Literary Illusions is proud to be able to give away all four soundtracks that make up the music from Ken Burns’ films The War. This amazing series put out by PBS tells the story of specific towns and the affects they felt during WWII. The music chosen is by some of the greatest artists in history and includes names like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Benny Goodman.
To win this excellent set all you need to do is let us know your thoughts on the current war that we are in. Jot down 100 or more words in the comment section on your feelings on Iraq. On November 2, we will sit down, read the responses and pick the one person to win. Other than that the only rule is that you live in the U.S. to win.
Keep reading for track information and more info on the film and music selections that are up for grabs.
Good luck in winning!
THE WAR soundtrack album and the three companion albums will be sold individually. They will also be packaged together in a box set, THE WAR, A KEN BURNS FILM: DELUXE EDITION, containing a PBS Series Viewers Guide and an essay written by Ken Burns.
THE WAR tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns. The series explores the most intimate human dimensions of the greatest cataclysm in history, and demonstrates that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives.
Music is an integral element in the success of the award-winning documentary films produced and directed by Ken Burns, and three of his most recent projects have been accompanied by soundtrack albums released by Legacy Recordings: JAZZ (2001, certified multi-platinum), Mark Twain (2001), and Horatio’s Drive (2003).
Six years in the making, the series is nothing less than “a new masterpiece,” declared TV Guide. “THE WAR promises to be an unforgettable experience and could well rival Burns’s breakthrough landmark The Civil War in its simple yet profound artistry and universal appeal,” referring to the landmark 1990 series that won four Emmy Awards and two Grammy Awards.
THE WAR unfolds overseas and on the homefront by following four Americans from four American towns. The music complements the storyline; every title on the soundtrack album was personally chosen by Burns and Novick, for reasons that are explained throughout the liner notes essay.
“The music we chose for the film,” Burns and Novick write, “and for this soundtrack, is an essential element in our attempt to tell the story of the war. Each composition, each recording, helped us breathe life into old photographs and archival footage, added resonance to the testimonies of our witnesses… Again and again, we found that music – freshly created for our film as well as true to the period and gleaned from sources all across the world – helped us immeasurably in trying to describe the indescribable and express the inexpressible.”
SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY: HITS FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR
1. We’ll Meet Again
2. Dancing In The Dark
3. Little Brown Jug
4. I’ll Be Seeing You
5. Moonglow
6. Memories Of You
7. I’ll Get By
8. On The Alamo
9. Pennies From Heaven
10. Body And Soul
11. Let’s Get Lost
12. Blues In The Night
13. There Shall Be No Night
14. Echoes Of Harlem
15. Skylark
16. Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week
17. Paper Doll
18. Long Ago And Far Away
19. Sentimental Journey
20. Waiting For The Train To Come In
I’M BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT: DANCE HITS FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR
1. C Jam Blues
2. Frenesi
3. In The Mood
4. Let Me Off Uptown
5. Taxi War Dance
6. The Sheik Of Araby
7. Pistol Packin’ Mama
8. American Patrol
9. For The Good Of Your Country
10. Cherokee
11. Rose Room
12. Opus #1
13. I’m Beginning To See The Light
14. Tuxedo Junction
15. One O’clock Jump16. I’m Confessin’
17. (I’ve Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo
18. Boogie Woogie
19. ’Tain’t What You Do (It’s The Way That You Do It)
20. Sing, Sing, Sing
SONGS WITHOUT WORDS: CLASSICAL MUSIC FROM THE WAR
1. Walton: The Death Of Falstaff
2. Dvořák: Cello Concerto In B Minor (Second Movement)
3. Copland: Concerto For Clarinet, Strings, Harp And Piano
4. Ligeti: Lamento from Hommage À Brahms
5. Fauré: Elégie, Op. 24
6. Liszt: Nuages Gris
7. Messiaen: Quartet For The End Of Time (Third Movement)
8. Copland: Grovers Corners from Our Town
9. Mendelssohn: Song Without Words
10. Elgar: Nimrod from Enigmavariations
Technorati Tags: The War, Ken Burns, CD, Soundtrack, WWII, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Music Contest, Free CD, Giveaway
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Written by Ryan the Admin - Visit Website
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Ryan is from California. He graduated from USC with a degree in English. In his free time, when he isn’t working as a Literary Illusions gopher (er…editor) he enjoys writing short stories.
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Awesome series… great prize!
PLEASE NOTE: To win this - leave your thoughts on the “Current War” in the comment section. Thank you!
While I feel terribly sorry for the soldiers and their families who are stationed in the Middle East, I feel someone has to be there to show the rulers of these countries that they cannot terrorize the United States. I firmly believe that after what they did on September 11, our country had to do something and not just sit back and let them continue with their terrorisim. If we were to pull out all of the troops, I think the message to them would be that we are giving up and they are free to do whatever they like.
