20.10 – 20.30 | Café
Freedom for Europe
When the allied forces liberated The Netherlands, they were received as heroes. One liberation song after another were made, most of which were heavily inspired by American culture and music. This coming together of music from different continents resonates to this day: Nina Simone, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Miles Davis, Eminem, are all considered classics here.
The music we make and love has always reflected the time we live in, from protest music during the Vietnam war to patriotic anti-war songs that sound in the trenches of Ukraine’s battlefields. How has our music evolved alongside our changing world? And what music will eventually go down in history as the soundtrack of our current decade? Come and listen to Frank Mehring, as he takes us on a ride through musical history.
This Soundbite is in English.
About the speaker
Frank Mehring is professor of American Studies at Radboud University. He teaches twentieth- and twenty-first-century visual culture and music. He has written extensively on the soundtrack of liberation, which focused on music after the liberation of The Netherlands in 1945.
Radboud Sounds
This program is part of Radboud Sounds. The festival where science meets music with lectures, dance, live music and more on Friday 12 May 2023 in Doornroosje, Nijmegen. Come and celebrate Radboud University’s 100th anniversary. Radboud University scientists from various disciplines shed their light on music and science. Come and listen, dance, enjoy and sharpen your mind on the effect of music. Compose your own program and see the world of music from a different viewpoint.