Songs from World War II.

In the memory of Dresden.
Symphony I (In Memoriam Dresden, 1945) by Daniel Buckvich.

Composed by Daniel Buckvich "Symphony No. 1" was written to depict the fire bombing of Dresden, Germany by Allied forces on February 13-14, 1945. In three waves of attacks, 3300 tons of incendiary bombs were dropped on the city, creating a firestorm. The more the city burned, the more oxygen was drawn in, and the greater the fires became. It is thought that temperatures reached 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. As people began to flee, their feet burned as the surface of the road melted. Some attempted to save themselves by jumping into reservoirs in the city centre that were intended to assist fire fighters. As these were ten feet deep, smooth sided, and had no ladders, many drowned. Estimates of the number of casualties of this attack vary from as few as 25000 to as many as 150000. Due to the large number of refugees that had sought a safe haven in Dresden, we will never know for sure. Movement I, "Prologue", establishes the mood of impending disaster and presents the thematic material. Movement II, "Seeds in the Wind", refers to the method of "seeding" a bomb target with jellied gasoline and incendiaries. Movement III, "Ave Maria", reflects upon the religious and artistic heritage of Dresden and becomes a prayer for the victims. Movement IV, "Firestorm", employs non-traditional techniques to portray the fire storm, ending with the last sobs of the dying, with a flute solo on low C.

www.nme.com...

From the 1987 movie Empire of the Sun.
Possibly a metaphor for how the world lost its innocence, eventually with the flash of an atomic bomb.

The Japanese kamikaze pilot's song (apparently Umi Yuukaba) turns into the Welsh lullaby Sua Gan.

A mixture of historical narrative and music radio, mainly from the US since Pearl Harbor, and the entry into World War II.

Looking at the above, and the thread in general, it's really amazing how stoic and chin-up that generation was.

It seems that Attitude triumphed over Evil.

Song medley from the album Songs That Won The War:

Native American song.

Black Lodge Singers - Soldier Boy.

World War II as the start of modern feminism, especially in an economic sense.

BBC Horrible Histories - World War Two Girls' Song.

The Ink Spots - This Is Worth Fighting For.

A tribute to all the African American men and women who fought and worked towards a victory in World War II.



Sadly, despite repeated searches, the music from sub-Saharan Africa is largely absent from this period, although many Africans fought in World War II.

In memory of Dan Perrino, who passed away aged 91 last month.
www.news-gazette.com...

Perrino's lecture and live performance of the music from World War Two is available as a series of clips, with lectures, anecdotes and music from that period.

Perrino performs with his Medicare 7, 8 or 9 band (founded in 1968) in the lecture, which was performed as part of a film festival at the Eastern Illinois University in 2007.

Perhaps the venue was a bit too formal, but a great introduction to the music from that period nevertheless.
Certainly a treasure for any student of music or history.

Remembering the Music of World War II (part 5):

Tui Teka - Maori Battalion Trilogy.

Remembering the veterans and fallen from New Zealand.

A German soldier-song from the Axis side.

"Als die goldene Abendsonne".
I'd translate the title as: "When the the golden evening sun sets".

More prophetic than would have been known at that time, because the sun would set on Nazism.

It's essentially about a Nazi regiment who enter a town, and their sorrow about a death of a comrade.
It's obviously not the reception they expected, and they swear some type of "revenge" for his death, although that is unclear.

The more clear message is that they march forth, despite their sorrow.

A harrowing musical account of life on the German East-Front during World War II.
Certainly heroic from the point of view of ordinary soldiers, but clearly also a part of history never to be repeated.

Lunikoff - Wir Drei wie Brüder ("We three like brothers", with English subtitles).

The Battle Hymn of the Republic (song from the USA).

This version and clip is specifically focused on World War II.

The 1940 Glenn Miller classic: In The Mood.

Remembering the incredibly brave warriors and battles in the sky.

Iron Maiden - TailGunner:

Despite many fantastic songs, I must say that the Tui Teka song from New Zealand above is truly terrific.

A very haunting song.

Attero Dominatus - Sabaton.

Berlin is burning.

Berlin has fallen and has been rebuilt.

Perhaps today nobody can even imagine the complete annihilation of a major world city.

May it never happen again.