Megaphone

Abstract

This chapter examines the sonic amplification of some of the opposition’s most charismatic leaders. Through Solidarity’s decade, speeches and ceremonies on public stages shaped a broad audience. In December 1980 a monument was unveiled to commemorate a violently squelched 1970 protest. The playback of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Lacrimosa (1980) over loudspeakers at this event is contextualized with the Party’s relationship to Penderecki and the composer as a public figure. The 1970 protest also unfolds across interpretations of a ballad, “Janek Wiśniewski Fell.” This vernacular song’s use in leftist media, in films, and within electronic music opens up a discussion of trauma, memory, and place in counterpoint to the commemorative work done at the unveiling. The chapter concludes with a musical study of Lech Wałęsa through media networks. His charisma invigorated Joan Baez, who wrote songs for him and traveled to Gdańsk to perform for the opposition.