Music History? around the time of WW2

[keyofg]

I have a student that asked me if I had any imformation
on music history around the time of WW2.

Does anyone know anything about it?

How perhaps music and politics were used?

How perhaps music was used to fight it?  Or anything in general about music for that time period?

Also if you have a good reference book on musical history
I'ld appreciate it,
thanks

[pianistimo]

hitler = wagner
america = sousa marches

that's what springs to mind.  my grandfather fought in wwII and seemed to have taken up whistling during or after. 

[alzado]

There were a number of great big-band numbers written during this time.

I am presently playing a piano arrangement of "Sentimental Journey," which was composed by Les Brown, the orchestra leader, along with other composers.

I believe the copyright date is 1946.

Quite a few really fine "swing" or big-band numbers date from approximately this era.

[Bob]

Avant garde, serialism, atonlity was in vogue in classical music I think.

Jazz would have been outlawed in college music schools.

Probably the beginnings of 'rock and roll' sometime around then.  The fifties bands.  I don't think there were Beatles or Elvis yet.

I believe either Kansas City or smooth jazz would have gotten started sometime around then.  I think swing is 30's and 40's for its popular period.


I'm remembering a book called something like "American Music in the 20th Century."

[counterpoint]

hitler = wagner
america = sousa marches

It's right, that Hitler was a fan of Wagner, but Wagner lived from 1813 - 1883.

Richard Strauss lived from 1864 - 1949. He was president of the Reichsmusikkammer.

Interesting article in wikipedia here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Strauss#Strauss_and_the_Nazis

[pianistimo]

strauss produced music to appease the conscience.  wagner produced music to drown it out.  i think the reason hitler liked wagner is that he identified with the gods and it gave him the musical impetus to command the stage like he was in an opera instead of on planet earth.

[thalberg]

prokofiev sonatas 6.7.8 were around ww2

[counterpoint]

Messiaen "Quatuor pour la fin des temps" (1940), "Sept Visions de l'Amen" (1943), "Vingt Regards" (1944)

[Bob]

Ah.... back then the world was all black and white and any problem could be solved in 30 minutes.... Good times, good times....




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_history_of_the_United_States#1940s_and_1950s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_history_of_the_United_States_(1940s_and_50s)


And don't forget Shostakovich.  7, 8, 9th symphonies around WWII time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shostakovich



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_of_music_in_World_War_II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_from_or_about_WW2

Springtime for Hitler, the "approved" and "not approved" Nazi music list...


I'll Be Home for Christmas, sung by Bing Crosby
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ll_Be_Home_For_Christmas

[keyofc]

thanks everyone -
I am especially glad to hear about "Sentimental Journey"
Since I love that song -and my student had asked about music in 1945 specifically in America.

I talked to someone today (a retired history teacher)  (Very hard to nail him down on one thing - since he wants to tell you everything he knows!) but he did say there were not any songs of political dissent hen in America.

And "God bless America" became popular then, he said.

Please keep your info coming if you know anything about songs during that time period
or if you have music history books you could recommend.

thanks,
keyof c