I think war is never the answer.
I support our brave troops. It is a shame that I don’t have as much support for reasoning behind their sacrifice.
Nice.
Pick me. Mom would love it.
I’m in!
the series was awesome!
Saw most of the 7 part series…. would love to win this
cool
I think the war is stupid. We’re not fighting for freedom. If we were, we’d be out finding Osama Bin Laden. This war was about revenge for the humiliation Big George felt after Desert Storm. Since Dubya’s such a puppet, his daddy probably told him to invade Iraq. Iraq & 9/11 have nothing to do with each other. I’d be more likely to support fighting those who caused 9/11 then a random country the president just happens to hate.
My husband enjoyed the series very much. He’d like this music also. I’d like to win.
I thing all war should be stopped. I just have no isea how to do that.
I think this jazz stuff is awesome, I would love it.
Another great prize.
War is never right.
I would love to win this!!!
We should not have started this war. It is a mess.
No one likes to see war, sometimes it’s wrong, sometimes we only view it as wrong because we just don’t know the whole story. Should we allow others to live in lifesyles no human deserves or should we try to help them claim the freedom every man, woman and child is born to? I’d love to see it end, everyone would. But when is it “right” to leave those who need you?
While I strongly support our troops serving in Iraq (my daughter-in-law was there two years ago, and will probably be back there next year), I firmly believe our war on this country is a mistake of major proportions.
Iraq, her government and her people were not behind the terrible events of 9/11.
We have laid waste a country and caused the deaths of innocent people for reasons that our government won’t admit: oil? revenge? big government contractors needing more profits to continue contributing to corrupt political candidates?
As an American, I am ashamed of our government’s arrogance and carelessness in this unjustified war.
sign me up!
I feel that the war in Iraq was partially justified by the cruel and inhumane actions of the former leader of that country against his own people. I also feel the majority of Iraqis wanted him deposed, but couldn’t do it themselves. Why it is continuing is because many non-Iraqis have infitrated into the country from other Arab countries and are trying to overthrow the lawfully elected government of Iraq and make the U S A look like the “bad guy”. I also fully support the actions of our government and our troops over there. I continue to pray for peace both over there and throughout the entire world.
Naomi Klein says it much better than I - Shock Doctrine is what it’s all about. I feel frustrated, saddened, shocked and disgusted that President Cheney has been able to kill over 200.000 innocent Iraquis. The man is shameful and the puppeted man who was appointed president after Al Gore won the popular vote is ready to invade Iran and no one in America seems to care. Can this be real? Vietnam ended when I was a freshman in High School. Will we ever learn the lessons of history?
As a former United States infantry soldier that served in Vietnam, I feel that we are just as justified to be in Iraq protecting the native people of that country from the dictator (Saddam) and the genicide that occurred there. Now there are many terrorists operating in the country from other countries in the area, killing civilians and our soldiers, and trying to overthrow the lawfully elected government of that country. I continue to support our government and troops and pray for peace there and throughout the rest of the world. May the Lord protect their lives also.
Just let this war be over soon. If we could take the incredible sums of money we are spending and talented people we are losing over there and apply them to problems here in the US, imagine how much we could accomplish.
i am just glad to have brave men and women protect our country!
I grew up in WV…lots of Civil War history there! I want to win!
Why are we at war? Because of 9/11? Because of Desert Storm? Because of a bunch of “hanging chads”? We could debate the issues and voice our opinions until hell freezes over or Homeland Security comes knocking on our doors. It won’t change a thing. Our young people, the future of our country, (the “good kids” as opposed to the ones into gangs and drugs) are over there; dying for our country. We need to support THEM regardless of whether we feel they should be there or not. Send a card, a care package, heck… just an email. Next time you see one … shake a soldier’s hand or thank a marine. They are the ones this conversation should be about.
Most Americans are war weary and ready to blame anyone and everyone. This is a difficult situation and there are no easy answers. When the World Trade Center was hit, I think the President did what had to be done. Had there been a different president at the time, that person would probably have done much the same thing. Our country couldn’t just sit back and let the terrorists take over. When to pull out? Again, a very difficult situation and either choice — to pull out or not to pull out — will bring different sets of problems into play. We just have to hope that the decisions being made are the correct ones and realize this won’t be over for months or even years. All we can do is pray it is over soon and show our support for the troops who are protecting our country.
Would love to win this! I don’t think I could limit my comments on this “war” to 100 words but I am completely against it! My husband had to go over for 1 1/2 years and it changed our perspective on what we are doing there. This “war” is literally destroying lives (not just over there) but the families (especially the children)and soldiers that have to adapt to normal life afterwards.
We are not protecting our country but occuping a country who does not want us there and for what? What a mess! Not worth it and no reason to be there to begin with as there is NO connection to the attack on us as or WMD as we were initially led to believe. Follow the money trail!
