The Revolutionary’S Playlist

Book excerpt: Verse captures and portrays sentiment. Revolution, on the other hand, is invariably a culmination of emotions: the tension and strife, hate and faith, and despair and hope of the people who make and are made by them. For those who look back on it, verse can, therefore, serve as a chronicle of historical events and as a priceless look into the socio-political zeitgeist of an era. For those who sing it, verse may have the power to not only fan and fuel existing fiery whirlwinds but to actually ignite flames. Tracing the most controversial, celebrated and lasting of historys musical treasures through four great revolutionsthe American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Russian and Bolshevik revolutions, and the Indian Independence Movementthis book explores the stories these compositions have to tell as well as the lives of the poets, lyricists, songwriters, and singers who wrote them. Whether you are a music aficionado, a history buff or the everyday intellectual, learning from history and art about the human condition in a political and cultural framework is more important today, than ever before. Come, listen.