Music has charms to soothe a savage breast,
To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. William Congreve (16701729)
I dont know about rocks and knotted oaks, but I believe the part about the savage breast. Music used to sooth. As Socialism gained ground in our society some very destructive individuals, determined to assert their artistic independence in the government-imposed mediocrity of the times, set about proving that music could also unleash the beast within; hence, the ugliness that is heard in so much contemporary music.
Rebellious teens today, as in every generation, resent parental control of any kind. The difference with todays young rebels is that they then turn around and willingly subject themselves to control by the most hideous music ever heard; never realizing how they are being manipulated by the sound of music simply to arouse the brutish creature lurking in everyone.
To me, and to many others, the violence that is so prevalent among some young people is directly related to the music kids listen to. And its not the lyrics that I am talking about, although angry, hate-filled, political-statement lyrics are a part of it. Tragically, its the opposite of William Congreves observation.
I am not saying that every youngster listening to such music is going to go out and commit acts of violence. It is more an ugliness of the soul that is spreading to a larger number of teenage Americans each succeeding year.
Alas! all music jars when the souls out of tune. Miguel de Cervantes (15471616)
Cervantes never dreamed that one day music would be specifically formulated to vanquish souls.
And the music is incessant. It is with some kids almost all of time as though they are trying to drown out everything else. I fear that once they are saturated, todays troubled youngsters who are so horribly scarred by a trusted segment of their culture will see themselves as victims. That view will make them prime recruits for Socialisms evils as the country moves closer to Communism. Submission becomes a habit difficult to break whether it starts with obedience to musics subliminal message, or begins with an oppressive political system. The result is the same. On the day that America is beyond turning away from Socialism the beast will rein.
From the day the march toward big government began, young iconoclasts struggled to establish their uniqueness; to rise above the crowd. Todays would-be nonconformists are the most frightening conformists among us.
The sound of music
Ive always considered recorded music to be the sound of history. Recordings can accurately provide a partial account of a specific time period because they represent what a generation literally heard. Example: Everyone knows what the people in the nineteen twenties and thirties were hearing because most of the recordings made back then are available today. You can hear precisely what long-dead people heard. Thats not true with the music Mozart (1756-1791) wrote more than two hundred years ago. A recording of Mozarts music made today does not let us hear what people heard before Thomas Edison (1847-1931) invented the phonograph.
When more astute historians learn to interpret the sound of history correctly in relation to the overall structure of society they will be better able to illustrate a more complete picture of a bygone time. What will the chapter on the recorded music of our time say about us? Young and old alike.
Political music
This article about music caught my eye:
Pandora Knows How You'll Vote, and It's Not Keeping Your Secret
The online music service is telling campaigns what music you listen to, which they say gives away your party affiliation.
By Alex Brown
February 19, 2014
Pandora Knows How You'll Vote, and It's Not Keeping Your Secret - NationalJournal.com
Whether or not music tells those folks at Pandora how a person will vote, their claim set me to thinking about the influence music written in the past few centuries had on Western civilization.
Let me begin with my take on lyrics
Much of the popular music in Christian countries sings to a woman or sings about women. Many lyrics sing to a woman by name; Laura, Susanna, Marie, Stella, Jeanie, Charmaine, and so on. The list is long. Note that music with a religious theme has Ave Maria (1825) but not Mary Magdalene:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bosouX_d8Y]Schubert - Ave Maria (Opera) - YouTube[/ame]
whereas, contemporary popular music often sings to women of questionable virtue:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r_l_-2bI18]Ray Charles - Hard Hearted Hannah - YouTube[/ame]
Im not sure how to interpret musical discrimination. Maybe its nothing more than lyricists being unable to combine commercial success with religion and trollops.
Is music in non-Christian countries the same as it is in Christian countries? I wish I knew the answer. I can only speculate. If the music is the same it would have to contain lyrics dedicated to women. Ive never heard one.
Instrumentals
My travels many years ago gave me the impression that some music in non-Christian countries is instrumental only as it is in Western countries. Unlike ballet written for male and female dancers, some music in non-Christian countries is written especially for female dancers only. I believe such music is, or was, popular in the Far East. Belly dancing in the Middle East also comes to mind. Belly dancing amounts to adoration of the bellybutton rather than the entire woman.
Heres my burning question. Did Western civilizations musical adulation of females contribute to the reason women in Christian countries, especially in America, are much better off than women in the rest of the world?
More importantly, if music basically idolized women the world over, why did it have so little influence on improving their lives in so many countries?
Finally, what do feminazis think about it all? Inquiring minds want to know. Feminazis claim they adore their sisters, but I have some doubts:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUdE92n4ido]Kathleen Willey Megyn Kelly. Hillary Clinton Is The War On Woman. Kathleen Willey The Kelly File - YouTube[/ame]