War Songs Research Articles

Songs of War

Russia's war on Ukraine has highlighted how Russia and Ukraine conceptualize differing narratives of the region's history, and how this is reflected in current popular music. This article looks at how popular music is used by both conflict partners by analyzing songs published on social media during the full-scale invasion's first phase. Here, a pattern emerges: songs being reworked, memetic songs drawing on specific occurrences or weapons emerging, and previously existing songs being used as anthems. While these strategies have been heard in past wars, a new dynamic is at work: The output from the current war is interesting due to the use of footage from the battlefield, the speed of reaction and the distribution of the songs aided by social media, and the continuity of musical material as well as support from outsiders. These processes have made social media platforms an important part of the ongoing war.

Irish American Civil War Songs: Identity, Loyalty, and Nationhood

Irish American Civil War Songs: Identity, Loyalty, and Nationhood

Irish American Civil War Songs: Identity, Loyalty, and Nationhood by Catherine V. Bateson (review)

Irish American Civil War Songs: Identity, Loyalty, and Nationhood by Catherine V. Bateson (review)

Ethnic pornography in the Balkans: national identity between sex and violence

ABSTRACT Examining four cases from the cultural production tied to the former Yugoslavia and its cultural legacies, this article introduces the notion of ethnopornography, a practice of laying bare the trappings of violence and sexuality in a post-imperial context. Moving across historical periods, the article analyzes the uses and abuses of the human body in The Bridge on the Drina by the Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić, the popular oral epic “Marko Kraljević and Džemo Brđanin,” Croatian war songs, and “Balkan Erotic Epic,” a performance art piece by Marina Abramović. Working through the theories of Sigmund Freud and Michel Foucault, it sheds new light on the political unconscious of the South Slavic region. The article presents the sadomasochist dynamic inherent in cultures and societies that have been marginalized owing to centuries of foreign imperial domination.

“May There Always Be Sunshine!”: A Symbol of Childhood in Soviet and American Cold War Songs

Introduction. The article is the first to study the use of the symbol of childhood by the USSR and the USA songs for the representation of Cold War issues. Methods and materials. Based on the methodology of constructivism, the author analyzes the reasons for the politicization of the image of childhood and the role of popular music as an instrument of symbolic politics. Qualitative content analysis is used to examine more than 400 songs of the USSR and the USA related to Cold War issues; about 70 of them use the symbol of childhood. The symbol of childhood in the Soviet song. A study of USSR songs demonstrates that images of children were an important component of the “cultural Cold War” on the musical front. The symbol of childhood in the American song. U.S. musical pieces contributed significantly to the legitimation of the Cold War and the construction of images of “us” and “them,” including with the help of images of children. Results. The comparative analysis shows that in both the USSR and the USA, it was used to represent such issues as peace, war, security, nuclear weapons, freedom, justice, and the future of humanity. Not only did it create the image of the enemy, but it also deconstructed it by showing the similarity of the two nations in basic values, including attitudes toward children. In addition to the common features, songs in the USA and the USSR also reveal different characteristics. In the former, children are primarily the object of defense; in the latter, they are also subjects of politics and active fighters for peace. In the former, one can find negative images of childhood in the USSR; in the latter, young Americans are first and foremost children, just like everyone else. In the Soviet song, these images remain practically unchanged; in the American protest song, the symbol under study is used to delegitimize the policy of the authorities.

“The War Songs Continue ’til They Find Peace”: Music and the Politics of Death on the Ethio-South Sudanese Border

Abstract Discrimination and violence have characterized inter-ethnic dynamics on the Ethiopian–South Sudanese border since the 1990s. Local musicians compose songs decrying the violence, calling for peace in their communities. Simultaneously, these same artists compose songs with divisive rhetoric, particularly during and after outbreaks of ethnically based killings. I argue that this dual promotion of peace and conflict is not contradictory but is logical in the context of decades of violence and trauma. Artists and their listeners consider violence necessary for self-defense, which does not preclude a genuine desire for positive inter-ethnic relations. These logics have implications for applied ethnomusicology in conflict zones.

"May That Never Be Forgotten": Analyzing Regimes of Historicity in Adyghe Colonial War Songs

"May That Never Be Forgotten": Analyzing Regimes of Historicity in Adyghe Colonial War Songs

Chansons de geste, de croisade et de guerre. Theorie en faveur d'un simple compagnonnage

This contribution, which salutes the work of François Suard on the relationships he was able to establish between the chanson de geste and the chanson de croisade, nonetheless returns to some of his conclusions. If the crusade epic exists, it must then be clearly distinguished, as Marjolaine Raguin-Barthelmebs esteems, from the lyrical, brief and personal crusade song, as illustrated by Conon de Béthune, Guy de Coucy, Thibaut de Champagne or Bertrand de Born. The theme of intertextuality no longer arises, as can be understood, in the same terms, especially as the introduction of the war song into the corpus tends to complicate the relationships and possible inter-influences. Our working hypothesis would be that crusade song and war song are written in the shadow of the epic, in that these forms benefit from the same nutrient, war and for this reason, constitute a twig in the generic story of the song of gesture, without being able to speak of transgenericity.

