Unit 1: American Vibes (Tle G6_gr2)

 How music helped win the American War

The document under study is a recording of an interview broadcast on an American radio, WRTI, about the place of music during the war of Independence. We could hear 3 different voices: the first one was the host, a man, who introduced the topic. The second one was a female voice who was the journalist interviewing the guest of the day, a musicology teacher. We have learned that, the British were the first who used songs to ridicule/to mock/to make fun of the American colonists. Hence, the American soldiers took over the famous British song “Yankee Doodle” to make it their own and use it against the British soldiers. This song became the national emblem of the American Revolution.

Moreover, the American soldiers also took the song “Rule Britannia” and changed the lyrics with the words “to perish or to be free”. They wanted to show their audacity and their courage against the British soldiers.

To conclude, music was a real military strategy for American as they succeeded in gaining their independence from Great Britain. On top of that, the songs were also a musical analog of what was happening on the battlefield.

Homework: Learn the lesson.