Timeline Of Music In The United States (1880–1919)
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This is a timeline of music in the United States from 1880 to 1919.


1880

*George Upton's "Women in Music" is the "first of many articles and reviews by prominent male critics which sought to trivialize and undermine the achievements of what was considered an alarming number of new women composers in the realm of 'serious' classical music". *The Native American
Sun Dance The Sun Dance is a ceremony practiced by some Native Americans in the United States and Indigenous peoples in Canada, primarily those of the Plains Indians, Plains cultures, as well as a new movement within Native American religions. Members of ...
is banned. *
John Knowles Paine John Knowles Paine (January 9, 1839 – April 25, 1906) was the first United States, American-born composer to achieve fame for large-scale orchestral music. The senior member of a group of composers collectively known as the Boston Six, Paine wa ...
's second symphony, '' In Spring'', premiers in Boston, and is "received with unparalleled success". * Gussie Lord Davis has his first hit with "We Sat Beneath the Maple on the Hill", making him the first African American songwriter to succeed in
Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...
. *
Patrick Gilmore Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore (December 25, 1829 – September 24, 1892) was an Irish-born American composer and military bandmaster who lived and worked in the United States after 1848. While serving in the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War, ...
's Twenty-Second Regimental Band becomes the first fully professional ensemble of any kind in the country to be engaged in performances full-time, year-round.


1881

*
Henry Lee Higginson Henry Lee Higginson (November 18, 1834 – November 14, 1919) was an American businessman and philanthropist best known as the founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a patron of Harvard University. Early life Higginson was born in New Yo ...
forms the
Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
; Higginson would personally run the Orchestra for almost four decades.Crawford, pg. 311 *The Thomas B. Harms music publishing company is established solely to publish popular music, then referring to
parlor music Parlour music (or parlor music) is a type of popular music which, as the name suggests, is intended to be performed in the parlours of houses, usually by amateur singers and pianists. Disseminated as sheet music, its heyday came in the 19th centu ...
.Cockrell, Dale and Andrew M. Zinck, "Popular Music of the Parlor and Stage", pgs. 179–201, in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'' *
Tony Pastor Antonio Pastor (May 28, 1837 – August 26, 1908) was an American impresario, variety performer and theatre owner who became one of the founding forces behind American vaudeville in the mid-to-late-nineteenth century. He was sometimes refe ...
becomes an established theater owner on 14th Street in New York City, where he becomes the first person "to bid... for women customers in the
variety theater Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
", bringing that field out of "disreputable saloons" and transforming it "into decent entertainment that respectable women could enjoy".


1882

*
Theodore Baker Theodore Baker (June 3, 1851"Passed Away," ''Musical America'' (Nov. 10, 1934), p. 32."Dr. Theodore Baker," ''Musical Courier'' (Nov. 3, 1934), p. 20. – October 12, 1934)Native American music Indigenous music of North America, which includes American Indian music or Native American music, is the music that is used, created or performed by Indigenous peoples of North America, including Native Americans in the United States and Abori ...
;Crawford, pg. 383 It is Baker's doctoral dissertation, on Seneca music, at the
University of Leipzig Leipzig University (), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Electo ...
. *The Fisk University Jubilee Singers become the first black choir to perform at the White House, at the invitation of President
Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...
. *A chorded
zither Zither (; , from the Greek ''cithara'') is a class of stringed instruments. The modern instrument has many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a ...
called the
autoharp An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term ''autoharp'' was once a trademark of t ...
is patented in the United States.Seeger, Anthony and Paul Théberg, "Technology and Media", pgs. 235–249, in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'' *Rev. Marshall W. Taylor's ''Plantation Melodies, Book of Negro Folk Songs'' becomes the first collection of spiritual, put together by an African American. *The Bethany Oratorio Society is formed in
Lindsborg, Kansas Lindsborg is a city in McPherson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 3,776. Lindsborg is known for its large Swedes, Swedish, other Nordic and Scandinavian Americans, Nordic and Sc ...
, where a famous annual Easter performance of
Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
's ''
Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...
'' is shown today. *The
Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a United States Code, United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers for 10 years. The law made exceptions for travelers an ...
greatly limits the immigration of Chinese people to the United States, amid a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment, leading to a reduction in Chinese musical practices. *
Yiddish theatre Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satire, satiric or nostalgic revues; melodr ...
begins its period of greatest popularity and influence.


