<\/p>\n
The Power of Music: Struggle, Spirit & Protest<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Submitted By Eli Feldman<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n While touring the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society I was naturally drawn to the \u201cMusic & Entertainment\u201d section and decided to dedicate my project research to exploring the influence of music as a means of cultural production across North America during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the postwar period.\u00a0 I have played the guitar for most of my life, and music represents a form of expression that resonates with me, so I was eager to learn more about the impact of African-Canadian music on the Chatham community and beyond.<\/p>\n As I began to analyze the aforementioned case more closely, I noticed a photograph of a man smiling down at a piano, accompanied by a caption that provided me with bibliographical information about Bethune Murray, a Chatham native who moved to Chicago with dreams of becoming a successful jazz musician.\u00a0 Immediately, I was compelled by Murray\u2019s story, and decided to adopt him as part of the foundation for my research.\u00a0 As I continued to sift through the available resources in hopes of discovering additional symbols of African-Canadian musical expression, I encountered another historical artifact \u2013 a 19th<\/sup> century songbook called \u201cThe Palace of Song: A Collection of New Music\u201d by a renowned Civil War songwriter, George F. Root.\u00a0 As I photographed the shrine and the songbook, I marveled at both sources, and felt as though I compiled a formidable duo of historical objects for closer examination.<\/p>\n Much to my surprise, I encountered a couple of unforeseen obstacles during the preliminary stages of my research.\u00a0 First, there were limited academic resources about Bethune Murray outside of the C.K.B.H.S. website, which I feared would make it difficult to learn more about Murray\u2019s accomplishments and historical impact.\u00a0 Nevertheless, as I continued to critically examine Murray\u2019s life and the songbook, I began to appreciate the distinct historical significance of both objects within the context of black history \u2013 Murray\u2019s relating to his personal success; Root\u2019s based on the impact of his music.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bethune Murray: A Jazz Life<\/u><\/p>\n Murray was a Chatham native who studied music at, and graduated from, the Royal Conservatory of Music (\u201cR.C.M.\u201d) in Toronto.[1]<\/a>\u00a0 He developed his skills in and around Toronto before courageously moving to Chicago to begin a successful solo jazz career in spite of ongoing racial subjugation and the growing presence of radical white supremacy organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 Murray\u2019s experience of growing up in Chatham among a relatively supportive and tolerant multiethnic community gave him the foundation to explore a world beyond Chatham.<\/p>\n Murray\u2019s foundation and musical abilities motivated him to relocate to the U.S. in the face of overt, widespread racism.\u00a0\u00a0 His opportunities in Canada gave him the skills and confidence to return to the land that his forerunners escaped and practice his craft, a decision that contributed, on some levels, to building connections between white and black people, and breaking down barriers in the U.S. Murray\u2019s success as a musician reflected the social and cultural advancements of black people during the post-Civil War era, against the backdrop of continued racial oppression.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe Palace of Song: A Collection of New Music\u201d<\/u><\/p>\n With respect to the second artifact that I selected as the subject of my research, I did not initially expect Root to be a white man given that the songbook was located at the C.K.B.H.S.\u00a0 However, I came to recognize that Root\u2019s contribution to musical history stems from the content of his music and the audience to which his songs appealed \u2013 those who fought for freedom and those who were freed.\u00a0 Over the course of the Civil War, Root produced dozens of politically charged martial songs with catchy melodies and easily understandable lyrics, galvanizing military bands, soldiers, and citizens across the U.S. to continue the fight against slavery.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 With this in mind, it is not surprising that \u201cThe Palace of Song\u201d attracted a following in the Chatham-Kent region considering its substantial and prosperous black community.<\/p>\n Root\u2019s songbook also sheds light on the complex nature of the culture of music in the context of the Civil War.\u00a0 <\/em>In particular, arguably Root\u2019s most popular wartime song found in the songbook, \u201cThe Battle Cry of Freedom,\u201d served as a primary rallying cry for both the Union and the Confederacy.\u00a0 Born in Massachusetts, Root was devoted to the Northern war effort, and released \u201cThe Battle Cry of Freedom,\u201d in response to President Abraham Lincoln\u2019s call for 300 000 army volunteers (Exhibit 1).[4]<\/a>\u00a0 \u201cThe Battle Cry of Freedom\u201d possessed a rousing melody and easily understandable lyrics, vaulting Root\u2019s song into the Union\u2019s musical pantheon immediately upon its release.\u00a0 Scholars argue that the Union Army\u2019s adoption of \u201cThe Battle Cry for Freedom\u201d accomplished three distinct objectives: first, it signaled to African-American soldiers, who comprised an important group of troops in the Union Army, that their sacrifice was for a greater cause \u2013 the eradication of slavery on an irreversible basis.\u00a0 Second, it helped Union soldiers \u2013 many of whom did not necessarily support abolition and were fighting solely to preserve the Union \u2013 set aside their ideological differences and rediscover common ground.\u00a0 And finally, it represented a unifying force that tied together soldiers and the broader population in the Union to the greater cause of freedom.<\/p>\n Interestingly, the power of song was not lost on the Confederacy.\u00a0 As the alternate lyrics indicate, unification and dedication to a common cause were objectives that crossed battle lines.\u00a0 As such, the Confederate authorities decided to create their own version of \u201cThe Battle Cry of Freedom\u201d with secessionist lyrics and an overarching message that was, not surprisingly, completely opposed to the message conveyed in the Union version (Exhibit 2). The Confederate version of the song, which was frequently sung by Confederate soldiers in the midst of battle and in army camps, upheld the core ideologies of the Confederacy, and unified those that sought to preserve and expand the institution of slavery across the U.S. \u00a0\u00a0Evidently, the power of music is so strong that two opposing constituencies used the same melody \u2013 despite different words \u2013 \u00a0to support diametrically opposite viewpoints.