9: National Identity
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- 9.1: Introduction
- In this chapter we will be considering the power of music to define and identify nations. The idea that music can express something important about a community has a long history. The ancient Greeks, for example, believed that the unique musical styles of each regional tribe represented the characteristics of that tribe. Moreover, they believed music to be so powerful that anyone who heard music from a particular tribe would in turn exhibit the characteristics of its members.
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- 9.5: South Africa- “National Anthem of South Africa”
- The story of “National Anthem of South Africa” is equally tortuous, although the narrative details—and the resulting anthem—reflect a different type of national strife. While Germany came into conflict with the world, the South African conflict was entirely internal, unfolding as a white ruling minority sought to disenfranchise the non-white majority. This conflict and its resolutions were captured in a trio of official and unofficial anthems.
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- 9.6: Israel - “The Hope”
- The national anthem of Israel, entitled “The Hope”6 (Hebrew: “Hatikvah”), has a brief and uncomplicated history. It was immediately adopted on an unofficial basis when the nation of Israel was founded in 1948, and it became the official national anthem in 2004. The text was written in 1878 by the Polish poet Naphtali Herz Imber, and it expresses yearning for a return to the Jewish homeland. “The Hope” was used as an anthem by several Zionist groups.
Thumbnail :Jennifer Hudson sings the national anthem at Super Bowl XLIII. (Public Domain; Staff Sgt. Bradley Lail, USAF via Wikipedia )