1883

*The
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
opens in New York City.Crawford, pg. 525 *C. C. Perkins and J. S. Dwight publish the first history of a musical society in the United States, that of the
Handel and Haydn Society The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest serving suc ...
of Boston.Blum, Stephen. "Sources, Scholarship and Historiography" in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'', pgs. 21–37 *
John Slocum Squ-sacht-un (1838 – 11 November 1897), also known as John Slocum, was a member of the Squaxin Island Tribe, Coast Salish, and a reputed holy man and prophet who founded the Indian Shaker Church in 1881.
, who began preaching revelations the year before, is seen as being healed by his wife
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
's prayers; the Slocums' followers come to create the
Shaker Church Shaker Church is a former census-designated place (CDP) in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 787 at the 2000 census. The CDP was discontinued at the 2010 census. Geography Shaker Church is located at (48.052713, - ...
, of which music is an integral part. * F. L. Ritter publishes the first comprehensive music history of the United States, ''Music in America''. *The ''Freeman'', an
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
-based periodical, is founded, soon becoming the primary trade paper for African American theatrical groups. *
Gretsch Gretsch is an American company that manufactures and markets musical instruments. The company was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York by Friedrich Gretsch, a 27-year-old German immigrant, shortly after his arrival to the United States. Fri ...
becomes the first drum manufacturer in the United States. *J. S. Putnam's "New Coon in Town" is one of the first hit
coon song Coon songs were a genre of music that presented a stereotype of black people. They were popular in the United States and Australia from around 1880 to 1920, though the earliest such songs date from minstrel shows as far back as 1848, when they we ...
s to be published.


1884

*The first "thorough representations of
German opera Opera in German is that of the German-speaking countries, which include Germany, Austria, and the historic German states that pre-date those countries. German-language opera appeared remarkably quickly after the birth of opera itself in Italy. ...
" in the United States are held at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, with ''
Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; ), often stylized "The Tannhäuser", was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1265. His name ...
''. *The first "normal school for the preparation of music teachers" is established by
Julia Ettie Crane Julia Ettie Crane (May 19, 1855 – June 11, 1923), also known as Julia Etta Crane, was an American music educator and the founder of the Crane School of Music. This was the first school specifically created for the training of public school musi ...
in
Potsdam, New York Potsdam is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 14,901 at the 2020 census. When the State University of New York at Potsdam and Clarkson University are in sess ...
.Campbell, Patricia Sheehan and Rita Klinger, "Learning", pgs. 274–287, in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'' *Japanese immigration to the United States increases considerably following the legalization of labor emigration in Japan. *The first summer training course for exclusively music teachers is held in
Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by ...
.


1885

*
Charles Fletcher Lummis Charles Fletcher Lummis (March 1, 1859 – November 25, 1928) was an American journalist, civil rights activist, preservationist, poet and librarian who promoted Native American rights and historic preservation. He founded the Southwest Museum ...
begins one of the earliest collections of Spanish folk songs soon after he arrives in Los Angeles. *M. Wittmark and Sons is formed to focus exclusively on publishing popular parlor music. *A Hawaiian schoolboy named
Joseph Kekuku Joseph Kekuku‘upenakana‘iapuniokamehameha Apuakehau, Jr. (1874/75 – January 16, 1932), better known as Joseph Kekuku, was a Hawaiian-American musician and the inventor of the steel guitar. He discovered the sound of the steel guitar after t ...
is credited with inventing the Hawaiian guitar, in which strings are melodically picked and stopped by a metal bar, with the guitar held across the lap. *
Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...
arrives in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
and soon becomes a fixture at the Silver Dollar Saloon, beginning his career which will put "his creative stamp on that great body of music that came to be known as classic
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
". The Saloon is owned by John Turpin, an important patron of ragtime whose son, Thomas Million Turpin is known as the "Father of St. Louis Ragtime". *The Chicago Music Company releases the first opera by an American woman to be published, ''The Joust, Or, The Tournament'', by G. EstabrookKirk, pg. 386 *The Anglo-Canadian Music Publishers' Association is formed to protect the copyrights of European music publishers.


