Music-Text Relationship in Major Anti-War Masterworks by British Composers War Requiem by Benjamin Britten and Dona Nobis Pacem, two of the greatest choral-orchestral masterworks of the twentieth century, will be discussed in terms of the relationship between music and text. The focus of the paper discerns how specifically the composers set the music in order to augment or color the text, which is anti-war in nature, making it deeply meaningful and moving for the listener. Dr. William M. Skoog Elizabeth Daughdrill Endowed Fine Arts Chair, Department of Music Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee Department of Music Rhodes College 2000 North Parkway Memphis, TN 38112 8168 Windersville Dr. Bartlett, TN 38133
[email protected] William Skoog, author and presenter In the 1970’s, there was an American popular song with the words: "War,… what is it good for? …absolutely nothing!" The music featured strong rhythmic accents on beats two and four in driving rock patterns; the melody featured a broken line, with something of a violent grunt, depicting those words. The melodic motion was stepwise, almost chant-like in its contour, representing quasi-religious overtones for this text, creating artistic irony. This song was written during the Vietnam War, and became one rallying cry for millions of Americans as an artistic voice against that war. As a musician, one feels acutely compelled to be social-conscious, as art tends to reflect and/or influence society. Music has historically been borne out of a society as a result of conditions surrounding its inception, and has often been a vehicle used to influence society at such times.