America's entry into World War I in April, 1917, roughly coincided with and helped bring about the end of Charles Ives' active years as a composer. In 1915, Ives began to write his thoughts about the war and about the nature of the governments that were pursuing it. In 1915 he wrote a note to the effect that physical bravery is commonplace, but that the moral bravery not to go to war was badly needed. "The stupidity of politicians...is the only cause of war," he added.

In the election of 1916, Ives, formerly a Republican, supported President Woodrow Wilson's reelection campaign under the slogan of "He Kept Us Out of War." But it was only one month after Wilson's second inauguration that the President asked and received a declaration of war from Congress, proclaiming "the world must be made safe for democracy."

Ives supported the war effort by organizing volunteer units of ambulance drivers and donating an ambulance, and began writing political tracts, such as "Stand by the President and the People." He began aligning himself against wealthy interests in favor of reforms that would strengthen direct popular democracy. He cut back on his composing to do this, although he did work on the Concord Sonata and wrote three songs directly related to the war.

Ives' partner Mike Myrick suggested that Ives make a song out of an already well-known poem, In Flanders Fields by the Canadian insurance man and Army doctor John McCrae. It was played at the Waldorf-Astoria luncheon for managers of his company.

Although the song begins with a foreboding piano introduction with strange, shifting harmonies, its style is accessible. In the song the dead address the living and urge them to take up their "quarrel with the foe." The song has a march-like rhythm and frequently imitates drum-beat cadences, and occasionally breaks into Ives' unique brand of shifting tonality.

Toward the end, the march rhythm slows down to double note durations and the chords take on a hymn-like quality. The song gets quieter and quieter. Finally, in the last measure the note values of the drum cadence double. By now what were sharp, accented staccato notes are softly rolled chords, in the lower half of the keyboard, in D minor but with a hanging extra note, emphasized, a G sharp. This gives the song a strange, unsettled feeling.

Ives continued writing political tracts, including a proposal for a direct national referendum on leading issues, and organizing efforts to build support for it. This drastically curtailed his composing time, which unbeknownst to him was rapidly running out. In 1918 he suffered a heart attack, effectively ending his "evening composer" activities.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.