Analysis of World war 1 music - Analysis of Keep the Fires Burning

  I believe this song was written at the beginning of the war because, in terms of reflecting general mood of the public, this piece is very cheerful so Canadian’s were not tired of the war yet, and because it talks about keeping the “the home fires burning” (the most important line of the chorus), it also portrays the feeling that the war would be over relatively quickly.  At the same time, the lyrics also tell you that it is a song of hope. The last 2 lines of the song basically portray this feeling.  As you can see, what they probably mean is that although the war may seem dark, and some men may not come home, you shouldn’t give up and that don’t worry eventually they’ll be home. The predominant thing about the lyrics though, is the patriotism. It seems to be all about Canadian pride, and how we’re helping a country not because it’s an obligation as a British colony, but sending the message that we went to war because of our honour and more of a moral thing than anything else. It makes our troops seem strong, ready and courageous.

 The song is definitely a march, which definitely portrays a feeling of “strength” from the song, which reinforces the idea of patriotism presented by this song, because then what the song is saying is said with a bit more “conviction”, so it has a greater impact on the listener, which is why the feeling of hope that is portrayed is so strong. Obviously typical march band instruments are used in this piece, which is mainly brass instruments, accompanied by percussion and the less dominant woodwinds.  The tempo is probably allegretto during the versus but slows down at the chorus, just to make that part more distinct and send the message across more clearly. Also the slowness seems more appropriate for the message of hope.

Overall the song really portrays the mood that this song and other from that time period had at the beginning of the war, which was mainly confidence in our troops and their fighting abilities, and about Canadian unity and pride. This obviously ends up changing by the end of the war, but this song still gives you a general idea.