Re: Music and Politics

[Yoel Epstein <yoel...>]

Jeremy asks:

>>Have people
>>found a way to express such feelings in the music itself (whether through
>>the repertoire chosen or actual inflections(?) in the performance)?

If you are singing Israeli and Hebrew music, there is a lot of repertoire
that is associated explicitly with political movements.  Here are some
examples:

1.  Extreme, extreme right wing: Barukh Hagever (song about Barukh
Goldstein)

2.  Gush Emunim, settlers movements:  All the quasi-religious songs you
learned in Hebrew School 20 and 30 years ago: Ufaratzta, Atzey Shitim Omdim,
and so on; also, Hassidic rock.

3.  Moderate right wing, Likud and conservative Labor: songs of the Palmach,
Independence war, Sinai campaign, and 67 war.

4.  Middle of the road, moderate Labor party:  songs of Shlomo Artzi,
especially "Haish Hahu", which has become a memorial song to Yitzhak Rabin.

5.  Antiwar, left: Songs by Yehudit Ravitz, Darma; "Yorim veBokhim" and
other protest songs; popular translations of antiwar songs from the Vietnam
war (Where have all the Flowers Gone).  Dona Dona.

Of course, things are not as clearcut as I write in this email, a lot
depends on context.  I'm sure people on this list can think of a lot more
and better examples than these.

____________________________________________
joel epstein
moshav magshimim 56910
israel
972-3-9333316
972-52-333316
972-3-7255889 (fax)
yoel (at) netvision(dot)net(dot)il
____________________________________________


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