3. Minstrelsy
- First form of “American” entertainment
- Featured mainly white performers doing parodies of African-
American culture
– “Blackface”
– George Washington Dixon
• Famous song - “Zip Coon” (1834)
– Thomas Dartmouth Rice (1808-1860)
• Famous song - “Jim Crow” (1829)
-Began as a form of satire, enjoyed by racially-mixed crowds in saloons
as well as all-white audiences in formal theaters; later in the 19th
century became more of a racially-charged phenomenon using
negative stereotypes
-Minstrel troupes such as the Virginia Minstrels created a stage
performance that set up specific characters.
6. Stephen Foster (1826-1864)
• Most influential songwriter of American popular song in 19th
century
• Composed around 200 songs from 1840’s-60’s
• Most likely first American to make a living as a songwriter
• Ex: “Oh! Susanna”, “Old Folks at Home”, “Jeanie with the Light
Brown Hair”
• Foster incorporated Ballads, Italian opera, Minstrel songs, etc. into
his own songs
• Foster died at the age of 37, in poverty
• Copyright laws at the time were much different
– Did not cover the composers of songs, only the companies which
purchased rights to them
– “Oh! Susanna” – sold for $100
8. Sousa (1854-1932)
• 2 dozen hit phonograph recordings
• Repertoire mostly written by him
– “Stars and Stripes Forever” (official march of U.S.)
• One of the first to negotiate royalty payments
– Important advocate of copyright reform
Hated recorded music
9. Vaudeville
• Theater style
• Theatrical form descended from music hall shows and
minstrelsy
• By the turn of the century, it had become the most
important medium for popularizing Tin Pan Alley songs.
• “Variety Show” style
– Vaudeville shows typically consisted of a series of performances
presented one after the other without any overarching narrative
theme.
• Singers, acrobats, comedians, dancers, etc.
• “Will it play in Peoria?”
• Separate theaters and booking agencies for Black
performers/audiences
– Theater Owners Booking Agency
10. Scott Joplin - Ragtime
• Best known composer of ragtime
music
• Piano player
• Improviser
• Many of his songs played on a
player piano
• Truly a blending of styles
– White march music with
syncopation
– Minstrel song influence
• Young white culture began to
rebel by participating in the
ragtime tradition
– Repeats in history over and over
13. THE PHONOGRAPH
Invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison
First Phonographs – Wax or Foil Cylinders
1887 – First Phonograph Disc invented
Emile Berliner
More durable and cheaper than wax
Two largest American phonograph disc makers
Columbia Records (formed 1887)
Victor Talking Machine Company (1901)
1902 – 12 in shellac disc introduced
78 rpm, could hold up to 4 minutes of
music
Double sided disc in 1904
This is what was sold in U.S. until 33 1/3
rpm discs (LP’s) were introduced after
WWII in late 1940’s
14.
15.
16.
17. ACOUSTIC RECORDING
Replaced by electric recording in 1925
Sound vibrations converted into an electrical signal before recording
Signal is converted to sound before playback
Magnetic Tape - around 1930, steel wire or steel tape used before 1930
18.
19.
20. Radio
• 1920: First three commercial radio stations
established in U.S.
– Pittsburgh, Detroit, Newark
• 1926: First nationwide radio network – NBC
• 1927: over 1000 radio stations in U.S.
• During Great Depression, people who could
not afford phonographs sometimes could
afford radio
21. Film (With Sound!)
• Sound Film (“Talkies”) introduced in 1927
– First successful film with sound: The Jazz Singer
• Starting in 1929, the Great Depression wiped
out many small studios – larger ones took over
• Up to WWII, film became more of an
important venue for popular music; even
more so than Broadway or Vaudeville
• By the 30’s, most Tin Pan Alley companies had
been bought by Hollywood studios
22. Origins of Jazz
• Next step after Ragtime and dances influenced by
Ragtime (Fox-Trot and Tango)
• New Orleans
• Influenced by
– Ragtime
– Marching bands
– Mardi Gras
– Funeral music
– French and Italian Opera
– Caribbean Music
– Tin Pan Alley Songs
– African American song traditions (secular and sacred)
24. April 1941 South Side Chicago – Example of a “Black and Tan” cabaret
25. “King of Jazz”
• Paul Whiteman (1890-1967)
• “Safe” version of jazz
• Relationship with George Gershwin
– “Rhapsody in Blue”
• Widened market
• Public relations
28. Tin Pan Alley
• 1890s - rise of the modern American music business.
• New York (lower Manhattan) – West 28th St., then later W.
