The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-06-12
INFLUENCE OF MUSIC
Winning Essay 1920 Ocala High School
MISS SARAH DEHON


Music has been conceived as one
Of the most influential factors in life. |
1t is an emotional medium fitted TO
express the mystic and complex emo
tons of the inner being. 1t forces US
to forget ourselves and transports Us
to the mood of the composer. We do
not know why we are in that mood
but the composer understood; he put
his own feelings and emotions into
his melody. Under his spell we fancy
we experience what we do not really
feel; that we understand what we do
not comprehend; that we can do that
which is far beyond our power. Our
souls blend with his and together
with him, we are transported from
one frame of mind to another. If a
military march is played we feel the
call of war, if dance music is played,
we enter into the spirit of the dance,
if hymn is played we feel with the
musician the desire to praise. The
musician, if he knows how to use his
skill, may hypnotic his audience and
make it do his bidding.
| IL took a world war to bring music
into it's own in America, to make it
recognized by the people and neces-
/ sary for the people at home as we'll
as for the boys in camp. Music play
ed a very important part in the
emergency military education which
this country was called upon to assim-
ilate in very brief period of time.
Military bands and orchestras have
always been organized and used to a
certain extent but not until the world
war were they know to be so COM
plerely necessary.
Soon after General Pershing arrived
in France an official order was issued
that increased the army bands to fifty
members and raised the leader in
charge to the rank and pay Of first
lieutenant. General Pershing was i'm
pressed with the Importance of the
French and English bands and decid-
ed that the American bands could be
improved and enlarged and that more
recognition should be given to their
military standing. This was done
not only in France, but in the camps
in America also. Music began to be
used more and more in all parts of
the army and navy. The bands were
not only increased but singing among
the men encouraged. Time was given
each day to music. 1t began to play
, an important part in overcoming the
dull routine of the daily drill and in
speeding up and keeping up the in
terest of the daily drill and in speed
ing and keeping up the interest of the
? boys. Community sings were held in
! all camps, and among the people as
: well, as an incentive to patriotism.
Many musicians gave some or al
of their time to the soldiers. They
sang in the training camps and ii
: the hospitals. 1t was in the hospi,
tails that singing was most needed
The we'll soldiers could sing fol
themselves, but the poor sick anC
wounded needed some one to sing fol
them and revive their spirits. Eliza
beth Gutman tells US in an article il
The Music Bulletin of her experience
in hospital singing. 1t seems thai
each ward called for a different kline
of song; for example, the shell shocE
patients liked simple songs writer
for children, and the surgical ward:
enjoyed their folk songs and old negro
melodies. The last wish of many o.
the dying was for music and wheI
they heard it they died with smile:
on their faces. 1t was often, too, tbs
privilege of the singer to cheer up ;
ward after a death.
When our boys were finally put il
the trenches and the test came to 60
cover the top" they went over will
a song on their lips. They Were
known as the singing Americans.
This singing did much towards tn
defeat of the Germans; they wer
awed by a song at such time. The!
could not fight men who faced dealt
with a song on their lips. Yet it wa
this song that kept our boys togethe
and kept up their morale.
1t was not only the boys in CAM
VINO felt the influence of music. Pat
riotic music did more to arouse tn
people than any other one thing. n
one could possibly hear the songs tina
were written during the war and no
feel his own responsibility. The com
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