Author Description
To The Tune Of Yankee Doodle, The American Obsession With Politics Was Born Alongside America Itself. From The End Of The Revolutionary War Through To The Antebellum Era, Music Made Front Page News And Brought Men To Blows. Both Common Citizens And Politicians—even Early Presidents Of The Young Nation—used Well-known Songs To Fuel Heated Debates Over The Meaning Of Liberty, The Future And Nature Of The Republic, And Americans' Proper Place Within It. As Both Propaganda And Protest, Music Called For Allegiance To A New Federal Government, Spread Utopian Visions Of Worldwide Revolution, Broadcast Infringements On American Freedoms, And Spun Exaggerated Tales Of National Military Might. In Hail Columbia!, Author Laura Lohman Uncovers Hundreds Of Songs Circulated In Newspapers, Broadsides, Song Collections, Sheet Music, Manuscripts, And Scrapbooks Over The Late Eighteenth And Early Nineteenth Century. These Give Evidence That A Diversity Of Americans—elite Lawyers, Immigrant Actresses, Humble Craftsmen, And African American Abolitionists—employed Music For Political Purposes, Creating New And Deeply Partisan Lyrics To Famous Tunes Of Yankee Doodle, The Star-spangled Banner, And The Like. These Charged Versions Found Their Way To Electioneering, Tavern Gatherings, Presidential Encomia, Street Theatre, And Community Celebrations, Making Song A Political Weapon Between Neighbours And Citizens, To Hail The New Nation In Partisan Terms.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates how music functioned as a primary vehicle for political discourse and partisan conflict in the United States from the post-Revolutionary War era through the Antebellum period. Laura Lohman, a scholar of musicology, utilizes an extensive archive of broadsides, newspapers, and sheet music to demonstrate that song was not merely entertainment but a potent tool for shaping national identity. By analyzing how citizens and politicians repurposed familiar melodies to express competing visions of the Republic, the author argues that music was central to the development of early American political culture.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of political song culture from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century.
- Examination of diverse social groups including lawyers, immigrants, craftsmen, and abolitionists.
- Investigation of how popular tunes like 'Yankee Doodle' were adapted for partisan propaganda.
- Contextualization of music within electioneering, tavern culture, and public celebrations.
Scope Limits
- The study focuses primarily on the United States and does not provide a comparative analysis of contemporary European political music.
- The research emphasizes textual and historical analysis over detailed musicological or harmonic theory.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians and musicologists recognize this work as a comprehensive examination of the intersection between early American political life and popular song. Scholars frequently note the depth of the archival research, which provides a clear view of how music served as a weapon of partisan debate in the young nation.
Page Count:
304
Publication Date:
2019-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190930624
ISBN-13:
9780190930622
History
Political History
American History
18th century
19th Century
Music History
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