1886

* (''Approximate'')
Wovoka Wovoka ( – September 20, 1932), also known as Jack Wilson, was the Paiute religious leader who founded a second episode of the Ghost Dance movement. Wovoka means "cutter" or "wood cutter" in the Northern Paiute language. Biography Wovoka w ...
, a
medicine man A medicine man (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwinini'') or medicine woman (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwininiikwe'') is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name i ...
of the
Northern Paiute Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...
, articulates the messianic message of the
Ghost Dance The Ghost Dance (, also called the Ghost Dance of 1890) is a ceremony incorporated into numerous Native American belief systems. According to the millenarian teachings of the Northern Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka (renamed Jack Wilson), pro ...
spiritual movement, which fused Christian (particularly Presbyterian and Mormon) teachings with those of Wovoka's father, Ta'vibo, which revolved around traditionalism and resurrection. *Several Swedish American choirs join together to form the Union of Scandinavian Singers, which becomes a major part of the Swedish American music industry. *
John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...
's " The Gladiator March" sells more than a million copies, marking a turning point in his career. *The principal international agreement on
copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
, the Berne Convention, is signed; the United States will not sign until 1989.


1887

*The
Dawes Act The Dawes Act of 1887 (also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887) regulated land rights on tribal territories within the United States. Named after Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts, it authorized the P ...
establishes the reservation system and distributes land to Native American families, destroying the traditional social setup of many indigenous cultures, leading to a reduction in traditional music and dance. *
Emile Berliner Emile Berliner (May 20, 1851 – August 3, 1929) originally Emil Berliner, was a German-American inventor. He is best known for inventing the lateral-cut flat disc gramophone record, record (called a "gramophone record" in British and American En ...
invents the first disc recording method and the
gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...
. *
Abraham Goldfaden Abraham Goldfaden (; born Avrum Goldnfoden; 24 July 1840 – 9 January 1908), also known as Avram Goldfaden, was a Russian-born Jewish poet, playwright, stage director and actor in Yiddish and Hebrew languages and author of some 40 plays. Goldfad ...
, the father of
Yiddish theater Yiddish theatre consists of plays written and performed primarily by Jews in Yiddish, the language of the Ashkenazi Jewish community. The range of Yiddish theatre is broad: operetta, musical comedy, and satiric or nostalgic revues; melodrama; na ...
, immigrates to New York City. *
Wax cylinder Phonograph cylinders (also referred to as Edison cylinders after its creator Thomas Edison) are the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their heyday (c. 1896–1916), a name which ...
s replace
tinfoil Tin foil, also spelled tinfoil, is a thin foil (metal), foil made of tin. Tin foil was superseded after World War II by cheaper and more durable aluminium foil, which is still referred to as "tin foil" in many regions (an example of a misnomer). ...
as a recording medium.


1888

*The
American Folklore Society The American Folklore Society (AFS) is the United States (US)-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world, which aims to encourage research, aid in disseminating that research, promote t ...
is formed, modeled after
the Folklore Society The Folklore Society (FLS) is a registered charity under English law based in London, England for the study of folklore. Its office is at 50 Fitzroy Street, London home of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. It w ...
of Britain, and dedicated to gathering and publishing the folk songs and stories of North America.Crawford, pg. 604 * Arthur W. Foote's ''
The Wreck of the Hesperus "The Wreck of the Hesperus" is a narrative poem by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, first published in ''Ballads and Other Poems'' in 1842. It is a story that presents the tragic consequences of a skipper's pride. On an ill-fated voyag ...
'' is, along with his '' The Skeleton in Armor'' (1893), "regarded as a culmination of the long productive tradition of the dramatic
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
in America".


