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Civil War Music Heritage Gathering 2002
Virtual Event
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To
understand the period, listen to the music. Civil War period music is
one of the few opportunities we have to crawl inside the skins of those
who lived through one of America's most catastrophic times. The Civil
War Music Heritage Gathering is held annually. Musician/educators are
invited to bring back those feelings of political activism that tore our
country to shreds. As a primary resource, listen to the music and gain
a sense of conflicting values, the intensity of the horrors of war, and
the sense of loss felt by those left behind at home.
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More
details for each song will be added later.
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1.
"Jig Medley" presents a taste of
the Celtic influences noticeable in a great many 19-Century songs. Local
musicians provided the cultural comforts of home within a population of
immigrants. (5:42)
2.
"Dixie's Land" was one of
Abraham Lincoln's favorite songs. Originally composed as a satirical jab
at the Southern culture, the song was subsequently turned into an Anthem
for Southerners. Abraham Lincoln was so taken by the song during one particular
theatrical performance that he repeatedly stood each time the song ended,
clapped frantically, and while laughing uproariously, requested numerous
repeat performances. (4:02)
4.
"The Rebel Soldier" is a haunting
ballad that gives some indication of the pride yet sense of hopelessness
many Southern soldiers felt toward the end of the war. This song would
have been played in many a Southern parlor, giving those that remained
behind at home a means of drawing closer to their loved ones in the many
fields of battle. (6:48)
5.
"Angelina Baker"
and "My Old Kentucky Home" were two very popular Stephen Foster
songs. Foster was the most prolific and popular songwriter of the 19th-Century.
(11:07)
6.
Harriet Tubman was a former slave that
used her connections with prominent northerners to drum up support for
the abolitionist cause. Tubman was a prominent figure in the Underground
Railroad movement that helped free those still in bondage. She also served
as a Union spy. "Zion's Children" and "Swing Low Sweet
Chariot" are included with a recreation of a Tubman appearance made
in Philadelphia designed to promote Union army recruitment.
7.
"Boatman Dance" is a folksy rendition
of riverman music played by blacks and whites.
8.
"Shiloh Hill" is a song possibly
written by a Texas cavalry soldier detailing the horror of the Battle
of Shiloh. Often- times the carnage offered up on the battlefields was
so traumatic that even those soldiers who had gained the advantage broke
down in tears as they watched the bodies and body parts of their enemies
pile up before them.
9.
"The Irish Jaunting Car"
and Olde Lang Syne" are examples of the Celtic influence upon the
American music scene during the 19th-Century. During this period many
musical scores received numerous and varied lyrical treatments. Music
was more of a shared cultural experience, with only the beginnings of
a musical business beginning to form.
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