Wednesday, May 17, 2017

MUSIC FROM THE CIVIL WAR







When I moved away from California I went to the Missouri Ozarks (for reasons I won't bother to disclose here). I lived very close to Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, which is near Springfield.

Wilson's Creek was the site of a Civil War battle that took place in 1861. It's an impressive and haunting place, where I used to spend endless hours wandering around in a solitude that seems to be populated by spirits of the past.

Around this same time, I was intrigued by the Civil War documentary by Ken Burns which had originally aired on PBS - and, as a musician, I was especially inspired by the music. I extracted some of my favorite tunes and arranged them for piano solo. 

A few days ago I decided to make a Civil War video using original photos from that era and my piano music as an accompaniment.

The video is rather long - ten minutes - but it contains seven selections. The fifth song is a sentimental waltz, the Ashokan Farewell. It was used in the Ken Burns documentary, but it's not an original Civil War song. It was composed by folk musician Jay Ungar in 1982. I thought it was too lovely to omit.

I turned the last song - Johnny Comes Marching Home - into a series of variations (which I think is neat!).

I took lots of photos at Wilson's Creek, but they're presently in a Dropbox file and I'm not in the mood to go on a scavenger hunt. These are the only two I have at hand.


 That's me - firing at nobody in particular.

14 comments:

  1. I absolutely love this clip Jon!!!!! Call me strange, but I too love the music from the Civil War period, and I got tears of happy tears listening to your music. I have no idea why the music make me happy, but I do know I should have been living in a different time I think. When Johnny Comes Marching Home is a favorite of mine. I listened to the clip while reading your post. Your pictures remind me much of Gettysburg, where I'm originally not to far from. A friend of mine lives right off one of the battlefields....sort of eerie.

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    1. I'm always delighted when my music evokes happy tears (I'll have to admit that it sometimes happens to me, too). The Civil War was certainly tragic, but there's also something very romantic and intriguing about it (perhaps those soldiers?).

      I've never been to Gettysburg - but I did get an incredibly haunting feeling at Wilson's Creek.

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  2. As someone who used to participate in Civil War reenactments, I appreciated the music here more than you know. I like the accompanying video too.

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    1. I love Civil War reenactments - - so much effort and authenticity is put into them. The music really intrigues me because it's so emotionally charged.

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  3. I love any Ken Burns series so the Civil War one was no exception. Naturally, therefore, I loved your musical photo montage, too. :) :)

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    1. I love the Ken Burns documentaries, too, and the Civil War is really a classic. Thanks for your input.

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  4. It's an interesting post. I bet there's a whole lot of posts you could have written about the civil war if you'd wanted to. It's a subject which has loads of stories to tell , I'm sure. The music is pretty good to listen to. It always does a good job of supporting photographs.

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    1. It's so good to hear from you again. I know that you've been going through very difficult times, but I'm glad that you're blogging again. Please take care!

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  5. I was deeply moved by this, Jon. My maternal great grandfather --after whom I was named-- was a Confederate soldier. I have his letters to his wife in a tin dispatch box. In 1957, I was at a Jl.4th fireworks show on the outskirts of Okmulgee, Okla. They began with the Nat'l Anthem, after which the m.c. announced,"Ladies and gentlemen, all rise for 'Dixie'." I was just a little kid who couldn't understand the tears in peoples' eyes. Was very glad to return to California, away from the restless spirit of a war that should never have happened. Your music is beautiful. Beautiful. Not sure new generations understand. Don't know how long it takes for a population to recover from a revolution. If the new generation doesn't give it a thought, I'd take that as a positive sign. Thanks for this post.

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    1. It's fantastic that you have your great-grandfather's Civil War letters - what a treasure! You're right, the new generations don't realize the enormous impact of this war and how very deeply it affected our nation. I am always mesmerized and inspired by those old photos.

      It means a lot to know how much you appreciated the video, Geo. Many thanks!

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  6. A wonderful post you submitted here, so glad I didn't miss it like I almost did.

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    1. I'm really glad that you enjoyed it, Paula. I was going to save this to post on Memorial Day, but was too impatient to wait.

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  7. Great video, Jon. I've been to many many Civil War historical sites, so I fully understand what you mean about feeling the presence of ghosts on those battlefields. Such a hushed eerie feeling.

    My hubby and I even visited some Civil War sites on our honeymoon. (I know. We're weird.) One of the coolest places was Appomattox Court House.

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  8. I don't think it's weird at all to visit Civil War sites on your honeymoon (I thrive on unconventionality). I would really like to visit the Appomattox Court House.

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