Figure 1.--Music seems to have appeared at about or some after man became human. It is practiced in all human siocieties, even the most primitive cultures encounteted by anothroplogists. Creativity both artistic and technological is the very essence of humanity. American and many other children learning to play musical instruments did not have to give much thought to political matters. This was not the case in the countries dominated by the totalitarian dictators spawned by the 20th century who sought to control music making and music makers. And in the 21st century, Islamic dictators increadibly want to ban music all together. The concern of these dictators appears to be as one observer explains is that music "affects people profoundly and can't be controlled."

One fascinating aspect of music making is the impact on people. In democratic countries, leaders tend not to get involved in attempting to direct music making. Thus young people are generally free to pursue their musical interests, sometimes to the despleasure of their parents. Muscians in recent years have taken to expressing their political views along with their music making. Many are impassioned about their views. Few are very knowledgeable. Unfortunately, passion is not a good substitute for knowledge. But more interest thant that is that while democratic leaders tend not to get involved in music other than their own music making, dictators tend to take a very different. Many have been determined to impose their own musical values on their subjects, just one aspect of their desire to control the population. Precisely because music can move people, dictators wish to control it. And the fact that young people are often envolved is anthore concern. Another factor is the penchant to convince themselves that their judgemnent is correct in all manners of area.

Dictatorial Regimes

The two most notorious dictators in modern history are Adolf Hitler and Jodef Stalin. To this list we have to add Mao Tse-Tung who ammassed and higher body count than either Hitler or Stalin. All three dictators saw political connontations to music and tried to suppress music they objected to and channel music making into approved channels. Interestingly, they all hated the samne music--jazz in all its different variants. Today we have a new phenomenon. Iranian mullahs and other Islamacists hate music--all kinds of music and music making. This is part of a generalm Islsmic hodstility to the arts. We see authors, artists, film makers, and others, killed or threatened because of their work. What is at stake is not just music. It is the same reason that the great dictators attempted to conrol music--they object to creativity. And creativity bis of course the very essence of humanity.

Communist China

The Chinese music tradition as in the west dates back to the dawn of humanity. Archeologists and historians have found documents and artifacts showing a well-developed musical tradition as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 - 256 BC). That tradition developed along different lines than music in the West. China was not significantly exposed to Western music until the 20th century. Modern Chinese Popular music began to develop as "shidaiqu"--music of the era. This first began in Shanghai (1920s). Shanghai was China's commercial center because of its location and presence of the Europeans in the international settlement. The prosperity and mixture of cultural influences was a hotbed for new idea, including music. Li Jinhui was at the center of the new music and he was influenced by American Jazz music introduced by Buck Clayton, an American trumpet player influenced by Louis Armstrong. As in America, this new music spread in nightclubs and dancehalls and slowly began to achieve wider popularity through the spread of radio and had achieved substantial popularity by the 1940s. The Communist party after its victory over the Nationalists (1949), prohibited the performance, broadcast and production of popular music. Mao TseTung hated jazz and other Western art forms. Because of its Western influences, jazz was labeled as decadent. Shidaiqu did not, however, disappear. It continued in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong where it was popular (1950s and the 1960s) and evolved into more modern popular music forms. Two popular music forms evolved. One was Cantopop, songs in Cantonese popular in Hong Kong. Second was Mandopop, songs in Mandarin from the mainland. The Chinese Communist Government as not only inferior, but a a kind of cultural pollution and a threat to its effort to develop culture along Marxist lines. The Government while criticizing popular music, did not implement a clear or stong music policy. It also largely ignored music education in schools. Thus the manu young Chinese lost touch with their own musical tradition, including folk songs and opera. The impact was to inadvetently permit the spread of popular music to fill a kind of music vauume. Today in China, young people overwealmingly prefer popular music to tradituinal folk music. [Brace]

Iranian Islamic Republic

The Iramian mullahs, while not bussing themselves with stoning young women or hanging gay teenagers, also have addressed the question of music. Here their approach is not to control music, but to abolish it entirely. Their concern is that young ppeople are particularly drawn to music. Ayatolah Ali Khamenei, the current Iranian dictator declared that music is "not compatible with the highest values of the Islamic Republic" (August 2010). Here the key point is that the Ayatolah was not just condeming 'decadent' Western music. He had done this earlier. This time he addressed music itself--all music making, any where, any time. He explained how the time of young people could be better spent. "It's better that our dear youth spend their valuable time in science and essential and useful skills. One insughtful observer writes, "I suspect Mr. Khamenei's real complaint is rooted in the same desquiet authoritarians have long felt about music--that it affects people profoundly and can't be controlled." [Felten, p. W9.] Given the power and ruthlessness of the Iranian police force, the Ayatolah may be able to ban music. But what dictators like Khamenei fail to crasp is that suppressing creativity has damaging consequences in other areas. Have you ever heard of a scientist from the Islamic Republic achieving an important break through in any area?

