Pushing Politics

I find it fascinating that we don't remember the works Aaron Copland produced after he stepped down from the political spot-light. However, Leonard Bernstein who continued to push his point of view also continued to produce works that are still conscious in our minds. After thinking of other composers of the past, I wonder if this is a constant connection between endurance of works through the ages and a political point of view that the composer is trying to stress. I wonder if such modern day groups as U2 and Green Day would be quite as popular if they did not convey a political message. Though there are also many successful artists and groups that have not pushed political agendas. Think about Beethoven 9's brotherhood of mankind, or his Symphony no. 3, originally dedicated to Napoleon; or perhaps Mozart, though his political views may not be quite as apparent in his works, he still conveys Masonic ideals in his operas and orchestral works. Even Johann Sebastian Bach in a way conveyed a political perspective through his constant devotional music which showed support for the Lutheran church also a political institution. In the end while it may not be necessary for a work to be political to popular during the composer's lifetime, it is almost without exception that we remember the works of composers who pushed the proverbial creative envelope. Those who were not only a product of their culture but those who reacted and used their medium as a form of persuasion.