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condition inside his Nation. Instead of financing his Country, the government was more concerned in funding the war. The money was spent much to the war started
by the government and consequently it affects the financial problems toward America itself.
The difficult time during Bush presidency caught the attention of musicians to speak up their mind to protest the government. Some protest songs aroused
during his presidency. War was not the only thing that inspired the songwriter in writing their protest song. Some broader themes such as President’s ignorance and
electoral fraud were captured as well in their works. Artists from any genre took part in protesting the government through their musical works; Dixie Chicks with
their country tune song Travellin’ Soldier, Green Day with their pop-punk American Idiot, Kanye West with his rap Bush Doesn’t Care About Black People,
and Bright Eyes with his Dylan-like folk music When the President Talks to God. In addition, pop music, represented by Madonna, also sang about protest in her
American Life. These phenomenon shows that the condition during Bush regime were very critical because it could attract numerous protest from any genre artists.
D. Folk Music as Protest Music
From the name itself, folk music is music of for folk or common people. The definition of folk music has changed considerably over time. Folk music, in
the strictest definition, is a traditional style of music that is performed and passed on from one generation to the next. The content was more of local tradition;
customs, history, folklore, lesson oriented, the occasional slightly glamorized story
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of a larger than life local character, and later protest music. In this sense folk music has been around as long as people have inhabited the planet. Bluse, n.d.,
para. 1 Every culture or country has their own folk music. This music considerably
has different form in each culture or country. These differences are characterized by their musical instruments, and musical patterns. However, the same thing
between all these differences is: the theme. The themes of folk music usually are talking about daily life and hardships.
America is a place where folk music thrives as well. Long before pop music took over American charts and billboards, folk music had already existed in
the country. There is no certain account when American folk music came to America. However, it is believed that American folk music was brought by Irish
immigrant when the day was very young. This notion can be traced by similarities between the songs of American folk artist and Irish folk artist. Most of the
songwriters at that time wrote songs about their work, relationship, war, and spiritual issues. American settlers started with nothing in the 1600s and had to
work hard to start the country. Singing song while working helped them to be though and to soothe their nerve. The strong rhythms of American folk work songs
made the work of chopping woods, hoeing the garden, and other such examples of physical labor seem to be easier for those who chose or were sentenced to physical
labor. Stark-Humprey, 2010, para. 5 Rather than to gain profit, folk music is written to express people’s feeling.
Gene Shay, co-founder and host of the Philadelphia Folk Festival, defined folk
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music in an April 2003 interview by saying: In the strictest sense, it is music that is rarely written for profit. It is music that has endured and been passed down by
oral tradition. Also, what distinguishes folk music is that it is participatory—you dont have to be a great musician to be a folk singer. And finally, it brings a sense
of community. It is the peoples music. in Bluse, n.d., para. 2 American folk music is defined with some characteristics: such as simple
musical instruments, plaintive melodies which mean that the melodies are sung repeatedly, strong rhythms, and steady beats. Rather than using glamour musical
instruments, folk music usually uses simple instruments, for instance is guitar. These simple characteristics have been recognized for a long time in the music
scene as the characteristics of folk music. In modern time, the instruments use are more various, such as piano, violin, and even drums. The plaintive melodies were
means that the melody is simple or sometimes the whole songs are just sung repeatedly.
This music usually talks about war, work, civil rights, and economic hardship to nonsense, satire, and love song. Folk music is identical with protest
music, because the lyric always relates to protest of social condition. It also became the media to protest the government or society; since 19
th
century to 20
th
century. Moreover, it has power to provoke society to make social change and to be aware of their surroundings. This music had also accompanied historical major
events in America, for examples: slave emancipation, women’s suffrage, labor movement, civil rights, the anti-war movement, the feminist movement, and the
environmental movement.
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Folk music revival happened in 1930s-1940s. Some folk musicians, including Charles Seeger, John and Alan Lomax employed folk music to address
social, moral, and political issues. Conservatives of the era called this the left- wing folk song conspiracy. Moreover, Unions began using folk songs in their
rallies. The music was so powerful as a left-wing tool in the mid to late 1930s. In 1940s, folk music began got more attention by musicians. Woody
Guthrie was the figure who played important role in popularizing folk music as protest music in America. American music would never be the same after he
played music and started writing songs. In 1942, this political-minded author and newspaper columnist started writing songs after influenced by Little Red
Songbook. Little Red Songbook is a book that was written to inform working masses about unionism and socialism. Gibson, 2004, para. 4 He wrote and sang
heartfelt songs from social change to working class audiences. By the end of his career, he had written thousands of socialist folk-protest songs. Although his songs
did not call for an action, but his songs revealed about the truth of something he saw.
Beside Guthrie, Bob Dylan was the notable folk musician as well. Influenced by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan has similar characteristics with Woody
Guthrie: straightforward and talking like singing style. However, Dylan had something Guthrie did not. While Guthrie sang about philosophical topics related
to unionism and socialism, Dylan sang about American current issues of 60s decade; such as Civil Rights Movement to Vietnam War. His down-to-earth
honesty and his straight-talking style gained critical acclaimed. Moreover, his
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political protest songs caught the attention of media. This achievement made bob Dylan
become iconic
figure of
folk music
related to
the 60s
http:people.eku.edunelsonlmus273folk.html According to R. Serge Denisoff 1976, a professor in sociology, the
medium of protest music is usually folk music. Because folk music allows a focus to be given to the words of a song, while the music took a secondary supportive
role. Thus, this music becomes an effective medium to express social and political ideological concepts. Denisoff also states the five primary goals of protest music:
1. Pointing to some problems in society, usually in emotional terms.
2. Presenting a solution to that problem in terms of action and a desired
goal 3.
reinforcing the value structure of individuals involved with the movement
4. attempting to recruit individuals by arousing outside sympathy and
support 5.
creating moral unity and uniqueness in its world view According to the characteristics above, protest music has an aim to provoke their
listeners in order to do something. In other words this music has a role to be propaganda media.
E. Music Basic Theory
