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Introduction to Europe and Russia

sovereignty (with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state) in 1931, political up heavals have closely characterized European history during its long period of colo nizing other parts of the world. 1848, in which people in many areas of Europe (and not just Western Europe) experienced revolutions and built new nations, remains the time of the greatest internal/national upheaval, while the multi-nation wars of the 20th century devastated millions of families and involved many nations out side of Europe.

What about Europe today? In a time of significant migration of refugees from North Africa and the Middle East into Europe, tensions run high over what the region will look like in ten years. The United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union (“Brexit”) reflects some of those tensions, as does the uneasy sense that co lonial efforts of the 19th and 20th centuries are coming home to roost. In many cases, however, it is the combination of music and musicians that has helped to ease the paths carved out by the armies, missionaries, and political currents of the past. In Bulgaria, for example, the Romani musicians who perform at weddings draw from the sounds of the Ottoman army that overran Bulgaria hundreds of years ago. In Ireland, some people still sing in Irish-Gaelic while the majority of their busi ness is conducted in the colonial language of English. In Spain, the calls of what we might hear as “Olé!” in accompaniment of flamenco dance and music recall the time prior to the rule of Ferdinand and Isabella, when “Allāh!” might have been shouted instead. And in Russia, Orthodox Christian Church choirs have begun to thrive again, after decades of censorship in the name of communism. The stories of music and musicianship across Europe speak directly to how human beings make sense of their world. PROPERTY OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS