There is a dialectical relationship between politics and art. The former is the soil and determinant of the latter, and the latter serves the former. Political culture, to a large extent, constitutes the ideological source of music art, so many musical works are records of the political characteristics of the times along with people’s perception of politics, and it is used as propaganda in society while approaching politics. The political culture of human society is continuously improving, and the form and connotation of music creation are updated continually. In different historical periods, the overall style of music creation can often directly and fully reflect the political characteristics and trends in a certain period.
Music is always directly or indirectly linked to society and the conflicts and debates that shape it, but this only becomes clear and socially relevant if music is deliberately placed in the realm of politics if it intervenes directly and indirectly in social and political debates if it becomes a public articulation of collective interests. Social, national, religious, and ethnic conflicts, for example, repeatedly represented direct objects of reference and articulation for music.
Music can intervene, propagate, mobilize, show solidarity, or reflectively in social and political conditions and disputes. It can embody commonality and collectivity, express a worldview or, through the analytical sharpness of political poetry, be a call to action, form of political resistance means of solidarity and community building, accusation, or manifesto. It can make the private sphere transparent in terms of its political dimension or convey political matters in individual contexts. Of course, many musical works with the theme of political culture often carry a strong political role that reflects the political culture that belongs to that era. Political culture is the organic unity of political cognition, political sentiment, political will, and musical works are a concentrated expression of emotion, so it can also express the political attitudes of creators and people very truly. Taking the social era in which class opposition is evident as an example, the ruling class has a very monopolistic power in the creation and even appreciation of music. Music art naturally evolved into a political tool of the ruling class. For example, jazz or twelve-tone technology is not “in themselves” political. Jazz and twelve-tone technology became a political issue when they were ostracised as “degenerate,” “Jewish,” “cultural Bolshevik” in the Hitler regime and used by the composers in the music of the anti-fascist resistance. If music is to achieve political effects – in the sense of enlightenment, social criticism, support in the struggle for power, but also in the spirit of counter-enlightenment, manipulation, concealment of exploitation and repression – a conscious positioning in political conflicts is essential. This is due to the fact that the political dimension of music can only develop in a real social force field of conflicting interests. Political effects can only grow if the music actually grips the masses for whom it is intended. Otherwise, even the best political text remains only an honourable intention that then does not reach its addressees.
From the crusade songs in the 12th century to the songs of the peasant uprisings of the 16th century to the political emancipation movements of our day, the song plays a central role as an instrument of political debate. Song movements, such as the Latin American Nueva canción that started in Chile in the 1960s (La Nueva canción Chilena), but also the student protest song movement in the USA and Western Europe during the 1960s, have repeatedly opened up new spheres of influence for the political song. The political song itself has penetrated into many areas of music. It was rooted in folk songs for a long time, even though church songs also had an explicitly political character. Still, in the course of the 20th century, it was from South American tango songs to political blues, rock music, and political statements.
In summary, it is of great significance to strengthen the discussion on the influence and role of the political culture in music creation. The foundation of artistic creation of music comes from life, so political life constitutes an essential cultural source of musical art creation, and musical production has also become a reflection of the political culture of a specific era and has become a people of a particular period — the best way to express the political emotions of the masses.
Aishwarya Says:
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