Public domain sheet music collection, 1895-1923 (bulk, 1903-1923)
Processed by Sonoma County Library staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Geoffrey Skinner.
This work is licensed by Sonoma County Library under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) 4.0 International License
Published Dec. 20, 2019
Public domain sheet music collection, 1895-1923 (bulk, 1903-1923)
Sonoma County Library
Title: Public domain sheet music collection
Date (inclusive): 1895-1923
Date (bulk): (bulk, 1903-1923)
Identification: SPC.00020
Compiler:
Skinner, Geoffrey, 1963-
Physical Description:
1 linear foot
1 file storage boxes
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Repository:
Sonoma County Library Archives
c/o Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library, Sonoma County Library
725 Third Street
Santa Rosa, CA,
Email:
history@sonomalibrary.org
Phone:
(707) 308-3212
Abstract: Collection contains 350 examples of popular sheet music published prior to 1924. All but a few items are piano-vocal scores,
a small number are piano only.
Popular Sheet music in the Late 19th and early 20th Century
In the 19th century, the music industry was dominated by sheet music publishers. In the United States, the sheet music industry
rose in tandem with blackface minstrelsy. The group of New York City-based music publishers, songwriters and composers dominating
the industry was known as "Tin Pan Alley". In the mid-19th century, copyright control of melodies was not as strict, and publishers
would often print their own versions of the songs popular at the time. With stronger copyright protection laws late in the
century, songwriters, composers, lyricists, and publishers started working together for their mutual financial benefit. New
York City publishers concentrated on vocal music. The biggest music houses established themselves in New York City, but small
local publishers – often connected with commercial printers or music stores – continued to flourish throughout the country.
An extraordinary number of East European immigrants became the music publishers and songwriters on Tin Pan Alley-- the most
famous being Irving Berlin. Songwriters who became established producers of successful songs were hired to be on the staff
of the music houses.
The late-19th century saw a massive explosion of parlor music, with ownership of, and skill at playing the piano becoming
de rigueur for the middle-class family. In the late-19th century, if a middle-class family wanted to hear a popular new song
or piece, they would buy the sheet music and then perform the song or piece in an amateur fashion in their home. But in the
early 20th century the phonograph and recorded music grew greatly in importance. This, joined by the growth in popularity
of radio broadcasting from the 1920s on, lessened the importance of the sheet music publishers. The record industry eventually
replaced the sheet music publishers as the music industry's largest force. (Source: Wikipedia, accessed June 4, 2019:
Sheet music-- 19th century)
Examples of popular sheet music published prior to 1924. Items are arranged by accession number.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection.
Popular music--United States--19th century
Popular music--United States--20th century
Sheet music--United States--19th century--Specimans
Sheet music--United States--20th century--Specimans
Sheet music
Specimans
Archival materials
Important Information for Users of the Collection
Access Information
This collection is partially processed. Please contact the Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library for access; for contact
info and current hours, see
https://sonomalibrary.org/locations/sonoma-county-history-and-genealogy-library
Conditions of Use
Collection does not circulate and may be photocopied or photographed by arrangement only.
Property rights reside with the Sonoma County Library. The Sonoma County Library has made this collection available and believes
that the collection is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its
copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Collection may not be in the Public Domain under the laws
of other countries. Preferred credit line is: Courtesy, the Sonoma County Library. Please see additional reproduction and
reuse information at
https://sonomalibrary.org/locations/sonoma-county-history-and-genealogy-library/order-photo
[Identification of item], Public domain sheet music collection, 1895-1923. SPC.00020, Sonoma County Library Archives, Sonoma
County Library, Santa Rosa, CA.
Items selected from the Central Santa Rosa Library's former Sheet Music vertical file and Song File collections; and from
donations made to the Friends of the Santa Rosa Libraries, 2011-2018