Politically instrumentalized music through its inclusion in politics is not yet political music. For example, twelve-tone technology or jazz are not “in themselves” political. Twelve-tone technology and jazz became a political concern if they were not liked as “cultural Bolshevik”, “degenerate”, “Jewish”, in the Hitler rule and they were used by the composers in the music of the anti-fascist resistance.

The requirement of political music

For both the recipients and on the producers, awareness is a critical requirement of political music. This has something to do with the point that the political element of music can only ever progress in a real social force area of conflicting interests.

It must be understood that being political is not a characteristic quality of music. In addition, it is not to be condensed to the outside side of the music, to the messages which are set to music. Texts or messages can narrow down the political function of music however music is not a neutral way of transport of text messages for politics.

Political in music

The political in music is rather an aspect of its effect, the feedback of its effect on the tonal shape. Whether the effect of music is mobilizing, whether music is partisan for a certain group or cause in society, whether it expresses or mediates the community and community of a social group as the subject of social change, all that depends on many factors and the specific situation of making music.

Precisely for this reason, for example, the community-building or mobilizing effect of music is experienced as very immediate in certain situations and thus the political power of music is experienced as very concrete. And yet the tonal properties, the melodies and rhythms that convey this effect are politically neutral tonal design tools outside of this force field. That is why the moment of awareness is needed in order to equip music with properties that develop political effects under certain social conditions and in concrete power constellations.