Visions of the future

This echo is about the Blitz. On the night of February 19, 1941, Swansea experienced the start of one of the most devastating bombing raids of the war. The German Luftwaffe dropped thousands of incendiary bombs on the city, setting fire to homes, businesses, public buildings and leaving the city in ruin. Swansea was one of many British cities targeted during the Blitz due to it’s importance as an industrial port. The fire services were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the devastation, and it took several days to bring the fires under control. The exact number of casualties from the Swansea Blitz is not known, but it is estimated that over 230 people were killed and thousands more were injured.

We used a sample from Winston Churchills Finest Hour speech for a few reasons, firstly, the speech was pre Blitz and so fits well chronologically. Secondly the tone of his speech fits well with the music that follows and it feels very motivational and inspirational. We used a military snare and soldiers marching as the percussion. We used a military snare because they’re instantly recognisable and sets the mood for the piece. Then we gradually started introducing new patterns and instruments to amplify the intensity before it all drops out when the Blitz start. We did this to show that the Blitz destroyed British morale. The second part is from the perspective of someone living through the Blitz. The main piano melody slows down which, paired with the lack of other instruments, gives it a gloomy feel compared to the high energy part prior. It finishes with another Winston Churchill speech, in which he addresses the nation after the Nazis were defeated. We chose this speech for similar reasons, it fit chronologically, and it has an motivational quality to it whilst still coming across dark, paired with the piano it works well as an outro.

Samples used – Winston Churchills Finest hour Speech, Winston Churchills speech addressing the nation following the defeat of the Nazis