Music and Society

My family is very proud of the men in our family who fought in the American Revolution and the American Civil War, so I grew up learning about different cultural aspects to the societies that were so different and yet so similar. Probably one of the most memorable things to me when I was learning was the uses of music during the time to bring about a certain result.
“Yankee Doodle” came out just before the American Revolution and is still around even today. I know I still sing the tune over and over again whenever I am making macaroni and cheese. Originally thought up by the British during the French and Indian War, the song was meant to demoralize our troops and mock their strife and cause. But, this song is now a symbol of patriotism in this country and many different variations have been added throughout history in order to adapt to our ever-changing homeland. One version came from the Southerners during the Civil War while a completely different version—a parody-- was introduced by Billie Holiday in the 1930’s. This song is used now to rally the patriots in the country and to teach young children about the Revolutionary War when they are still in grade school and still has a deep resonance in my household today.
Civil War pieces such as “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “John Brown’s Body,” and “Dixieland” were all songs which, back then, were used in a similar fashion to the way “Yankee Doodle” is used today. These songs were sung by the soldiers as well as the civilians left at home in order to convey their own personal truths to the war, their own personal causes and reasons for their stands. The pieces were tethered directly to the ideals and beliefs of those who would sing and play them and still have a strong quality in society today. Various connotations can be ascertained, but with the collection of all of the songs from both sides of the war, a better picture of the war can be inferred. These songs were used to rally the men and women of the “separate countries”—I use that term loosely because of my own set of personal beliefs about the war—and today can still be heard to rally the citizens of this country.
These historical pieces of music are still extraordinarily prevalent in today’s society, whether it be at military functions, or children’s classes, the movies, television, books, the internet, or even in the comfortable spaces inside the many houses in America. They continue to draw upon the instinctual pride Americans have for their country, and for those who have a history of family in the wars, the fierce acknowledged pride and respect for the struggles and sacrifices for The Cause.