American Popular Music Part 3 - Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan AlleyBegan to appear in the popular music industry
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Tin Pan Alley• Located on
28th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.
• Thrived from 1880 to 1930s? http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tin_Pan_Alley_plaque_crop.jpg
Tin Pan AlleyCoined by song writer and journalist Monroe Rosenfeld.
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Tin Pan AlleyThe location for songwriters to bring their finished work to be published.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander's_Ragtime_Band
Tin Pan AlleySynonymous with aggressive sales techniques.
PublishersM. Witmark & Sons
Had a huge success with “President Cleveland’s Wedding March”(Bair, 2001).
PublishersEstablished a formula:Current event+tune+plugging = Popular Hit
AlleymenMostly immigrants from Middle and Eastern Europe.
Driven by the urge to lift themselves up from their humble ghetto surroundings (Anderson, 2004).
AlleymenDenied a professional career
Therefore went into show business
The Mighty Five1. Irving Berlin2. Jerome Kern3.George Gershwin4.Richard Rogers5.Cole Porter
Irving BerlinBorn Israel Isidore Baline near Mogilev, Russian-Empire.
Dropped out of grade school to work as street entertainer. http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Berlin
Irving BerlinEspecially gifted at writing parodies.
By 22, he had songs in four Broadway musicals
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Jerome KernBorn to a middle class Jewish family
Father - Businessman
Mother - Gifted pianist
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Jerome KernStudied music in Germany
Masterpiece is Show Boat
George GershwinBrother Ira Gershwin
Teamed together as Ira the lyricist and George the musician
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Gershwin-signed.jpg
George GershwinDropped out of high school to work as pianist
Famous for “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Porgy and Bess”
Richard RodgersCame from upperclass family.
Teamed up with Lorenz Hart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rodgers
Richard RogersHart’s death
Teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein
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Cole PorterBorn into a wealthy family
Individual songs
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Cole Porter“I get a Kick out of You”
Satirical Writer
Song Pluggers“Plugging”
Peddling tunes
Song PluggersBribed performersChorus slipsHay WagonsPaid bandleaders and singers
Quiz
ResourcesAnderson, S.V. (2004). Pop music-USA. Cincinnati, OH: Clifton Hills Press.
Bair, B., & Wertheim, A.F. (Eds.). (2001). The papers of Will Rogers. Claremore, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.