2 The sound of marching feet
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Kate Bowan
Abstract
Commemorative parades, such as those on Labour Day and May Day, were but one site of musical behaviour among many in the public sphere. This chapter examines the making of music that was unambiguously intended for the full gaze of public scrutiny. It also examines parades using Labour Day as the focus for a broader discussion of the sound of marching feet. The chapter considers the place of music in the formal political world of electioneering. Our point of entry into the public sphere of music-making by radicals and reformers is to rejoin the parade about to set off down Marshall Street under the burning sun in Cobar. The photograph of Cobar gives a sense of the structure of a parade and the role of music-making within it. Moreover, it is clear is that many bands across the Anglophone world donated their services to Labour Day parades.
Abstract
Commemorative parades, such as those on Labour Day and May Day, were but one site of musical behaviour among many in the public sphere. This chapter examines the making of music that was unambiguously intended for the full gaze of public scrutiny. It also examines parades using Labour Day as the focus for a broader discussion of the sound of marching feet. The chapter considers the place of music in the formal political world of electioneering. Our point of entry into the public sphere of music-making by radicals and reformers is to rejoin the parade about to set off down Marshall Street under the burning sun in Cobar. The photograph of Cobar gives a sense of the structure of a parade and the role of music-making within it. Moreover, it is clear is that many bands across the Anglophone world donated their services to Labour Day parades.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures viii
- Founding editor’s introduction x
- Acknowledgements xii
- Introduction 1
- 1 Songs of the world 32
- 2 The sound of marching feet 100
- 3 Votes for a song 140
- 4 ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’ 165
- 5 Music, morals and the middle class 228
- 6 The challenges of uplift 264
- 7 ‘Sing of the warriors of labour’ 294
- Conclusion 345
- Index 363
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of figures viii
- Founding editor’s introduction x
- Acknowledgements xii
- Introduction 1
- 1 Songs of the world 32
- 2 The sound of marching feet 100
- 3 Votes for a song 140
- 4 ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’ 165
- 5 Music, morals and the middle class 228
- 6 The challenges of uplift 264
- 7 ‘Sing of the warriors of labour’ 294
- Conclusion 345
- Index 363
