Everyone's tastes are different. But there were several songs and melodies known to most activists in the communist movement. Some of them common to the entire left in Britain, others were international, either specifically communist or broader. There is a lot to learn from looking at the musical culture of socialist and labour movements around the world. Britain's socialist music culture is comparatively thin, many of the songs (e.g. 'England Arise') sound like hymns - earnest and dull. The US labour movement, particularly through the IWW, had a much livelier musical culture with the songs of Joe Hill, T-Bone Slim and the like. Russian revolutionary songs - including those from the 19th century common to the whole revolutionary movement - are often almost apocalytic in tone and content, looking forward to the day of bloody retribution against the oppressors. It's also instructive to compare the French original of the International with the English translations. The French original is again apocalyptic and millenarian ("du passé, faisons table rase" etc. etc.) The standard English translation is, in comparison, anaemic Fabian doggerel. Overall, though, this music constituted a kind of subculture which is now largely lost.