34 Renner ⦁ Revolutions Anderson, the military bands provided music for entertainment, funerals, executions, informal dinners, recruiting activities, and large scale movements.47 One popular tune that was played was “Yankee Doodle,” an American folk song. Yankee Doodle was often used as a victory tune and was played at events such as the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781.48 This song was such an influence, even before the Revolution, that the British wrote their own lyrics and adopted it as their “anti-American war song of the Revolution” and used it to mock the Continental soldiers.49 For Americans, this tune reflected “American humorous traditions and American selfcharacterization,” but the British wrote lyrics that described the “ignorance and cowardice of the American militia at Cape Breton.”50 These lyrics, written by the British soldiers in the preRevolutionary era, are shown in Figure 2. “Yankee Doodle” is an example of how a piece of music can be influential both positively and negatively within a society. Similarly to the military music of the American Revolution, the French military used instrumental music throughout its history. Figure 2: “Yankee Doodle” by Thomas Skillern.51 47 Anderson, 30. 48 Gibbons, 254. 49 Lemay, 443. 50 Lemay, 435–443. 51 Lawrence, n.p.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=