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Lasting Impacts of Music<\/u><\/p>\n Both Murray and Root\u2019s music represented crucial means of expression, not just for themselves, but for all of their listeners who found music to be an important means of entertainment and personal expression.\u00a0 Music represented something of great significance to many people, as it served as a tool of unification and resistance, and offered an escape from an often cruel world.\u00a0 No segment of the population endured more cruelty than African-Americans who were enslaved in the southern U.S., and generally subjected to inescapable racism and abject poverty regardless of where they were physically located.\u00a0 Within this context, \u201cThe Palace of Song\u201d \u2013 as a means of communicating song and enabling its performance \u2013 represents a cherished and important artifact.\u00a0 Further, as an object from a period without gramophones, radios, or televisions (among other forms of media that are pervasive in today\u2019s world), the songbook represents an important means to disseminate music to a broad audience.<\/p>\n When analyzing the periods surrounding the Civil War, most historians gravitate towards readily accessible photographs, letters, diary entries, and military orders among other primary sources as a means to recount specific details about the most gruesome war in American history.\u00a0 While these sources certainly provide vivid accounts of wartime events as they transpired, they do not possess the same unifying power as music, a unique means of expression that has transcended many generations.<\/p>\n In fact, music has endured as a means of unification and resistance from the slavery era to the present day.\u00a0 Over the course of many centuries, African-American musical geniuses have developed various renowned genres from Spirituals, to Blues, Jazz, Rock \u2018N\u2019 Roll, and Rap, all of which have helped forge social connections between black musicians and listeners, and strengthen interracial ties between whites, blacks, and all other ethnic groups.\u00a0 Although the U.S. was once a country deeply divided on the basis of race (and presently remains one of the nation\u2019s most racially divided nations), music helped debunk the myth of black intellectual inferiority, rejuvenate those who were formerly oppressed, and represents a defining characteristic of African-American culture, a subculture that largely contributes to America\u2019s diverse national identity in the modern era.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Exhibit #1 \u2013 Union Lyrics (Original Version)[5]<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yes we\u2019ll rally round the flag, boys, we\u2019ll rally once again,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom,<\/p>\n We will rally from the hillside, we\u2019ll gather from the plain,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Union forever!\u00a0\u00a0Hurrah, boys, hurrah!<\/p>\n Down with the traitor, up with the star;<\/p>\n While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are springing to the call with a million freemen more,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom!<\/p>\n And we\u2019ll fill our vacant ranks of our brothers gone before,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Union forever!\u00a0\u00a0Hurrah, boys, hurrah!<\/p>\n Down with the traitor, up with the star;<\/p>\n While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We will welcome to our numbers the loyal, true and brave,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom!<\/p>\n And although he may be poor, he shall never be a slave,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Union forever!\u00a0\u00a0Hurrah, boys, hurrah!<\/p>\n Down with the traitor, up with the star;<\/p>\n While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So we\u2019re springing to the call from the East and from the West,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom!<\/p>\n And we\u2019ll hurl the rebel crew from the land we love best,<\/p>\n Shouting the battle cry of freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Exhibit #2 \u2013 Confederate Lyrics[6]<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our flag is proudly floating on the land and on the main,<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n Beneath it oft we\u2019ve conquered, and we\u2019ll conquer oft again!<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our Dixie forever!\u00a0\u00a0She\u2019s never at a loss!<\/p>\n Down with the eagle and up with the cross!<\/p>\n We’ll rally \u2018round the bonny flag, we\u2019ll rally once again,<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our gallant boys have marched to the rolling of the drums.<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n And the leaders in charge cry out, \u201cCome, boys, come!\u201d<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our Dixie forever!\u00a0\u00a0She\u2019s never at a loss!<\/p>\n Down with the eagle and up with the cross!<\/p>\n We’ll rally \u2018round the bonny flag, we\u2019ll rally once again,<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They have laid down their lives on the bloody battle field.<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n Their motto is resistance –\u201cTo tyrants we\u2019ll not yield!\u201d<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our Dixie forever!\u00a0\u00a0She\u2019s never at a loss!<\/p>\n Down with the eagle and up with the cross!<\/p>\n We\u2019ll rally \u2018round the bonny flag, we\u2019ll rally once again,<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While our boys have responded and to the fields have gone.<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n Our noble women also have aided them at home.<\/p>\n Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> \u201c<\/strong>Bethune Murray (1928),\u201d <\/strong>Chatham Music Archive, https:\/\/demokidblog.wordpress.com\/2009\/11\/17\/bethune-murray-1928\/.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Polly Carder,\u00a0George F. Root, Civil War Songwriter: A Biography <\/em>(Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company), 2008, 63-70.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Christian McWhirter, “Birth of the ‘Battle Cry’,” The New York Times<\/em>, July 27, 2012, https:\/\/opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com\/2012\/07\/27\/birth-of-the-battle-hymn\/.<\/p>\n