the music of invasion and occupation

This weekend I listened to the Fort Collins Wind Symphony perform “Music for Prague 1968.” It was written by Czech-born Karl Husa as a reaction to the Soviet invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia that began in August of 1968.

The music is filled with dissonance and terrible emotion. There are moments of militaristic nationalism as snare drums beat out marches. There are the sounds of air raid sirens contrasted with the sounds of birds singing. There is terror, fear, pain, sadness, and momentary glimpses of hope. The bells in the song were written to reflect the sounds of Prague, known as the City of a Hundred Spires; they just as viscerally echo the sounds of Fallujah, the City of Mosques. It was an intense and powerful performance that was emotionally exhausting.

Performed in the present, “Music for Prague 1968” is a statement about other invasions, other occupations. The song is Nablus. Gaza. Kabul. It is music for Baghdad 2008.