Art is a Revolt

Here is a touch of my thesis on culture in France.  If you like it, comment on it, and I will post more of it.  Some have been asking about what I studied; so I thought this might be a good introduction for you.  Enjoy.  

"All art is a revolt against man's fate."

-André Malraux

I.                   Music and Nationalism: An Introduction

Born into wealth, plunged into the Hell of a Nazi prison camp, and raised victoriously to become the Minister of Cultural Affairs for an evolving Post-WWII France, Andre Malraux echoes the very soul of France and its inextricable relationship to the artistic culture around it.  In those few words, Malraux captures the muse-infused angst of the individual that, when left to its fullest artistic fruition, manifests itself into the intricate fabric of French nationalism.  Though widely unsung as a political change agent, the muse of music is an essential element of defining one’s culture, and specifically, the French national identity.  The following pages will undertake an analysis and critic into understanding the role of music in the development of the French national identity. 

 When examined through the polarized and myopic lenses of political scientists or musicologists it is not surprising that both disciplines conclude their separate influences are the dominant key to explaining the development of French nationalism.  Political science concludes that the citizenry is crafted by the affairs of state.  By contrast, the musicologist concludes that the fate of the nation lies in the logos of its citizenry catalyzed by the ethos of art and emotion, without which there would be no state.  The militarist highlights a country’s triumph with scarce note of the military band keeping time and morale.  All the while, the band leader trumpets the military’s inability to so much as march without the deep reverberation of the military drum.

Musicologist and the political scientist have illuminated different aspects of nation construction.  However, both have limited themselves by not discussing their findings with the other.  Without a clear understanding of the role played by music the political scientists cannot fully comprehend the role of the people in expressing themselves or the role of propaganda used by the state.  Moreover, without a strong comprehension of institutions and the political structure of the state the musicologist cannot understand how the people are constricted by the mechanisms of the state.  It is this gap in scholarship that will be addressed here.

The Second section of this paper analyzes the nationalism literature to understand why music, as a clearly important component of culture, has received very little attention.  Section III investigates the institutional role of music on the population and the state’s influential role in nation construction.  It examines the role of the state in creating a national identity through music, by evaluating the state’s role in the Conservatoire de Paris and the Opéra.  Section IV examines the role of the military in nation building through an evaluation of the band and the state’s use of the military in times of peace and war.  It examines the limitations of solely defining the development of French nationalism through the confines of military action without the supporting role of the nation’s musical underpinnings. 

Lastly, Section V analyzes the role of the people and their use of popular music as a way of nation construction.   It examines the role of popular music in the development of the French national identity. This later examination will be conducted by reviewing the developmental impact of café-concerts and “pop” French music, otherwise known as chanson populaires.  The three dominate sections (Sections III-V) of this paper will show that neither discipline holds the key to explaining French nationalism; rather, when aptly applied, a blending of the two disciplines creates a more balanced model to explain the nuances of French identity. 

In conclusion, this comparative analysis will illuminate both the unsung role of music in constructing the French national psyche while also highlighting the value of a multi-disciplined analysis to better explain the developmental aspects of the national identity and, specifically, the French identity.