Dīwān ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād : A Literary-Historical Study, written by James E. Montgomery War Songs, written by ʿAntara b. Šaddād

Dīwān ʿAntarah ibn Shaddād : A Literary-Historical Study, written by James E. Montgomery War Songs, written by ʿAntara b. Šaddād

When Johnny comes marching home

Patrick Gilmore’s ‘When Johnny Comes Marching Home’ is one of the best-known American Civil War songs. By addressing the return of a single soldier—Johnny—it promises those who enlist a glorious return and the appreciation of a grateful society. As a piece of propaganda, it has been remarkably resilient, outliving the conflict for which it was composed and even today is frequently performed by military marching bands within the United States. But the song contains a level of ambiguity which allows it to be reimagined. It is this ambiguity that has allowed it to evolve, and even whilst retaining its original meaning, it has become its own antithesis, decrying the indifference of society to the plight of the returning soldier and highlighting the cost of their sacrifice.

The ‘Sunshine Song’: The Biography of an Australian Imperial Force (AIF) Soldiers’ Chorus

The deep links between music and war demonstrate the centrality of music in wartime. However, most soldier compositions are ephemeral, lost because of their topicality and limited circulation. This article explores the history and significance of the ‘Sunshine Song’, a popular chorus with Australians in World War I. It further distinguished itself by making the transition to the civilian repertoire, something few war songs accomplished, remaining in circulation until at least the mid-1960s. This article offers an analysis of its merits, and its place in history as a rare surviving successful Australian wartime chorus.

The Untold Story of Warriors: Integrity, Bravery and Affection

Purpose: Oral art is the wheel that propels the turbine of human interactions. A person employs oral poetry texts to express emotions, sentiments, experiences, opinions and affections. The aim of this study was to explore the themes, the figures of speech and the point of views of Anlo poets in selected Anlo war song texts.
 Methodology: Qualitative approach and thematic analysis were employed. Natives of Anlo constituted the population under study. Primary data was collected through interviews and observations in Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region of Ghana. Ten respondents, whose age was between seventy and eighty were selected through snowballing.
 Findings: The study found out that Anlo war song texts consist of themes such as love, command, vow, unity, praise, patriotism and inspirations. In order to hide their intensions and thoughts from their enemies, they intentionally sing in figures of speech since it is difficult to be understood by non-native speakers. Aside the themes and point of view, devices such as idioms, proverbs, repetitions, assonance, alliteration, parallelism and synecdoche were discovered by the study as literary devices used in singing these war song texts. It was also revealed that the poets use the first person and the third person’s point of view to deliver their messages. Literary devices are employed in Anlo war songs as a mean of establishing and reinforcing the relationships between the warriors and their ancestors who were warriors.
 Conclusion: The persistent and regular use of literary devices in Anlo war songs suggest that literary device is the language of the warriors of the Anlos when singing war songs.
 Recommendations: The study suggested that Anlo war song texts should be published in local and foreign languages to preserve the culture of the people. Also, the study of these songs in Senior High Schools as part of oral literature is recommended as it would be of great value to appreciate and preserve the genre.

Вокальный цикл Франца Легара «Из железного времени» и грани австрийского патриотизма 1914–1918 годов

For the first time in Russian science, the article examines in detail the vocal cycle of Franz Lehár “From the Iron Age” (“Aus eiserner Zeit”, 1915), which reflected the realities of the First World War. The classic of the new Vienna operetta appears in this work as a tragic artist. His traumatic, personal experience causes a radical experiment. It is peculiarly inscribed in the broad German and Austrian tradition of the Lied genre. The author of the article analyzes five songs included into the series, as well as the context of their creation. Lehár's composition correlates with the concept of a political order. Thus the author comes to the following conclusion: the propaganda orientation of the composer's war songs has been transformed into a deep lyrical statement. There are highlighted the features of form and style, compositional techniques. One of the features of the composer's approach is irony on the edge of tragic grotesque. At the same time, the mastery that Lehár invariably demonstrates in stage compositions remains unchanged and obvious in the small form of the intimate composition. Attention is paid to the literary basis of the works, biographical information about the composer's co-authors, archetypes and prototypes, the concept of “patriotism” in the Austrian national and artistic tradition.

Irish American Civil War Songs: Identity, Loyalty, and Nationhood by Catherine V. Bateson (review)

Irish American Civil War Songs: Identity, Loyalty, and Nationhood by Catherine V. Bateson (review)

An Analysis of the Outcomes of Language Contacts: with Specials Reference to Arabi-Malayalam

Until the 20th century, the AM script was extensively used to teach religious literature and for creative expressions among Mappilas (Muslims in Malabar) in Kerala. Most of the Mappila songs were written in AM script. The literary tradition of Mappila Muslims of Malabar is evident in the AM literature that includes Romantic Ballads, Folk Tales and Battle Songs. AM periodicals had an important role in the social reformation of the Mappilas. Several periodicals were published in AM language to preach the basic tenets of Islam to the commoners and to make them aware of the evil practices and superstitions existed in those days. This study treats AM as a contact language and it aims at isolating the contact induced elements in AM. The empiric foundation of the present study is the extensive data collected from AM literature representating different period and from different genres. The works used for data collection were Mohiyudheen Maala (1607 A D), Nool Maduhu (1737 AD), The Padappattu (War Songs) of Moyeen Kutty Vaidyar (1852AD to 1892 AD), and Chaar Dharwesh (1883 AD). The results of this study indicate that there are various borrowing patterns of grammar that occur in ARABI-MALAYALAM language contacts such as; Coordinating Conjunctions, Number Markers, Adjectives etc.

