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Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until May 05, 2024

ETD Abstract Container

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Songs of War: A Comparative Analysis of Soviet and American Popular Song During World War II

MacDonald, Mary Kathleen
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0202-990X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1555507523305065

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Slavic and East European Studies.
Music has always played an important role during war, both societally and practically – from drums to keep the soldiers marching together, to trumpets announcing the arrival of friends or foes, to the first war where nations had the ability to electronically transmit music. Though music had long been used as propaganda, due to developments in radio broadcasting World War II was the first war in which music was easily distributed on the air to millions. Music can bring us together, it can give rise to any emotion, or it can be the vehicle for ideologies that can encourage or subdue the masses. During WWII, American and Soviet composers, singers, soldiers, and common people all wrote songs about life, love, battle, leaving or being left, and about crushing a common foe. In both countries, these songs were written by people who wished to inspire the masses with their patriotism. The use of music to convey patriotic messages reveals interesting differences between the ideologies of the USA and the USSR, but it also reveals a multitude of similarities in content and context. In my paper, I explore the history behind the songs in question, their musical attributes and how these attributes are typically interpreted, and how the American and Soviet concepts of patriotism were remarkably similar in the war to end all wars, as reflected in some of the most popular American and Soviet war songs.
Alexander Burry, PhD (Advisor)
Daniel Collins, PhD (Committee Member)
Danielle Fosler-Lussier, PhD (Committee Member)
79 p.
Music; Slavic Studies
World War II; Slavic Studies; Musicology; Popular Song; Comparative Song Analysis; Soviet History; War History; World War II History

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • MacDonald, M. K. (2019). Songs of War: A Comparative Analysis of Soviet and American Popular Song During World War II [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1555507523305065

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • MacDonald, Mary. Songs of War: A Comparative Analysis of Soviet and American Popular Song During World War II. 2019. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1555507523305065.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • MacDonald, Mary. "Songs of War: A Comparative Analysis of Soviet and American Popular Song During World War II." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1555507523305065

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.