Musical Responses to Western European Bureaucratic Action

Abstract

With the rise of popular culture music, as well as resurgence of traditional folk music in the late twentieth century, Western cultures, distinctly Western European states, saw the relations between music and politics emerge to its current state- a deeply intertwined dependency between the two, with its effect spreading across borders to reach greater populations. To look at how the relations between music and politics came to be, first the examination of the dependency between the two in the latter half of the twentieth century must occur. Across genres, artists drew inspiration from their current political climate, creating music as a response. Yet, political action also resulted from music, distinctly with songs coined as “protest soundtracks.” The multifaceted nature of the relationship allows for a greater understanding of the extremes of this relationship, distinctly with music censorship occurring in most European states, democratic and authoritative alike. The continued censorship of music from European states leads to the notion that the existence of music warrants political action, despite proven lack of substantive response of the music itself. To grant a greater autonomy to artists and develop an enhanced comprehension of the multifaceted relationship that is music and politics, the implementation of music-based lessons of core classes into secondary schools will warrant the greater awareness of the relations between music and politics.