1889

*Antoni Mallek forms the Polish Singers Alliance, an influential national
Polish American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...
organization. *The composer Edward McDowell premiers his ''Piano Concerto No. 2'' in New York, establishing him as one of the most prominent composers of the era. *W. S. B. Matthews' ''A Hundred Years of Music in America'' is the first attempt at a history of "popular and the higher music education" in the country; it hails
Lowell Mason Lowell Mason (January 8, 1792 – August 11, 1872) was an American music director and banker who was a leading figure in 19th-century American church music. Lowell composed over 1,600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His best-know ...
as the founder of American music. *The first African American woman to compose a produced opera is Louisa Melvin Delos Mars, with ''Leoni, the Gypsy Queen''. She is also one of the three women who each became the first to have an
operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
they composed produced, along with Emma Marcy Raymond's ''Dovetta'' and Emma Roberts Steiner's ''Fleurette''. *
John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...
's "
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
" establishes his reputation as the country's foremost composer of
marches In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a state's "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diffe ...
. *Ethnologist
J. Walter Fewkes Jesse Walter Fewkes (November 14, 1850 – May 31, 1930) was an American anthropologist, archaeologist, writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspi ...
becomes the first to use a
phonograph A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...
, a
treadle A treadle (from , "to tread") is a foot-powered lever mechanism; it is operated by treading on it repeatedly. A treadle, unlike some other types of pedals, is not directly mounted on the crank (see treadle bicycle for a clear example). Most ...
-run machine, to record Native American music and speech *Harriett Gibbs Marshall becomes the first African American woman to graduate with a degree in music from
Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...
. She will go on to found the Washington Conservatory of Music. *
Louis Glass Louis Christian August Glass (23 March 1864 – 22 January 1936) was a Danish composer. Glass, born in Copenhagen, was an almost exact contemporary of Carl Nielsen and, like Nielsen, was a student of Niels Gade. However, Glass also studied at t ...
installs a coin-operated
phonograph A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...
in a saloon in San Francisco, the first predecessor of the
jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a user-selected song from a self-contained media library. Traditional jukeboxes contain records, compact discs, or digital files, and allow user ...
. *
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
releases the first catalog of recordings, consisting of ten pages worth of cylinder recordings. The catalog is intended primarily for
jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a user-selected song from a self-contained media library. Traditional jukeboxes contain records, compact discs, or digital files, and allow user ...
es.


1890

*An era that has been called a "golden age" begins, centered around a group of composers in Boston including
John Knowles Paine John Knowles Paine (January 9, 1839 – April 25, 1906) was the first United States, American-born composer to achieve fame for large-scale orchestral music. The senior member of a group of composers collectively known as the Boston Six, Paine wa ...
,
Horatio Parker Horatio William Parker (September 15, 1863 – December 18, 1919) was an American composer, organist and teacher. He was a central figure in musical life in New Haven, Connecticut in the late 19th century, and is best remembered as the undergradua ...
,
George Whitefield Chadwick George Whitefield Chadwick (November 13, 1854 – April 4, 1931) was an American composer. Along with John Knowles Paine, Horatio Parker, Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, and Edward MacDowell, he was a representative composer of what is called the Sec ...
,
Arthur Foote Arthur William Foote (March 5, 1853 in Salem, Massachusetts – April 8, 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts) was an American classical composer, and a member of the " Boston Six." The other five were George Whitefield Chadwick, Amy Beach, Edward Ma ...
and
Amy Beach Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (September 5, 1867December 27, 1944) was an American composer and pianist. She was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. Her "Gaelic" Symphony, premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra ...
. This group is variously called the ''
Second New England School The Second New England School or New England Classicists (sometimes specifically the Boston Six) is a name given by music historians to a group of classical-music composers who lived during the late-19th and early-20th centuries in New England, Unit ...
'', the ''Boston Classicists'' or the ''Boston Academics''Crawford, pg. 352 *
Native American music Indigenous music of North America, which includes American Indian music or Native American music, is the music that is used, created or performed by Indigenous peoples of North America, including Native Americans in the United States and Abori ...
is recorded for the first time. *The
Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...
neighborhood begins to form in New York City, and Oliver Ditson & Co. becomes the most prominent music publisher of the era. *'' A Trip to Chinatown'' is a historical theatrical production, running for a record 657 performances. *
Jesse Walter Fewkes Jesse Walter Fewkes (November 14, 1850 – May 31, 1930) was an American anthropologist, archaeologist, writer, and naturalist. Early life and education Fewkes was born in Newton, Massachusetts on November 14, 1850, and initially trained as a ...
makes the first musical field recordings, specifically of
Passamaquoddy The Passamaquoddy (Maliseet-Passamaquoddy language, Passamaquoddy: ''Peskotomuhkati'', Plural: ''Peskotomuhkatiyik'') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American/First Nations in Canada, First Nations people who live in northea ...
songs and stories, performed in
Calais, Maine Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,079, making Calais the largest municipality by population in Washington County, but the third least-populous city in Maine (after Ha ...
by Peter Selmore and Noel Josephs. *The
Ghost Dance The Ghost Dance (, also called the Ghost Dance of 1890) is a ceremony incorporated into numerous Native American belief systems. According to the millenarian teachings of the Northern Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka (renamed Jack Wilson), pro ...
, a Native American spiritual movement, of which music and dance were integral parts, is banned after the
Wounded Knee Massacre The Wounded Knee Massacre, also known as the Battle of Wounded Knee, involved nearly three hundred Lakota people killed by soldiers of the United States Army. More than 250 people of the Lakota were killed and 51 wounded (4 men and 47 women a ...
. *Sam Jacks' Creole Burlesque Company opens in New York, and is a popular novelty act, unusual for a time in that the cast includes both men and women, and the show's format is more
variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
than
minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century. The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of portraying racial stereotypes of Afr ...
. *Samuel W. Cole leads what is probably the first high school production of a full oratorio in the country.


