News & Views Tuesday, March 19, 2024

The Decade Series, Songs of the 1910′s Thursday, April 03, 2014

The time from 1910 to 1919 was a time of upheaval and change.  Of course the conflict and change were reflected in the songs of the time.    Ragtime was sweeping the country. Irving Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911) was a great success.  The changes had some people longing for the less complicated past, and there were popular ballads reflecting that sentiment; “I Want a Girl (Just Like the Girl That Married Dear Old Dad)” (1911);  “My Melancholy Baby” (1912), and others.  The music industry was growing fast, and most of it was located along New York City’s 28th Street.  In 1903, a journalist coined the term “Tin Pan Alley” for that area , a term still used today.  NYC’s Broadway District, not far from Tin Pan Alley, was changing.  Vaudeville was at its height, revues began to be produced, and the “extravaganza” became popular.  The Broadway Musical was developing.  There was war in Europe, and the USA became involved in 1917.  “Over There” and “Just a Baby’s Prayer at Twilight” are two of the songs written during that wartime.  By 1920, the carefree innocence of the 1910′s was over.  A rich legacy of song was left, and this collection of sheet music from the 1910′s contains over fifty songs from that time.  For more collections of this type or other decades, call us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website, http://www.stantons.com. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

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