Happy Fourth of July
Hope everyone had a fabulous and safe celebration! The weather did strange things but at least the fireworks were still visible.Speaking of fireworks...
How did the 1812 Overture become an American tradition? I will never understand why it is played every single Fourth of July. It is a patriotical paradox... Written by a Russian. About Russia's victory over Napolean. Remember those bells at the end? That's supposed to be the village churches pealing out Russia's victory. Do you know La Marseillaise, the French national anthem? It appears throughout the piece but ends up succumbing as traditional Russian folk tunes take lead. I laugh every time I hear it played. If only the anti-French, anti-Communists knew the truth...
Actually, in 1812, the White House was burned by the British. We were still fighting for a new freedom, which was less than 30 years old. So to play a piece that celebrates the victory of an enemy during the Cold War... seems like treason to me. Comparatively, it be about as bad as playing the Osama bin Laden theme song, if he had one.
So, why don't we play more American pieces in its place? Don't get me wrong. Love the music, just doesn't fit our Independence Day. We could play, for instance:
Aaron Copland. Fanfare for the Common Man. A work which celebrates the equality of all mankind and criticizes income taxes. And it was written to honor American veterans.
Charles Ives. One of the most patriotic American classical composers. "Boston Common" from Three Places in New England quotes over 1,000 patriotic and march tunes.
Louis Gottschalk. Composed The Banjo. Was kicked out of the French conservatory for being too American.
More Sousa. More Stephen Foster. More jazz.
So go have a happy Fourth. And listen to lots of American music. And long live freedom!
2 Comments:
i agree. probably ninety-nine out of hundred don't know what the 1812 overture is or who it was written by or the occasion. i really am enjoying the frequency of your blogs.
I have to confess, despite being moderately musically literate, I was one of the 99 who didn't know the occasion that the 1812 Overture was written to commemorate (although I DID know who wrote it). I always wondered why a Russian had written a piece to commemorate our War of 1812 with the British. Duh! Makes sense now. Especially the La Marseillaise theme throughout the piece.
We could definitely use more Copland, Foster, and jazz, and I'd throw Gershwin in there too. Sousa needs to be moderated though. A little Sousa goes a long way.
I, too, am enjoying the frequency of your blog posts.
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