America is a country
driven by the forces of entertainment and media. Over the past few decades, especially since
the 1960s, political events have served to shape the overall demeanor and
attitude of the country. Americans learn
about, react to, and ultimately raise awareness about these events through a
combined force of entertainment and media.
Americans thrive on knowledge and communication. Thus, music has become a very powerful
vehicle by which these political ideals are communicated and/or explained. Popular music is certainly a very obvious
tool through which these political statements are made. However, contemporary classical music has
also shaped the music scene with these strong, aggressive political
statements. One very powerful political piece
is Frederic Rzewski’s 1975 piano variations called The People United Will Never Be Defeated. An exploration into classical political
music, such as Rzewski’s, provides a better understanding of music used as a
media tool.