42nd – W. 56th
– “Song pluggers”
• “Tin Pan Alley”
• Business based around sheet music
• Composers:
– Paul Dresser (1857–1906)
– Harry von Tilzer (1872–1946)
– James A. Bland (1854–1911)
• First successful African-American composer
– Charles K. Harris (1867–1930)
29. 20’s & 30’s Popular Songs
• Influence of Jewish Immigrants
• Major composers:
– Irving Berlin
– Richard Rodgers
– Cole Porter
– George Gershwin
30. Irving Berlin
• Most productive of Tin Pan Alley composers
• 3-7 songs a week
• 1969- catalogue reported 899 songs
• Wrote songs for Broadway and Film
• Famous Songs:
– “Blue Skies”
– “White Christmas”
– “God Bless America”
– Musical Annie Get your Gun
• “There’s No Business Like Show Business”
31. Content of Tin Pan Alley Songs
• Did NOT deal with:
– Racism, Unemployment, Fascism
• Comforts of Home
• Romance
– Courtship
– Down to earth language
• Escapist
• Crooning
32. Tin Pan Alley and Broadway
• Mutual Relationship – “Golden Age of Tin Pan
Alley”
• Revues
– Focus on songs and dancing, not plot and
characterization
• Musicals as integrated unit comes later
– “Oklahoma” – 1943 Rodgers/Hammerstein
33. Standards
• Ex: Stephen Foster songs
• Tin Pan Alley songs of 20’s and 30’s became
standards
– “My Blue Heaven”
– “April Showers”
– “How Deep Is the Ocean?”
– “I Got Rhythm”
34. George Gershwin (1898-1937)
• Tragic death at age 38
• Widely known American composer
• Popular songs and classical works
– Ex: Rhapsody in Blue
– Porgy and Bess
• Opera; used entire cast of classically-trained African-
American musicians
• Jazz influence
– Syncopation
– Blue notes
Editor's Notes
- First form of “American” entertainment
- Featured mainly white performers doing parodies of African-American culture
“Blackface”
George Washington Dixon
Famous song - “Zip Coon” (1834)
Thomas Dartmouth Rice (1808-1860)
Famous song - “Jim Crow” (1829)
Began as a form of satire, enjoyed by racially-mixed crowds in saloons as well as all-white audiences in formal theaters; later in the 19th century became more of a racially-charged phenomenon using negative stereotypes
Minstrel troupes such as the Virginia Minstrels created a stage performance that set up specific characters.
Most influential songwriter of American popular song in 19th century
Composed around 200 songs from 1840’s-60’s
Most likely first American to make a living as a songwriter
Ex: “Oh! Susanna”, “Old Folks at Home”, “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair”
Foster incorporated Ballads, Italian opera, Minstrel songs, etc. into his own songs
Foster died at the age of 37, in poverty
Copyright laws at the time were much different
Did not cover the composers of songs, only the companies which purchased rights to them
“Oh! Susanna” – sold for $100
2 dozen hit phonograph recordings
Repertoire mostly written by him
“Stars and Stripes Forever” (official march of U.S.)
One of the first to negotiate royalty payments
Important advocate of copyright reform
Hated recorded music
Truly a blending of styles
White march music with syncopation
Minstrel song influence
Young white culture began to rebel by participating in the ragtime tradition
Repeats in history over and over
Invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison
First Phonographs – Wax or Foil Cylinders
1887 – First Phonograph Disc invented
Emile Berliner
More durable and cheaper than wax
Nickelodeons
Two largest American phonograph disc makers
Columbia Records (formed 1887)
Victor Talking Machine Company (1901)
1902 – 12 in shellac disc introduced
78 rpm, could hold up to 4 minutes of music
Double sided disc in 1904
This is what was sold in U.S. until 33 1/3 rpm discs (LP’s) were introduced after WWII in late 1940’s
First phonographs not intended for music; not until Enrico Caruso, great opera singer, were the possibilities for musical sound recording realized
Popular songs typically fell into two categories: Sentimental songs and Ragtime
Some of the earliest best selling records were not music at all; comic monologues or “laughing records”
Phonographs seen as a symbol of upward mobility
Before WWI, the popularity of phonographs rose steadily
Over 26 million discs sold yearly by 1909
Replaced by electric recording in 1925
Sound vibrations converted into an electrical signal before recording
Signal is converted to sound before playback
Magnetic Tape began to be used around 1930, steel wire or steel tape used before 1930
April 1941 South Side Chicago
The 1890s saw the rise of the modern American music business.
Music publishing centered in New York (lower Manhattan); many of the new companies were founded by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe
“Song pluggers” produced and promoted popular songs
“Tin Pan Alley” comes from clanging pianos
Popular songs were printed (sheet music) and sold for $0.25-$0.60
Tripled in the years between 1890-1909
Composers:
Paul Dresser (1857–1906)
Harry von Tilzer (1872–1946)
James A. Bland (1854–1911)
First successful African-American composer
Charles K. Harris (1867–1930)
Collaborated early in his career, later worked mostly alone
A product of the American melting pot, stayed connected to his roots, family.