1891

* George Washington Johnson became the first African-American to make commercial records. *The
Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...
forms, with income from backers who pledged $1000 for each of three years. The backers formed an Orchestral Association, which hired a music director. Many cities subsequently used the same model, including Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Minneapolis. *Leopold Vincent publishes the ''Alliance and Labor Songster'', a pioneering early collection of
labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
songs. *
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
is built in New York City as a venue for classical performances.Crawford, pg. 497 It will become the foremost concert stage in the city.Bird, pg. 133 *Changes in
copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
law under the
International Copyright Act of 1891 The International Copyright Act of 1891 (, March 3, 1891) is the first U.S. congressional act that extended limited protection to foreign copyright holders from select nations. Formally known as the "International Copyright Act of 1891", but more ...
make it impossible to publish foreign music without payment to the original composer or publisher.Sanjek, David and Will Straw, "The Music Industry", pgs. 256–267, in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'' This stimulates the establishment of American subsidiaries of foreign publishing companies. *'' A Trip to Chinatown'' is first published; it can be considered one of the first examples of American
musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, moveme ...
, as it consists of a single plot that the entire production revolves around. *
Charles Davis Tillman Charles Davis Tillman (March 20, 1861, Tallassee, Alabama – September 2, 1943, Atlanta, Georgia) —also known as Charlie D. Tillman, Charles Tillman, Charlie Tillman, and C. D. Tillman—was a popularizer of the gospel song. He had a knack ...
(1861–1943) publishes "The
Old Time Religion ("Give Me That") "Old-Time Religion" (and similar spellings) is a traditional Gospel song dating from 1873, when it was included in a list of Jubilee songs, or earlier. It has become a standard in many Protestant hymnals, though it says nothing ab ...
" to his largely white audience.


1892

*
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
n composer
Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...
arrives for a stay in the United States as director of the National Conservatory in New York. He becomes a fierce advocate for cultural and musical nationalism, and is very interested in American music incorporating
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
and
Native American music Indigenous music of North America, which includes American Indian music or Native American music, is the music that is used, created or performed by Indigenous peoples of North America, including Native Americans in the United States and Abori ...
. *
Papa Jack Laine George Vitelle "Papa Jack" Laine (September 21, 1873 – June 1, 1966) was an American musician and a pioneering band leader in New Orleans in the years from the Spanish–American War to World War I. He was often credited for training many musi ...
, a white drummer and saxophonist from New Orleans, claims that he is the first to use the first saxophone in the proto-jazz bands of New Orleans. He is sometimes said to have formed the first ragtime band as well. Laine is considered one of the first white jazz musicians. *
John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...
forms a band that set a new standard for American professional bands, having left the
U.S. Marine Band The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in th ...
.Crawford, pg. 455 He and his band will be the most prominent and influential professional symphonic group at the peak of popularity for bands of that sort. *
Charles K. Harris Charles Kassel Harris (May 1, 1867 – December 22, 1930) was a well regarded American songwriter of popular music. During his long career, he advanced the relatively new genre, publishing more than 300 songs, often deemed by admirers as t ...
premiers " After the Ball", a
waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...
typical of the time, which is said to be the most popular song of the decade, and the biggest hit of the century. It is interpolated into a play, and the sheet music is said to have sold more than five million copies. *
Harry Lawrence Freeman Harry Lawrence Freeman (October 9, 1869 – March 24, 1954) was an American neoromantic opera composer, conductor, impresario and teacher. He was the first African-American to write an opera (''Epthalia'', 1891) that was successfully produced. Fre ...
becomes the first African American to have an opera he wrote produced, his first work, ''Epthelia''. He will become known for combining secular and sacred African American music with traditional Western opera.


