Introduction – A comparative analysis of music as a powerful tool at the service of ideologies

“Musical innovation is full of danger to the State, for when modes of music change, the fundamental laws of the State always change with them.”

Plato

Innovation is inherent to the process of creating music and has brought us different forms of music throughout the ages. According to Plato, this process of innovation actually impacts the politics of the state, and it is easily arguable that the reverse is also true. The second part of Plato’s quote could be rewritten as “When the fundamental laws of the State change, the modes of music always change with them”, underlining the use of music by new political leaders for ideological or personal ends.

And actually, the aim of this blog is to go through this instrumentalization of music in politics under Mao’s China in comparison with Stalin’s use of music in Soviet Union as a tool, in both cases, used in order to convey ideologies, to build and widespread a personality cult and to shape a new aesthetic. In other words, by going deeper into music in relation to communists powers, this blog will deal with the power of music in influencing society but also this blog will take a closer look at the power’s influence on music. The aim of this study is to use an analytical but more importantly a comparative approach in order to try to build similarities between the instrumentalization of music under Mao and Stalin but also to identify variations in the aims and the way music was seen under the mandate of those two leaders.

But what does instrumentalizing music mean ? In this respect, the etymology of such a word is quite interesting and applicable to music as, according to the Oxford Dictionary, to « instrumentalize » is in the first place to « To perform (a piece of music) using a musical instrument or instruments » and « To arrange or score (a piece of music) for instruments, especially for an orchestra. » Basically, the word ‘instrumentalize‘ firstly refers to music. And then, looking at the actual third definition of this verb, « To make or render (something) instrumental to accomplishing a purpose or result; to use as a means to an end. » – by the way still using the lexical field of music – the instrumentalization of music is understandable as the way music is used for political ends as a powerful mean to convey ideologies. And this particular aspect will be the core of our analysis.

Then, the blog will be divided into 5 main sections. You are currently going through the first one, the introduction, and you will certainly end by reading the conclusion, that will allow us to synthesize our findings as well as our reflection, and to open discussion on our subject. In between of those two sections, three broad articles will contribute to this blog analysis on the role of music as a powerful tool at the service ideology.

The aim of those articles is to answer to our broad problématique that is to what extent the communist regimes of Mao and Stalin instrumentalized music in order to unify their newly formed political community into nations or to disseminate communist values and traditions?

The first article will actually introduce one of the base of music under communists regimes but also under any regime that aim at the instrumentalisation of music for propaganda or societal shaping ends, the idea of creating or legitimising aesthetic(s). Entitled “The Quest for a New Music Aesthetic”, the article will address the political decisions that were taken as well as the institutions that were created in order for the communists political leaders to convey their ideologies and latter to build a cult of personality.

The second article will deal with patriotic music analyzing how the Internationale anthem and its different use under Stalin and Mao illustrates a certain cleavage between international ideology on the one hand and national sentiment on the other hand.

The third article is a focus on the differences in the conception of music under Mao and Stalin, and how those different conceptions of music led the two countries to follow different musical trajectories.

Lastly, the conclusion will allow us to put in a nutshell our main findings and ideas concerning the instrumentalisation of music under the two communists regimes as well as opening the subject.