On the Three Stages of Mass Communication of Anti-Japanese War songs

On the Three Stages of Mass Communication of Anti-Japanese War songs

PROVOKING PATRIOTIC SENTIMENTS THROUGH WAR SONGS:AN INTERTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF PAKISTANI [INDO-PAK] WAR SONGS

This study explores the linguistic forms which are employed in the war time songs to evoke the sentiments of patriotism. The present study utilizes Discourse Historical Approach to better understand and analyze the lyrics of the songs. DHA’s four levels of analysis and the sociopolitical circumstances, were employed to look for commonly emerging themes in the selected text. The study reveals the themes of persuasion to join jihad, nationalism, interstate conflict and intertextuality. The Pakistani War songs evoke the sentiments of patriotism with a focus on tophi, figurative speech and other linguistic devices such as nomination, adjectives, and hyperboles. Findings of this study may be utilized while writing patriotic songs to evoke social cohesion among multi-ethnic citizens and call for peace on the borders.

Civil War Song in Black and White: Print and the Representation of the Spirituals

This article explores how White writers wrote about African American spirituals during and after the Civil War. While these writers tended to view Black speech as deficient, they were willing to regard Black musical expression as simply different, paving the way for its eventual nationalization as “American music”. Noting that White writers were not in the habit of admitting the inadequacies of their preferred modes of representation, the article concludes that the print representation of the spirituals contributed to a transformation of what was meant by the word “American”.

Anlo War Songs: The Linguistic Prowess of Warriors

Purpose: Language is the heart of every communication. The choice and use of language determine the appropriateness and clarity of the speaker’s intentions. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the composers of Anlo war songs employ literary devices in their compositions to realize the intended purposes.
 Methodology: Anlo war songs are always replete with themes and figurative messages. The research approach was purely qualitative as data for analysis was ethnographically gathered through observation and interview. The population was the natives of Anlo-Ewes. Primary data was collected from three Anlo communities. Fifteen respondents (eight women and seven men), whose ages were between seventy and ninety years were selected for the study through snowballing. Hogbetsotso and Godigbe festivals of the chiefs and people of Anlo and Aflao were visited for data saturation. Five songs were selected out of the twelve for the study through simple random sampling.
 Findings: It was discovered that a lot of literary devices are used in the Anlo war song. Idioms, proverbs, repetitions, personifications, symbolism, rhymes, imagery, pun on a line, alliteration, assonance, parallelism, synecdoche and apostrophe were identified from the songs and analyzed. It was revealed from the analysis that repetition, symbolism, imagery and rhyme are common in all the songs. Composers do this to ensure that they are emphatic, explanatory and meaningful, and there is also musical harmony in their compositions.
 Recommendations: The paper suggested that stakeholders of the Anlos should initiate programs to create awareness in the people about the language use in singing of Anlo war songs. Inter-cultural education should be intensified to wipe out the erroneous impression that Anlo war songs are demonic. Anlo war songs should be documented and taught in schools serving Ewe communities to preserve the cultural heritage of the people. The value in the language used in singing Anlo war songs should be shared with the outer world by translating and publishing them in the local and foreign languages.

Songs of Famine and War: Irish Famine Memory in the Music of the US Civil War

This article illuminates ways in which memory of Ireland's Great Famine or ‘an Gorta Mór’ (1845–1852) shaped US music during the US Civil War (1861–1865). Among scholarship on Irish Americans in the Civil War, few sources substantively address lingering memories and trauma from the Great Famine. Yet, a significant amount of the estimated 1.6 million Irish immigrants living in the US in 1860, 170,000 of whom enlisted in the war, were famine survivors. Music's unique role in emotional life offers robust source material for understanding famine memory in this transnational context. Adopting a concept of ‘private, secret, insidious trauma’ from Laura Brown and Maria P.P. Root, as well as understanding Jeffrey Alexander's ideas about cultural trauma as a sociological process, the article highlights a some of the ways in which famine memories emerged in music-making during the war. Case studies include a survey of US sheet music, the transnational performance and reception history of the song ‘Kathleen Mavourneen’, and research on the life of the northern Union army's most successful bandleader, Patrick Gilmore, who left Athlone, in Ireland famine-ravaged West, as a teenager in the late 1840s. The approach is inherently transatlantic, accounting for histories that occurred in the United States, Ireland and the broader Atlantic world dominated by Britain. The essay illustrates how music can contribute to social history, ways in which the application of research on trauma can inform musicological work, and ways in which traumatic memories can emerge across time and distance, particularly in diasporic contexts.