Making music on the march: sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration
ABSTRACT During the so-called ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration (c.1897–1922), various parties of men invented songs to aid the act of sledging and to provide a mental diversion from the monotony of the task and the physical demands it made on the human body. Songs composed in this uniquely pola...
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2016
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247416000255 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247416000255 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0032247416000255 2024-03-03T08:38:44+00:00 Making music on the march: sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration Philpott, Carolyn Leane, Elizabeth 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247416000255 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247416000255 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Polar Record volume 52, issue 6, page 698-716 ISSN 0032-2474 1475-3057 General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development journal-article 2016 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0032247416000255 2024-02-08T08:39:39Z ABSTRACT During the so-called ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration (c.1897–1922), various parties of men invented songs to aid the act of sledging and to provide a mental diversion from the monotony of the task and the physical demands it made on the human body. Songs composed in this uniquely polar musical genre typically included rhyming lyrics that were highly motivational and expressed a united identity. The lyrics were usually set to the melodies of popular songs of the day. When voiced in unison by men out ‘on the march,’ sledging songs could help to promote team synchronisation and cohesion, and give the act of sledging (as well as the expeditions as a whole) a stronger sense of purpose and meaning. The singing of such songs, therefore, contributed in a very practical way to the overall success of many Antarctic expeditions of the ‘heroic age’. This article examines three sledging songs dating from this period of Antarctic exploration and investigates the historical context in which they were created and performed. It also considers what these songs reveal about the experiences of the men who participated in the sledging journeys and their earliest perceptions of the Antarctic environment. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Polar Record Cambridge University Press Antarctic The Antarctic Polar Record 52 6 698 716 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development |
spellingShingle |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development Philpott, Carolyn Leane, Elizabeth Making music on the march: sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration |
topic_facet |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences Ecology Geography, Planning and Development |
description |
ABSTRACT During the so-called ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration (c.1897–1922), various parties of men invented songs to aid the act of sledging and to provide a mental diversion from the monotony of the task and the physical demands it made on the human body. Songs composed in this uniquely polar musical genre typically included rhyming lyrics that were highly motivational and expressed a united identity. The lyrics were usually set to the melodies of popular songs of the day. When voiced in unison by men out ‘on the march,’ sledging songs could help to promote team synchronisation and cohesion, and give the act of sledging (as well as the expeditions as a whole) a stronger sense of purpose and meaning. The singing of such songs, therefore, contributed in a very practical way to the overall success of many Antarctic expeditions of the ‘heroic age’. This article examines three sledging songs dating from this period of Antarctic exploration and investigates the historical context in which they were created and performed. It also considers what these songs reveal about the experiences of the men who participated in the sledging journeys and their earliest perceptions of the Antarctic environment. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Philpott, Carolyn Leane, Elizabeth |
author_facet |
Philpott, Carolyn Leane, Elizabeth |
author_sort |
Philpott, Carolyn |
title |
Making music on the march: sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration |
title_short |
Making music on the march: sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration |
title_full |
Making music on the march: sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration |
title_fullStr |
Making music on the march: sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration |
title_full_unstemmed |
Making music on the march: sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration |
title_sort |
making music on the march: sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of antarctic exploration |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247416000255 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247416000255 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Polar Record |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Polar Record |
op_source |
Polar Record volume 52, issue 6, page 698-716 ISSN 0032-2474 1475-3057 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0032247416000255 |
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Polar Record |
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52 |
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6 |
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698 |
op_container_end_page |
716 |
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1792507178759749632 |