Music of the American Revolution

Abstract

Music of the American Revolution produced powerful effects. More than a mere backdrop to revolutionary events or a simple reflection of revolutionary spirit, music forged common cause and division, imbued political sentiments with emotional resonance, infused secular and political ideals with sacred and religious overtones, animated ideas about political allegiance, and conveyed a range of contested and evolving national identities. Music also connected Anglo-American colonists to a wider transatlantic culture, was bound up with projects of empire and settler colonialism, spoke to shifting gender ideals, and helped racialize the soundscape of the Revolution. As a topic that cuts across many disciplines, a definitive treatment of music in the American Revolution remains elusive. In fact, beyond debates occurring within specific disciplinary subfields, studies on different aspects of American Revolutionary music are not often in conversation with each other. However, evaluations of 18th-century American music demand attention not only to sound but also to literary practices, performance cultures, and transatlantic connections. Cumulatively, scholars have begun to challenge unduly nostalgic interpretations of music’s contribution to the Revolution. Yet there is still significant opportunity for future studies to adopt more expansive definitions of revolutionary music to better integrate minority musical experiences and expressions into American Revolutionary history. As such, this bibliography includes citations to works that may lack either a strong musical or Revolutionary-era focus to advance research on this vital subject. For example, scholars of music of the African diaspora and Indigenous First Nations typically do not center their narratives on the American Revolution but awareness of their research is essential to build a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the role of music, songs, and singing in this conflict.