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Making music on the march: sledging songs of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2016

Carolyn Philpott  and
Elizabeth Leane
Carolyn Philpott
Affiliation:
Tasmanian College of the Arts, Conservatorium of Music, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 63, Hobart TAS 7001, Australia (Carolyn.Philpott@utas.edu.au)
Elizabeth Leane
Affiliation:
School of Humanities/Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 41, Hobart TAS 7001, Australia
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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.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 52 , Issue 6 , November 2016 , pp. 698 - 716
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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