Broadside Ballads

Our class is well underway! We are currently knee deep in exploring the use of broadside ballads.  For a little history lesson, these were the pamphlets used during the 16th and 17th century to spread ideas of protest throughout the western world. Usually on the "broadside" of one sheet of paper, the text was combined with satirical images. The lyrics were set to familiar tunes so that the message was accessible to all, especially the lower class citizens.  Broadsides were sold for a penny each by street salesman and often included critiques of policy and government, and stories of inequality. They are thought have had two purposes. On one hand, they were used to raise consciousness of public ills and on the other, they were direct calls for action.  I believe many of them had both qualities. 

      Above is an example of a traditional English broadside. In class, we listen to modern day renditions of English ballads sold long ago.  Singer Paul Clayton had a specific interest in the historical impact of these ballads and created a collection including the song Bonny Bunch of Roses. Within the lyrics, we find a narrator (these were not typically first-person stories).  The ballad depicts a hopeful Europe as Napoleon began his first mission. They believed he would end oppression of the Lords upon the lower class.  The narrator is a peasant and reflective of common sentiment throughout the British Isles.  The term "Bonny Bunch of Roses" is thought to be a metaphor of grief regarding the, then current, state of the British empire.

   While broadsides seem to be logically a tool of the past, they have significant relevance within our culture today.  Pete Seeger's Ballad of Old Monroe is a perfect example of that.  Seeger's song was relevant to the civil rights movement and the controversial arrest of a black man for harboring two white strangers when they lost their way in Monroe, North Carolina.  This 1961 event spurred wide public upset when the man was charged with kidnapping.  Seeger's song was commissioned by the defense attorney and became very popular right before the trial.  With obvious intent, the song was instrumental in determining the verdict and setting the tone for future civil rights trials.

   Many believe that broadsides have not lost their utility even today in the information age.  Some consider YouTube marvels to have the same impact.  In general, I would rather distinguish between the broadside ballad in print and a video version, if only to hold to the strict sense of the definition.  However, I believe the power behind shared songs that are easily acceptable to all.

One of my favorite projects around this idea comes from a group called Playing for change.  Here is a bit of their work.

Stand By Me.

Let me know what you think!

Music as a tool for Change

Being the daughter of a music teacher meant a lot of things growing up.  

First it meant that everyone believed I had some sort of hidden musical talent.  That notion was proved wrong consistently, no matter how hard my parents tried. It also meant that I was constantly exposed to a wide array of music, from our Heavenly Highway Hymnal (alliteration appreciated) to Bob Dylan;  from Hank Williams Jr. to Billy Joel. Music has always been a powerful for myself and my family.  At holiday gatherings, church plays, funerals, and birthdays, our stories have been told through the lyrics of others and the musical tunes of my mom. This storytelling quality is exactly what draws me  to music as a tool for social change.  It's an equalizer, a relator, and a media through which people connect on one of the deepest levels.

This blog will document my reflections as I work my way through a class at Westminster College called Music of Resistance. We are tasked with exploring political and social activism through the lens of music, as a tool for change and solidarity from oppression. I have high expectations for this class and the conviction it will stir for each of us in it.  I'm also looking forward to learning more about the evolution of music within resistance culture, from the English Broadside Ballads we are studying now, to the Facebook and Twitter revolutions happening everyday through shared music/video. 

For me, the basics of musical activism and resistance lie in its ability to create cognitive change within an individual and to build solidarity between those individuals asking for a larger change within society. First, if anything, music is a really handy way to disseminate information.  A clever message set to a clever tune can be extremely consuming for a society. Plus, inspiring another person through music is a fairly cheap transaction, especially under emerging technologies (from radio to Youtube). The music initially creates a dissonance, whether small or large, that spurs reflection and hopefully decisive moments of impact for individuals.  Those people then share these ideas, rippling the intentional awareness through the larger community.  This can happen as a result of one initial voice, willing to share their resistance to the status quo, or through complex networks of people willing to sharing various songs around a common goal. Music scholar, Daniel Fischlin describes the way we define communities based on their musical thought.

…we live in communities, permeated by the sounds they give shape to and that correspondingly give shape to them.  We define communities by the sounds they make- and the sounds they refuse.  We generate sound and ideas about sound as extensions (reflections) of our political cultures, but also as critiques thereof.  And the sounds we call music haunt our daily lives at their seemingly most trivial moments, and also at their moments of apocalypse and cataclysm. (Fischlin, 11)

Our reading for this week's blog briefly analyzed the role of "rebel musicians".  Two artists that I am most interested in studying more are rai musicians, Cheb Hasni and Rachid Baba Ahmed.  Rai music is known in comparison to an electronic, American Blues for its soulfulness.  It's usually sung in Arabic and French and driving the lyrics are sentiments against the historical colonization of native Algerians, systematic poverty, inequality of rights, and fundamental Islamist extremists. Cheb Hasni and Rachid Baba Ahmed became targets when their controversial songs against such groups and ideas l.  Both  activist musicians were murdered by extremist regimes.

To hear these and other Rai artists, follow this link.

As I continue in my studies and reflection, feel free to share your thoughts! Do you have a favorite song of protest?  How has music influenced your perspective on social and political changes?

Until next time!