Topics in Music History: Popular Music in the Modern Era, 1890–1950

The first half of the 20th century saw the United States undergo a transformation from a rural past to a new era of modern urbanity, and nowhere is that change more evident than in the era’s popular music. This course explores the rise of the popular music industry in New York’s Tin Pan Alley, the development of musical comedy on Broadway and in Hollywood, and the effect of the new media of phonograph, radio, and motion pictures on the making and enjoyment of popular songs. In addition to the era’s mainstream popular music, we will also consider the emergence of new genres, including blues, jazz, and country music. (Assumes ability to read music and identify chords.)