Similarities and differences between: Battle Hymn of the Republic (Julia Ward
Howe, to a pre-existing tune) and Fight for Your Right (Beastie Boys)

[This is a mock essay for Music 6.  The assignment is to take any two pieces 
from listening assignments 1 and/or 2 and `compare and contrast' them,
using whatever of the vocabulary of the first five meetings can be applied.
Since the music treated here is quite different from that of the listening
assignments, only a small percentage of the vocabulary turns out to be useful.]

On the surface, The Battle Hymn of the Republic and Fight for your Right are
more similar than different.  Neither manages much by way of musical surprises;
they are both essentially delivery vehicles for lyrics, in which the music
itself is perfunctory.  In the case of the Battle Hymn, the tune is simply
appropriated from a pre-existing song with other words.

The similarities extend to subject matter and theme.   Both tunes are
essentially exhortations to rise to a higher purpose, perhaps in the face of
opposition.  Both suggest taking up arms to fight for the cause.

Here, however, the similarities end.  The Battle Hymn, after all, is a march,
whereas Fight essentially argues for staying in one's bedroom.  This difference
is clearly reflected in the use of rhythm in the two pieces; the Hymn marches
relentlessly on and on, whereas the refrain of Fight stops and starts like a
reluctant beast of burden.

Different economies of words and notes govern the two.  The Hymn chokes with
images of steel, lilies, serpents, and grapes, packed densely into six dreary
verses.  Infelicities such as the almost unpronounceable phrase "terrible swift
sword" are squeezed back to back. In Fight, on the other hand, the two
syllables "party" occupy sixteen entire beats, sung almost on a single note. 
This is then repeated verbatim.  The vocal range throughout Fight is not great;
once the catalog of three distinct notes has been thoroughly explored, singing
gives way to rapping.  The Hymn's melody dips and soars over an uncomfortably
wide range; the peaks and valleys moreover seem to bear no relation at all to
the dramatics of the words.

All this reflects clearly the different circumstances the makers of the two
pieces of music found themselves in.  The Battle Hymn was not listened to by
its audience of tired, hungry, cold and wet Union soldiers.  Instead, they were
supposed to sing it themselves as they marched wearily along.  Whether it was
actually sung or not is uncertain, but if so, it might not have lifted their
spirits so much as added yet another source of misery to their lot.  The
Beastie Boys, on the other hand, are fully willing to do the singing
themselves. The three priveleged, white, suburban New Yorkers presumably are
singing to an imagined audience precisely like themselves.

The Battle Hymn was sung at the funerals of Presidents Nixon and Reagan.  It
remains to be seen if the same honor will be bestowed on Fight; President
Clinton's funeral music has probably not yet been decided.  On the other hand,
Fight makes much the better ring tone.