Patriotism in Music of Lee Greenwood, Jean Sibelius, John Legend and Others

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Lee Greenwood – God Bless the USA
Jean Sibelius – Finlandia
America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates
John Legend – In America
Chopin – Revolutionary Etude
Oscar Chávez – Las Mañanas de Hidalgo
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Patriotism is referred to as love, a sense of attachment, and devotion to one’s country. Patriotism is shown in music whereby artists express their love and dedication for their countries. American patriotic music is a culture for the United States that enhances patriotism for the country and enhances national unity. Songs that act as drivers of national unity are military themes, hymns, songs from poems, and music from the screen. Music can bring a sense of unity by examining its function in every individual’s life. By investigating the purpose that music plays in our lives, it is easier to tell why people create or listen to any music. Patriotism is shown in music whereby musicians sing to express their love, sense of attachment, and devotion towards their country.

Lee Greenwood – God Bless the USA

God Bless the USA is a patriotic song in America that Lee Greenwood recorded. He wrote this song to show the love, pride, and affection that he had for his country. For instance, he quotes that he is proud to be an American (Greenwood, 2016, 0:48). Lee Greenwood claims that if he were to lose everything and begin from nothing, he would start over in the united states. This is because he trusts that his freedom is only found in the United States

Various musical characteristics are used in this song, such as dynamics, sustained pitch, and harmony. There is the use of piano for dynamics whereby the degree of loudness is soft (Greenwood, 2016, 0:10). Another musical characteristic used in this song is sustained pitch, whereby Lee maintains a steady state at its maximum intensity. He also uses harmony in his music, whereby more than he uses more than one note. Patriotism is shown in his song, whereby he says that he can stand up and defend his country at all costs.

Jean Sibelius – Finlandia

Finlandia is a tone poem that was written in 1899 by Jean Sibelius. The tone poem was composed as a result of the press celebrations to protest against the rise of censorship from the Russian. To prevent censorship from the Russian Empire, Finlandia was to be performed under various names in different musical concerts. Patriotism was shown in this tone poem by the press celebrations’ desire to end censorship. Censorship is whereby citizens are denied their rights to speech and expression. The press celebrations showed their love and affection to other people by giving them back their freedom of speech and expression.

Various musical characteristics are used in this tone poem, such as the beat, tempo, and rhythm. The beat is simply the pulse of the music that shows how slow or fast the tone flows. For instance, the tone of the poem is fast (Sibelius, 2012, 0:40). Another musical characteristic that is applied in Finlandia is tempo. The speed of the beat that is in this is sometimes slow and, at times, medium. Rhythm is also used as a musical characteristic in Finlandia. The pitches in this tone poem are properly organized in a consistent beat.

America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates

America the beautiful is a song that shows patriotism and is written by Katherine Lee Bates. She originally wrote the song as a poem in 1895. Katharine was on a train trip when she got inspired to write the song. Some of the insights that inspired her to write the song are the World’s Columbian Exposition. The Columbian Exposition was in Columbia, where there is an instance of patriotism as saw a promise of the future in the white buildings. As the train was riding on the fantastic view of the Great Plains, she got inspired as the words of the poems got to her mind. Once the poem was published, it quickly got attention from the American people as it indicated love and affection towards Chicago and America as a whole.

Different musical characteristics have been used in this song to aid in distinguishing various styles and pieces that are used in this song. One musical characteristic is Timbre, whereby there is more than one instrument in this song. For instance, more than one instrument is used while performing the song (Bates, 2013, 1:31). A sustained pitch is another musical that is used in this patriotic song. Tempo is also used, whereby the speed of the beat of this song is moderate.

John Legend – In America

In America is a song written by John Legend in which he sang about optimism and hope for the people who have an idea of succeeding in America. He quoted that he was inspired to write the song by the duality of America. This song describes the tensity among the promises of America, the epitomes of America, and at times not living by the ideals. Legend quotes that he broke his back for America, which is an indication of patriotism. One musical characteristic used in this song is melody-accompaniment, whereby other voices are heard performing in the background (Legend, 2017, 1:58). Homophony is another musical characteristic since Legend’s voice is used as the melody and the other voice serves as a support. Another musical characteristic used in this song is chordal, whereby all voices are in the same rhythm.

Chopin – Revolutionary Etude

Revolutionary etude is a solo work of piano written by Chopin. He wrote the solo piano work in dedication to his friend Franz. An etude occurred at the same time as the November uprising in 1831. Chopin quotes that after the failure of the revolution over Russia, he was under so much pain that no one could have seen. This is a gesture of patriotism from Chopin since the failure of the revolution brought him a lot of pain that no one could have predicted. Works that are made to develop a good aspect of the musical technique are fully shown in this song. The main theme in revolutionary etude is playing along and a loud descending tone.

Various musical characteristics are used in this song. The use of tempo is one of them where the speed of the beats is relatively fast (Chopin, 2008, 1:07). Rhythm is another musical characteristic that is used in revolutionary etude. The pitches in the songs are organized in the right manner and a consistent beat. Scale is another significant musical characteristic used in revolutionary etude. Scale is a pattern of notes that makes the melody in a song familiar.

Oscar Chávez – Las Mañanas de Hidalgo

Las Mañanas de Hidalgo is a Spanish song written by Oscar Chavez. The song was originally written in Spanish, explaining how a Roman Catholic Priest rang the church bell signaling the arms that started the war towards independence. This is a patriotic song since it indicates how the Catholic Priest was full of love and affection for his countries to alarm the freedom fighters. As a result, the fight for independence started in the small town of Dolores. The movement began when Jose Bernado went to the Catholic Priest to ask for help.

Several different musical characteristics were used in this song that helped initiate the movement towards the independence movement. For instance, Timbre is used whereby there are more than two voices used in performing this song. More than two voices are used to undertake the same melody in Las Mañanas de Hidalgo (Chávez, 2010, 0:27). Heterophony is also used in this song, whereby one voice is more work than the others while singing the song. Homophony is also another musical characteristic that is evident in this song. One voice is used as the melody while performing, whereas other voices that are heard are used in supporting him.

Conclusion

In conclusion, patriotism is the love, affection, and sense of attachment that musicians express through their work of music. American patriotic music is a culture for the United States that enhances patriotism for the country and enhances national unity. The first song is God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood. In this song, it is evident that Lee is proud to be an American and can stand up and fight for his country. In Finlandia by Jean Sibelius, patriotism was shown in this tone poem by the press celebrations desire to end censorship.

Moreover, in America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates, patriotism is shown when she travels by train and sees the beautiful countries in the United States. In Chopin – Revolutionary Etude, patriotism is shown when the failure of revolution brought Chopin a lot of pain no one could have predicted. For Oscar Chávez – Las Mañanas de Hidalgo, patriotism is indicated where the Roman Catholic Priest was full of love and affection for his country. He ensured he alarmed the freedom fighters to free New Spain from the Spanish rulers. All of the above songs indicate how patriotism is shown in music by artists in different parts of the world.

References

Bates, K. L. (2013). America The Beautiful. YouTube. Web.

Chávez, O. (2010). Las Mañanas de Hidalgo. YouTube. Web.

Chopin, F. (2008). Revolutionary Etude. YouTube. Web.

Greenwood, L. (2016). God Bless the USA. YouTube. Web.

Legend, J. (2017). In America. YouTube. Web.

Sibelius, J. (2012). Finlandia. YouTube. Web.

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