Music and National Identity

Sociologists, historians, and musicologists have long claimed that music gave rise to the development of national consciousness in various parts of Europe in the late 19th Century. In the early 20th Century, America sought its own national music. After many false starts, the “Copland” sound became that which represents the nation to the rest of the world. This lecture traced the unifying and emotional power of music, from a composer's imagination to listeners' perceptions.