that enslaved many individuals.
Question 2
Society considers music as a reflection of its own activities status and conditions. As such, when there is a crisis in the society, composers use music to either encourage or discourage the continuation of such the crisis. War protests were common in the United States and composers decided to use music to influence the society away from wars. Various musicians took part in this.
John Stafford Smith and Francis Scott Key composed a [piece that the Americans love to hate. It was composed in 1814 after Washington was badly been burned after a war. In the piece, they warned the Americans about the possibility of occurrence of a war. The piece warned the Americans of the effects of a war and that they should not by any chance take part in a war. However, the piece also praised America and some even proposed that it becomes the national anthem.
The Yankee Doodle Richard Schackburg was composed in 1970. The piece actually emphasized the difficulty of separating the British culture from the American culture and that such a move was likely to spur a war that would adversely affect the Americans. During the American civil wars in 1860s, the piece became one of the most sung pieces. This was in a bid to encourage the militiamen while at the same time warning them of the effects of war.
George Frederick Root is among the best piece in ken burn’s series. The American civil war had been escalating prior to the print of the piece. It was an eloquent call for volunteer troops to come in and try to pacify the situation. It also called for the entire American community to stay away from war and this apparently led to the reduction of the civil wars.
Question 3
Pop music artists have held several concerts in the US. In the concerts, artists have performed forms such as salsa, hip hop, jazz and rock. In the pieces most artists end up creating possibility of the occurrence of a war by using lines that actually create enmity among the people. In the concerts, the attendants are incited by lines that apparently convey another party as being its hater. This kind of enmity finally ends up causing a war between the opposing groups. American artists composed songs that praised the militiamen after winning the wars. This encouraged the people to engage in more wars since they were certain to triumph. They also encouraged wars by praising warriors
The composers have used their musical talents to support wars in a number of ways. The most common strategy is that they unite people together so that they can fight against one enemy. They compose songs which emphasizes on the need of harmony and patriotism in the society. The war songs raise the platform for togetherness and prepare the fighters to always be ready to attack any threat imposed.
The composers also ensure that they sing songs that create the awareness amongst individuals so that they can understand their rights and the right channel to advocate for them. Music carries strong messages that are against all forms of slavery and advocates for the freedom of every member of the society. Through this, the composers have always been in the frontline to air grievances and activate people to react in violent scenarios.
