Music has over the years been a part of politics. Many people use music to express their emotions. Therefore, music since the colonial era was used by many groups of people to champion for their rights and freedoms. Although music has always been a tool for democratic movements, it is not clear how the general public relates the music on the political level. Music depending on the themes explored often expresses the feelings of the songwriters. Songs have been used over years to display patriotism amongst countrymen. This is displayed in the campaign songs during political rallies and the National Anthems that display the true virtues and beliefs upheld by the people in their countries.
In most cases, songs often are used to express a particular political message which might be only understandable to the people of the same political parties and in some cases it champions for the rights and freedom of the common citizen of a country. There might be barriers to the transmission of certain messages through songs to the relevant people. In most case this is done purposely by the author of the music lyrics with an intention of hiding the true intended meaning of the message embedded in the music itself ("Jean Sibelius - Musical Nationalism.").
Music has evolved from genre to genre through many generations and many forms of musical instruments. Some of the musical bands that ever existed might have started off as a political affair addressing the political challenges that face the then generation. Music in the years has been deemed political by the way of association with a particular age group in the society. This is to say that the prevalence and popularity of music in the society often depends on a person’s age. For instance, the western pop and rock bands, for example, The Beatles were censored by the state in the Eastern block at around the years the 1960s and 1970. During this period, many young people who symbolized an evidence of social change in the society embraced the genre of music. As a result, this shows the possible outcome of discrepancy between the political intents of a musician and just the social intentions. Which in most cases, musicians often make their music and their lyrics directed towards the social part of the society.
Throughout the history, music and musicians have always incorporated a little bit of politics. Such music in most cases incorporates colorful tones heart racing rhythms and meaningful lyrics that in most cases addresses the issues in the society which politics can help change and instigate certain development plans in society. These themes discussed in the song can at times influence change in the society ad inspire the mass to vote for those development conscious leaders. The songs are often the movements of change.
History has it that the Greeks were among the first people to realize the power of music in the society. They acknowledged that music can have a great influence in the political field. The Greeks used music to inspire democracy in the Republic. They also understood the role music would play in rebelling against their government incase there erupts a controversial issue. As a matter of fact, Plato had warned that any musical invention is full of danger to the entire state and should be shunned forthwith. When there are musical changes in the country, and the music genres diversify, the basic and important laws of the country also tend to change with them. In America, music was used in the cotton farms as a form of protest against the level of slavery that had hit the entire nation. The Same effect applied to the biblical stories when the Israelites were held captive in Egypt. They used music as a tool to break free from the bondage of slavery.
Some of the rock music which were played by artists such as Bob Dylan was instrumental in the fight against the Vietnam war and at the same time they expressed great interest in eradicating social inequality. The Same case was experienced by the rap music in the late 80s, which pointed out some issues with the government’s inequality. Groups such as NWA spread stories about the police brutality and the racial discrimination that occurred during this period. They also expressed the level of poverty in the ghettos where most of the rap musicians came from. They sang about the poverty they faced and the need for the poverty and inequality to be eradicated in the society. Consequently, some of the huge stars like U2, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna often directed their political beliefs and desires in the songs and live shows, which they were invited to.
Music, which was specifically meant to express political agendas, were meant to be not only appealing to the oppressed but also to those people who were compassionate enough to the cause as well. The musicians, therefore, realize the amount of power they have to inspire the people to act towards achieving a particular political agenda. Some modern musicians have the art of combining the past medieval and Renaissance period. This art merges the stardom in the past with the modern equipment. It brings a great relationship between the past and the present through the merging of music genres.
Music changes with every decade. There are technological inventions that change the overall recording process and boost the recording process making the recorded music of great quality. The technological instruments lead to the development of new beats for music and hence differentiate the forms of music over the decades. For instance, there is a significant distinction between the hip-hop music in the 80s and the modern hip-hop music. They majorly differ I the quality of the recording instruments used and the methods of rap.
Music is well known to be used in expressing various views by composers. Among the views include signs of nationalism. Musicians have played a great role in the history of their countries through music. Among such people is Jean Sibelius. He was a finish composer that used his music in developing the Finish national identity. His composition came during the late Romantic period and made use of his symphonies as his composition style. He expressed and let his personal views and feelings about political issues be known during various political events ("Jean Sibelius - Musical Nationalism").
Some of the famous pieces of that made Sibelius and his efforts be recognized include The Swan of Tuonela, Valse Triste, and Finlandia. During his early years up to the mid-1920s, Sibelius prodigiously wrote his works and later remained to do small works from when he was in his thirties to the rest of his life. When he was sent to a Finnish-speaking school, that is when he developed the idea of nationalism. He was born into a Swedish-speaking family in 1865 on December 8th. He explores the idea of nationalism while in school and therefore it had a major influence on his political views that he aired through the art of music (Bondea).
Looking at his piece that he composed, Finlandia that greatly influenced the history of Finland, he had some enduring works. Sibelius composed Finlandia that was later most of the times adopted as the nations' second anthem. Finland was a beleaguered Grand Duchy of the Soviet Empire during in the year 1899 that he composes Finlandia. The piece introduced the theme of nationalistic fervor that was due to the various symbols of resistance that were encouraged by the piece (Bondea). The piece had great patriotic and national identity message that ensure it served as a rallying force behind the nation's fight for independence in the early twentieth centuries.
Sibelius’s Finlandia piece was composed and played when the political climate was harsh as there were political repression and a lot of censorship. There were Finnish nationalism ideals that were embodied in Finlandia as they originated from the nations’ traditional folk and stir as it expressed the hymn-like passage that was expressed triumph over Swedish and Russian cultures (Bondea). The piece encouraged a full Finish anthem that could dissociate the Finnish people from Russian and Swedish cultures.
Sibelius Finnish influence was from the nations traditions that were greatly illustrated in the Western Europe. The Finnish nation had a rich heritage of folklores and additional related music. There was the great isolation of Finland as it was located in the remote north of Europe. It was away from the court life that at that time was a patronizing factor to arts and music. Its alienation contributed to the nation's separation from Europe's cultural mainstream (Bondea).
The folk heritage in Finland developed late and included oral traditions that had their origin from the nation’s ancient folk heritage. There were individuals such as Elias Lonnrot that influenced Sibelius in his work. Elias had poetry that was of Karelian epic and Kalevala that was a collection of the Finnish poetry. The political climate that influenced Sibelius to composer his piece of Finlandia among others was tense. The revival of the Finnish folklore had a great influence on the Finnish identity (Bondea). The piece Finlandia resembled a symphonic poem that had melodrama in most of its composition from the narrator, orchestra and male voices and a setting that Finnish setting. There were strong texts that were patriotic words in the composition that includes calling people Noble sons of Finland, expressed freedom and ensuring there was no political slavery. Finlandia is one of the major accomplishments that music has been associated with politically.
Works cited
Bondea, "Finland Awakes! Nationalism In Sibelius’S Finlandia | Music 242 – Spring 2014". Pages.stolaf.edu. N.p., 2014. Print. 8 May 2016.
"Jean Sibelius - Musical Nationalism." Sites.google.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 8 May 2016.
