Nationalism in Music

Nationalism on its own can be a dangerous force, but it has inspired a number of profound pieces of music. This edition of Exploring Music examines what happens when a powerful pride in national identity enters a composer’s head. Bill starts by reading an excerpt from an essay about the history of nationalism in music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, who identifies Chopin as the first composer to write nationalistic music with his Polonaises and Mazurkas. From Poland we wander through 20^th century Europe: the Czech Republic, Rumania, Hungary, France, Scandinavia, Russia and Albion.