1893

*
Alice Fletcher Alice Cunningham Fletcher (March 15, 1838 – April 6, 1923) was an American ethnologist, anthropologist, and social scientist who studied and documented Native Americans in the United States, Native American culture. Early life and education ...
begins her prolific scholarly career with a study of the music of the
Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
tribe of Native Americans. The study, done with the assistance of
Francis La Flesche Francis La Flesche (Omaha, 1857–1932) was the first professional Native American ethnologist; he worked with the Smithsonian Institution. He specialized in Omaha and Osage cultures. Working closely as a translator and researcher with the anthr ...
, took ten years to complete. *The
World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...
, a watershed in American culture, attracts attention to the Chicago
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
scene, led by patriarch Plunk Henry and exemplified in performance at the Exposition by Johnny Seymour and
Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...
Violinist
Joseph Douglass Joseph Henry Douglass (July 3, 1871 – December 7, 1935) was an American concert violinist, the son of Charles Remond Douglass and Mary Elizabeth Murphy, and grandson of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Early life and influence Born in the Anaco ...
achieves wide recognition after his performance there, and will become the first African American violinist to conduct a transcontinental tour, and the first to tour as a concert violinist.Southern, pg. 283 The first Indonesian music performance in the United States is believed to occur at the Exposition. At the same event, an ensemble of musicians with a dancer known as Little Egypt, is the first exposure to Middle Eastern culture for many Americans, while a group of ''
hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form expressing chant (''oli'') or song (Mele (Hawaiian language), ''mele''). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli ...
'' dancers leads to an increased awareness of
Hawaiian music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent par ...
among Americans throughout the country. *
Katherine Lee Bates Katharine Lee Bates (August 12, 1859 – March 28, 1929) was an American author and poet, chiefly remembered for her anthem "America the Beautiful", but also for her many books and articles on social reform, on which she was a noted speaker. B ...
writes "
America the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Church (Newark), Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New ...
" at
Pike's Peak Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. The ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The town of Manitou Sprin ...
, Colorado. Though "
The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...
" will be chosen, "America the Beautiful" will be the other major option for a
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
when it is chosen in 1931. *Czech composer
Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...
calls spirituals "all that is needed for a great and noble school of music". *
Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860May 21, 1935) was an American Settlement movement, settlement activist, Social reform, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, philosopher, and author. She was a leader in the history of s ...
'
Hull House Hull House was a settlement house in Chicago, Illinois, that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located on the Near West Side of Chicago, Hull House, named after the original house's first owner Charles Jerald Hul ...
in Chicago is the first music school connected to the settlement work. *Philosopher Richard Wallaschek sparks the "origins" controversy when he puts forth the claim that African American spirituals are primarily derived from European music. This will not be solved conclusively until the 1960s, when scholars showed that spirituals were "grounded in African-derived music values yet shaped into its distinctiveness as a direct result of the North American sociocultural experience". *The first Chinese opera theater in New York City is opened in
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
. *The murder of Ellen Smith in
Mount Airy, North Carolina Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 10,676. As of 2020, the city is the most populous municipality in Surry County. Mount Airy is located within t ...
leads to the composition of " Poor Ellen Smith", set to the melody of " How Firm a Foundation"; the subsequent controversy regarding the trial of Peter DeGraff for her murder leads to the song's spread across the state, so much so that
Forsyth County, North Carolina Forsyth County ( )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Carolina Co ...
banned the singing of "Poor Ellen Smith". *Ruthven Lang's ''Dramatic'' Overture is presented by the
Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
, marking the first time that institution had performed the work of an American woman composer.Chase, pg. 384


