This exhibition, on music in the period 1914-18, shows how integral music was and is to the history and memory of the First World War. During the conflict music was an important component in recruitment, fund raising and the maintenance of both civilian and military morale.
Music in all its forms was of course an established feature of everyday life, and the importance of music and all kinds of entertainments intensified during the course of the conflict. The elite musical scene in Britain became ever more internationalised, although the rising number of foreign musicians moving into local house orchestras was a cause of some concern to musicians’ unions.
That the fighting fronts were full of music and humour may come as a surprise. While Britain's modern memory of the First World War is dominated by mud and loss, the history of music 1914-18 shows us that in the midst of so much fear and death there was a great deal of life. Music of all kinds connected servicemen back to the sound worlds of comfort, family and friends. Through music the soldiers were reminded of the homes for which they were fighting. But it's not all about bawdy music hall ditties and marching songs. Music and musicians were implicated in espionage plots; after 1915 bugle calls were used to guard civilians' public safety after Zeppelin raids; orchestras provided cover for prisoners of war to escape from German prison camps. Music would also have therapeutic uses both for wounded servicemen and for the comfort of the bereaved in the war's aftermath.
This exhibition gives a taste of research in progress by Dr Emma Hanna into the provision of musical entertainments in the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force for a forthcoming monograph Music and Morale in the British Armed Forces, 1914-18. It demonstrates that music of all kinds was omnipresent on the home and fighting fronts during the war years and its aftermath, and the power of music to cajole, console, educate and inspire was unmatched by any other medium.
Music 1914-18 will be on display in the Colyer-Fergusson Gallery at the University of Kent from Tuesday 8th November until Thursday 24th November 2016. It will feature alongside a First World War lunchtime concert exploring the war experiences of Ivor Gurney on Friday 11th November.
Entry: Free