NAZI Germany

Hitler was convinced tsat he had refined artistic tastes. As a youth he tried to become an artist in Vienna. And as dictator of Germany he dabbled in the arts. Under NAZI rule, music had to meet certain certain standards defined as "good" German music. This was adminisdtered by the Reichsmusikkammer (Reich Music Chamber). The regime also suppressed individual artists and their works. The impact was to limit creativity, but because the German music tradition was so strong, it did not destroy creativity. A lot of people with moderate talents were able to get jobs in the industry if they were Party members. On the other hand, very gifted Jewish artists were not allowed to perform in public and their music supressed. This included the music of histoic masters like Mendelssohn. Musicians who expressed anti-NAZI ideas were if bot arrested not allowed to perform. Hitler determined that the three master composers upon who the work of modern composers should be judged were: Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner, and Anton Bruckner. All three composers lived prior to the 20th century. Hitler in typical style actually identified himself with Beethoven as possessing the heroic German spirit. His favorite music was Wagerian operas and the Wagner family had great status in the Third Reich. Hitler hated jazz, considering in uncivilized. Here not on dischodent music was at play, but race. Jazz was created by Afro-Americans--the first truly American music form. The Gestapo was employed to root out jazz which many young people loved. There was alo He also like marshal music. I think I recall reading in Mein Kampf that Hitler wrote that the martial nature of the German people could be revived simply by the passing of a military band. As the Hitler Youth expanded and began to monoplize the time of youths, this affected the time available for children to learn musical instrucments. There were musical positions within the HJ, especially for drum and buggle players.

Soviet Union

Stalin also had definitive music tastes. I'm less sure that like Hitler he saw himself as a gifted artist. But he wanted Soviet musicians to produce music he approved. Tsarist Russia at the turn-of-the-20th century was a hotbed of new ideas. Of course we all know about the politicalm ideas of the Bolsheviks which seized power at the end of World War I. There were also all kinds of artistic experimentation by artists like Marc Chagal. The same was true of music. Stalin when he seized control of the Soviet state sought to end all this experimentation and modernism. He wanted artists, including musicians tyo conform to 'Socialist Realism'. Famed composers Shostakovich and Prokofiev fought for the ability to compose music freely. Their integrity was compromised by thevneed to survive and protect their families friom the NKVD. They managed to survive and even acquire international regonition as great composers. Many lesser known composers, however, did not survive the Gulag and their creative spirits lost to history.

Suversive Music

It is interesrting to have a look at the type of music that hs been labeled as subversive as well as ghe white varriant--boogie-woogie. Here beyond a doubt, jazz has a place of honor as being seen as most subversive by dictators. All the leading dictators with the highest death counts (Hitler, Mao, and Stalin) despised jazz and actively attempted to supress it. After World War II rock and roll, a genre influenced by zazz, also was labeled as subversive. By the time of Elvis, Hitler and Stalin were gone, but the new Soviet leaders attempted to supress Rock and Roll and its various permutations. And Mao in China did his best to supress jazz and prevent China from being contaminated by rock music. I can't say I am a jazz fan, but it does impress me how dictators all seem to hate jazz. And isn't in interesting how the two most important 'subversive' musical forms came out of capitalist America rather than the Communist world. Another interesting music type to considervhere is here is folk music. Folk movement is often adopted by nativist movements. In America it was popularized by the political mleftv and used most effectively in the Civil Rights movement. It played a major role in undermining the Jiw Crow regimes of the Deep South and America owes a deby of graditude to the talented artists who sang and strum 'We shall overcome' and other civil rights standards. For some reason, however, those same voices for freedom were silent about the attrocities of Communist dictators, incliding those who supress artistic freedom. Some even icons like Pete Seeger even expressed considerable sympathy to dictators like Fidel Castro.

Jazz

Jazz was created by Afro-Americans--the first truly American music form. It is interesrting to have a look at the type of music that hs been labeled as subversive as well as ghe white varriant--boogie-woogie. Here beyond a doubt, jazz has a place of honor as being seen as most subversive by dictators. All the leading dictators with the highest death counts (Hitler, Mao, and Stalin) despised jazz and actively attempted to supress it.

Rock and roll

After World War II rock and roll, a genre influenced by zazz, also was labeled as subversive. By the time of Elvis, Hitler and Stalin were gone, but you know both weould have hated it with a passion. The new Soviet leaders. in the best Stalinist tradition, attempted to supress Rock and Roll and its various permutations. And Mao in China did his best to supress jazz and prevent China from being contaminated by rock music. I can't say I am a jazz fan, but it does impress me how dictators all seem to hate jazz. And isn't in interesting how the two most important 'subversive' musical forms came out of capitalist America rather than the Communist world.

Folk music

Another interesting music type to consider here is here is folk music. Folk movement is often adopted by nativist movements. In America it was popularized by the political mleftv and used most effectively in the Civil Rights movement. Folk singers helped us rethink our values about race anf justice. It played a major role in undermining the Jiw Crow regimes of the Deep South and America owes a deby of graditude to the talented artists who sang and strum 'We shall overcome' and other civil rights standards. For some reason, however, those same voices for freedom were silent about the attrocities of Communist dictators, incliding those who supress artistic freedom. Some even icons like Pete Seeger even expressed considerable sympathy to dictators like Fidel Castro. One has to ask if any notable folk song helped us focus our thinking about totalitarian societies and the supression of human rights by leftist dictators that killed millions and ruined any more lives. Why are there no folk songs avout the Berlin Wall, the Gulag, show trials, the Hungarian Revolution (1956), the Czech Revolution (1967), the Soviet Refusniks, the Cultural Revolution, Tiehmen Square, and the other outrages of Communist dictators. And why do folk artists avoid subjects like the suppression of women even stoning, honor killing, hanging of gay teenagers, killing of film makers, attack on the free press and religious liberty, supression of the arts, slavery, and other injustices in the modern Muslim world.

Source

Brace, Timothy L. "Modernization and Music in Contemporary China: Crisis, Identity and the Politics of Style" Thesis. University of Texas at Austin, 1992

Felten, Eric. "Why dictators hate to see us moved by music," Wall Street Journal (August 6, 2010), p. W9.

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Created: 7:26 AM 8/13/2010
Last updated: 12:04 AM 8/14/2010