The Battle Cry of Freedom: An Exploration of Songs That Consider the Impact of War on Soldiers and Society

My goal for my senior recital is to explore the theme of relationships between soldiers and society at times of war. Throughout the recital, I explore this theme by looking at it in multiple ways. George F. Root’s “Battle Cry of Freedom” highlights a focus on the camaraderie between soldiers, while Robert Schumann’s “Der Soldat” and “Die Beiden Grenadiere” explore what could happen when a soldier loses hope. Judith Weir’s “Blackbirds and Thrushes” and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “The Soldier’s Wife” both traverse the hardships of having a loved one recruited to fight in times of war. Mohammed Fairouz’s “Refugee Blues” takes a look at what happens when both soldiers and society turn their back on a group of “unwanted” people. Ned Rorem’s “A Specimen Case,” Kurt Weill’s “O Captain! My Captain!,” and his “Beat! Beat! Drums!,” are all based on responses to the Civil War by the poet Walt Whitman. Finally, two pieces, “Congregation Aria” and “Catalogue Aria,” from Tom Cipullo’s opera, Glory Denied, explore the life of the longest held POW in American history. The repertoire as a whole gives different points-of-view on the relationships that can be built or destroyed between soldiers and their respective societies