This war is disgusting, pointless, and deadly.
enter me
I believe in this war and believe we should intensify our fight. If we look at the pictures of the people slaughtered, poisoned and gassed by Saddam, we should all realize he was only one step away from being the next “Hitler”. It is a shame the people of Iraq can not seem to get their acts together enough to realize the much better country they could be if they did. I also think if the US government had geared up for war after 9/11 (such as we did after Pearl Harbor) the USA would be a much better nation as a whole. Employment would be up, the values that rationing teaches would be learned, and we would be a much prouder nation. God bless our soldiers, their families and the USA. I thoroughly enjoyed the War on PBS and it brought a lot of insight into my father-in-law’s life. If only America could be brought together such as we were then instead of the “me” society we live in now.
War is not an organized business. There are no rules to go by. The decision-makers are doing what they think is best at the time, and we must realize that not everyone will agree with those decisions no matter what stance is taken. All that can be done is to persevere and see it through
until the end. It is not successful until we win, and even then, some may say it is not successful. The best thing that can be done is to continue to support the troops and hope that the war is over soon and that it is
successful.
The Iraq War proves to me that Jonathan Swift was short a chapter while writing Gulliver’s Travels.
If Swift where to have focused on a deliberately isolated group of people determined to not be cognizant of the relationship between cause and effect, profiteer at the negligible expense of patriotism, degrade their very own nation into marginality and change apres moi, le deluge to what avec moi, le deluge means in every interpretation, he would have had to invent the Bush League.
What the war means to me today is what we do about our future.
Unless we don’t just value accountability and responsibility as the direction to finger point, but turn it into the next logical step to right countless wrongs, we will live out even more of our lives, perhaps all, as part of the problem instead of its solution
I believe in our troops. They are courageous people and should have the unwavering support of each and every American. Unfortunately, war is necessary to protect our freedom and sovereignty. My heart aches for the hardships that our troops and their families face. This country was built with the blood, sweat, and tears of our forefathers. It is their courage and dedication that has made the United States great. Our children are going to have to find the stamina to continue fighting for what makes this country great. It’s great that this documentary, The War, honors the greatest generation and shows our youngsters that the “bar” is set pretty high.
FREEDOM IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR.
Thanks everyone for entering. The winner of our contest is Jimmy.
Jimmy wrote:
I think the war is stupid. We’re not fighting for freedom. If we were, we’d be out finding Osama Bin Laden. This war was about revenge for the humiliation Big George felt after Desert Storm. Since Dubya’s such a puppet, his daddy probably told him to invade Iraq. Iraq & 9/11 have nothing to do with each other. I’d be more likely to support fighting those who caused 9/11 then a random country the president just happens to hate.
Congrats Jimmy!
Please email us your snail mail address so we can send you your soundtrack!
The entire war was based on false premises and for Jorge Bush to even actually request more funds and troops for the war is absolutely absurd. Why is he even getting away with all these? SHouldn’t the people of America have more rights than the President (which technically is the public’s servant, much like cops are to the general public). Someone hang that gimp!
GREAT WORK
I believe we were right to go to war, and I support our troops, but I question whether we are making the same mistakes made in VietNam. A war is not a “police action”. If we’re going to send our young men to battle, we need to empower them to win by whatever means necessary so we can get them back home as soon as possible. Instead we send them into battle with their hands tied because we don’t want to “offend” the enemy. That’s crazy! If you want to talk about offending someone, how offensive is it that we try our soldiers for war crimes DURING the war? That is giving the enemy comfort, and I think our media and our government should be ashamed of themselves for doing that. Notice there’s no saying that “war is politically correct”? There’s a reason for that. WAR IS HELL.
I believe that we are in Iraq because of Bush’s ties to oil. I believe that it is a evil thing we are doing over there. No more blood for oil! We need to get out of there. We are not Team America World Police.
I believe the liberal media fails to report all the good we are doing over there. I know the lives lost are many, but I hope they are not in vain. But, think about it, if we had reporters and real time video of all wars of the past, do you think the outcome would have been the same? I think not. World War 2 was worthwhile, and I feel this one is too.
Let me preface this note by saying “all” war is senseless and destroys not only the men and women who fight, but their famiies. That being said…it has become necessary at times in our history to engage in war. No one questions WWII because it was clearly provoked by the enemy. What most people fail to see in Iraq is a clear and present danger. But then most people didn’t see it in Vietnam either. Thousands died there and because of public opinion swayed by the media we withdrew leaving the job unfinished. Did we make mistake entering into Iraq…only time will tell. Maybe someone should ask the elderly people of places like South Korea,South Vietnam and other nations in the world were our soldiers have shed their blood to purchase their freedom. I know I am eternally grateful to those whose preserved mine.
The war was started with the best of intentions but we failed and need to find a way out of this sad sad situation which just makes the US look worse every day to the rest of the world.