Patriotic Music

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Patriotic Music

• Patriot one who loves his country and zealously
  guards its welfare. Funk Wagnalls Standard
  Dictionary
• Patriot a person who loves his country and
  defends and promotes its interests. Websters
  Dictionary
• Patriot a soldier who fights for love of
  country Websters Dictionary

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• Patriot an enthusiast for a cause other than
  national Websters Dictionary
• Patriot one who advocates or promotes the
  independence of his native soil or people from
  the country or union of countries of which it is
  a part (as a colony) Websters Dictionary
• Patriot one who remains loyal to his country
  when it is occupied by an enemy Websters
  Dictionary

3

• Patrioteer one who makes an ostentatious show
  of patriotism from venal or degraded motives an
  insincere, misguided, or spurious patriot
  flag-waver Websters Third New International
  Dictionary

4

• Just as patriotism can have many meanings,
  patriotic music can have many purposes.
• Musicians who perform patriotic music can have
  many motives.
• All patriots are not the same, and all patriotic
  music is not the same.
• Some patriotic music points to sublime
  philosophical ideals.
• Other patriotic music is more mundane.
• Some patriotic music is worse.

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Sublime Patriotism

• Some patriotic music seeks to promote ideas that
  are important to national identity.
• Tchaikovskys 1812 Overture was written in 1880
  to celebrate Napoleon's defeat when French forces
  invaded Russia.
• Such music reverberates with national sentiment
  without pandering to subnational interests.

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Mundane Patriotic Music

• Some patriotic music is composed and used for
  ceremonial purposes. National anthems are
  typical of this form.
• Some national anthems have powerful historical
  connections, such as well French rebel troops
  sang the La Marseillaise on the way to attack
  (and kill) the Swiss guards surrounding the
  Tuileries Palace of King Louis XVI in 1792.
• This was a major event in the French Revolution.

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• The French Revolution extended from 1789 to 1799,
  and involved highly complex interactions between
  various secular and religious elites as well as
  peasants and the bourgeoisie.
• But the drive of the revolution was to restrict
  the power of the King and to enhance the concept
  of a republican form of government.
• This resulted in the establishment of the First
  Republic of France.

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• La Marseillaise was written by a lower-ranking
  French officer and (only) moderate republican,
  Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
• He never wrote any else that was significant.
• It was popular among members of army units from
  Marseille, all of which were volunteers.
• It had highly revolutionary lyrics, and it was
  used to huge motivational effect during the
  Revolution.

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• Due to its revolutionary potential, it was banned
  by Napoleon, Louis XVIII, and also Napoleon III.
• The first and sixth verses are normally sung in
  public.
• The lyrics are

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• La Marseillaise
• Let us go, children of the fatherland,
• Our day of glory has arrived.
• Against us the bloody flag of tyranny
• is raised the bloody
• flag is raised.
• Do you hear in the countryside
• The roar of those savage soldiers?
• They come right into our arms
• To cut the throats of our sons, our comrades.
• To arms, citizens!
• (continued)

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• Form your battalions,
• Let us march, let us march!
• That their impure blood
• Should water our fields.
• Sacred love of the fatherland,
• Guide and support our vengeful arms,
• Liberty, beloved liberty,
• Fight with your defenders fight
• with your defenders.
• Under our flags, so that victory
• Will rush to your manly strains
• That your dying enemies
• Should see your triumph and glory!
• To arms, citizens!
• (Source Encyclopedia Britannica)

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• Great Britain has the oldest national anthem,
  God Save the Queen.
• Most national anthems are not very good
  musically. But some are noteworthy.
• Joseph Hayden wrote the Austrian national anthem,
  God Save Emperor Francis, which was later
  changed to Be Blessed Forever.
• The same melody was used for Germanys national
  anthem.

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• The Soviet Union used the communist hymn,
  Internationale, as its anthem until it was
  changed in 1944 to the Hymn of the Soviet
  Union.
• Internationale was written by two French workers
  in the 1800s.
• The Hymn of the Soviet Union is now the anthem
  for Russia.

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• Perhaps the greatest writer of American patriotic
  music is John Philip Sousa.
• Sousa composed many marching tunes, some of which
  are used by the U.S. armed forces.
• This type of music is not of the sublime type,
  but it does serve a useful purpose in ceremonial
  occasions.

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• Patriotic music can also have a regional or
  subnational orientation.
• The American Trilogy, performed by Elvis
  Presley is an good example of this type of
  patriotic music.
• Some patriotic music can have an extra
  connotation, like regional or theological.
• For example, the Southern (pro-Dixie) components
  of The American Trilogy could be seen as
  offensive to some people.

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• Many nations have music that is considered
  patriotic because the lyrics defend or promote a
  particular national hero.
• There were many songs written about Nelson
  Mandela of South Africa.
• Some of these songs have a pan-Africa
  orientation, as if to include the entire
  continent within the context of a single concept
  of patriotism.