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The CIVIL WAR in SONG. Music has always been an important part of American society and it was no different during the Civil War. The causes of the Civil War, as well as the day-to-day experiences of the soldiers were captured in the music of the times…. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The CIVIL WAR
in SONG
Music has always been
an important
part of American
society and it was no different
during the Civil War.
The causes of the Civil War, as well as the day-to-day experiences of the soldiers were
captured in the music of the times….
Military bands were called upon to play at recruitment rallies and their
patriotic marching tunes were sometimes a great incentive to inspire
young men to enlist.
Regimental bands of the Confederate and Union armies served their units in many ways. They were highly effective in attracting new recruits, and morale
boosters of the first magnitude -- playing lively marches and quicksteps to lift the spirits of war-weary soldiers on the march, and to inspire them just before and sometimes during battle.
During the winter of 1862-1863, the two great armies were camped near each other at
Fredericksburg, Virginia, separated only by the expanse of the Rappahannock River. One
cold afternoon, a band in the Union camp struck up some patriotic tunes. They were
answered from across the river by a Confederate band.
As the war dragged on, families yearned to see their young men come home. Many songs were written expressing the desire
for an end to the conflict…
Both armies listened to the musical battle and would cheer for their own bands. The duel
finally ended when both bands struck up the
tune of "Home, Sweet Home" and the men of both sides who were so
far from their homes, cheered as one.
Soldiers in both armies had their own favorite songs to sing and listen to.
Sometimes they sang while marching to keep up their spirits. Union soldiers liked
patriotic and sentimental songs. The Battle Cry of Freedom was a Union
favorite. Some other popular tunes were The Battle Hymn of the Republic, John
Brown's Body, and Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!
One of the most appealing among the hundreds of songs concerning the life of the soldier in the army was All Quiet Along The Potomac. During the long periods between major battles and campaigns, a soldier's main assignment was the lonely one of picket and sentry duty.
The song was based on an actual incident claimed as having taken place during the
time of inactivity following the first Battle of Bull Run [ July, 1861], while the forces of both sides were gathering strength. For many days the newspapers could merely
report in their headlines "All Quiet Along the Potomac," for there were no major
battles to describe, and the people were in a tense period of expectation of great events in
the future.
To listen to this song, click on the website below:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/allquiet.html
George Frederick Root (1825-1895)was an important composer, teacher, and
publisher who studied in Europe. Root wrote some of the best-known songs of the
Civil War period -- songs remembered today. They include "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!" "Just Before the Battle, Mother" and "The
Battle Cry of Freedom." The latter song was a campaign song for
Lincoln in the 1864 election.
To listen to the “Battle Cry of Freedom,” click on the website below:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/bcry.html
About 1856 William Steffe of South Carolina wrote a camp-meeting song with the
traditional "Glory Hallelujah" refrain. The tune had such an infectious swing that it
became widely known. John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the
grave used the tune and soon became popular among the Union troops.
In December 1861, Julia Ward Howe heard this version being sung, and at the
suggestion of a friend, she wrote the new words for Steffe's tune, now known as
"Battle Hymn of the Republic."
To hear this song, click on the website below:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/battle.html
Daniel Decatur Emmett, was born in Ohio. When he was sixteen he ran away to join a
traveling circus, his act being to present songs of
his own composition, with
banjo accompaniment.
Later, he traveled widely, singing and playing the banjo and violin. Emmett was
so successful that in 1842 he and three companions formed the Virginia Minstrels, the first black-face minstrel company in the
United States.His song “Dixie’s Land” became a favorite
of Confederate soldiers.
To listen to Dixie’s Land, click on the website below:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/dixie.html
The soldier was not forgotten in songs
expressing a depth of personal feeling.
"Tenting on the Old Camp Ground"
appealed particularly to them,
not as an exciting battle song, but as a description of what they were thinking.
Its author was Walter C. Kittredge of New Hampshire.
He had been drafted in the Union army in the early months of 1863, and expected
soon to leave for the front. He had been a professional singer,
so it was natural that, thinking of the coming separation from his wife
and daughter, he composed a song expressing his emotion....
To hear this music, click on the website below:
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/tenting.html
The CIVIL WAR
in SONG
Sources: Library of Congress,
Fortune City Music
Created by : P. Merrill
for Edmond Public Schools