1894

*The Standard Quartette of Chicago becomes the first commercial recording of an African American singing quartet. *The Black Extravaganza, an outdoor concert in New York City, featuring the Four Harmony Kings, the
Old South Quartette Polk Miller (August 2, 1844 – October 20, 1913) was a musician and entertainer from Richmond and Bon Air, Virginia. He was also a pharmacist and the founder of Sergeant's Pet Care Products, Inc. Early life Polk Miller was born in Prince Edward ...
and other popular African American musicians, a "breakthrough" show in the history of African American music. * Henry Franklin Belknap Gilbert begins presenting concerts of Slavic music
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, one of the first American composers to incorporate Slavic elements. *
Orville Gibson Orville H. Gibson (May 8, 1856 – August 19, 1918) was an American luthier who founded the Gibson (guitar company), Gibson Guitar Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1902, makers of guitars, mandolins and other instruments. His earliest known ins ...
begins selling
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
s, his technical innovations helping to spread the instrument throughout the United States.Malone and Stricklin, pg. 10 *
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
passes a law requiring Creoles to live uptown, thus bringing them and their music into closer contact with African Americans. *''Approximate'': Dee Dee Chandler is the first "dance drummer to use the foot pedal. *
Edward B. Marks Joseph W. Stern & Co. was a music publisher in New York City. The Library of Congress has dozens of their songsheets including numerous coon songs in its collection. History Joseph W. Stern (January 11, 1870 - March 31, 1934) was a self taught ...
and
Joe Stern Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage, based on the novel ''Joe'' (1991) by Larry Brown * Joe (2023 film), an Indian film * ''Joe'' (TV ser ...
hire George Thomas to " illustrate" through
Magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that uses pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...
glass slides the lyrics of their song "
The Little Lost Child "The Little Lost Child" is a popular song of 1894 by Edward B. Marks and Joseph W. Stern, with between one and two million copies in sheet music sales. Also known after its first three words as "A Passing Policeman", it is usually considered ...
" being performed by a group of
Primrose and West Primrose and West, also known as Primrose and West's Minstrels, was an American blackface minstrel song-and-dance troupe made up of partners George H. Primrose, George Primrose and William H. West (entertainer), William H. "Billy" West. They la ...
minstrels. This was probably the first-ever example of a "
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
". * E. B. Marks forms a music publishing company, which will become one of the first to publish African American songwriters with great success.


1895

*''
The Octoroon ''The Octoroon'' is a play by Dion Boucicault that opened in 1859 at The Winter Garden Theatre, New York City. Extremely popular, the play was kept running continuously for years by seven road companies. Among antebellum melodramas, it was con ...
'' becomes the first "important black (theatrical) production". * Charles L. Edwards publishes ''Bahama Songs and Stories'', featuring spirituals collected in the
Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
, much of the population of which, at the time, was descended from African American slaves. *
Alice Fletcher Alice Cunningham Fletcher (March 15, 1838 – April 6, 1923) was an American ethnologist, anthropologist, and social scientist who studied and documented Native Americans in the United States, Native American culture. Early life and education ...
makes the first known recordings of the
Ghost Dance The Ghost Dance (, also called the Ghost Dance of 1890) is a ceremony incorporated into numerous Native American belief systems. According to the millenarian teachings of the Northern Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka (renamed Jack Wilson), pro ...
, specifically the songs of two Southern Arapaho men who were visiting Washington, D.C., Left Hand and Row of Lodges. Some of her previous research had inspired
Frances Densmore Frances Theresa Densmore (May 21, 1867 – June 5, 1957) was an American anthropologist and ethnographer from Minnesota. Densmore studied Native American music and culture, and in modern terms, she may be described as an ethnomusicol ...
, who began series of very successful lectures on
Native American music Indigenous music of North America, which includes American Indian music or Native American music, is the music that is used, created or performed by Indigenous peoples of North America, including Native Americans in the United States and Abori ...
.Chase, pg. 397 *Permanent orchestras are established in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. * John Philips Sousa's ''
El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...
'' is his most successful
operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
, and will run continuously from 1896 to 1900 in North America. *The murder of William Lyons by Lee Shelton in St. Louis will inspire a ballad called "
Stagger Lee "Stagger Lee" (Roud 4183), also known as "Stagolee" and other variants, is a popular American folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by "Stag" Lee Shelton, in St. Louis, Missouri, on Christmas 1895. The song was first published in 1911 and f ...
", which will be recording more than 150 times since 1897, making Lee the most prominent criminal in American folk music. *With ''
The Wizard of the Nile ''The Wizard of the Nile'' is a comic opera in three acts with music by composer Victor Herbert and a libretto by Harry B. Smith. This was Herbert's second comic opera after ''Prince Ananias'', and was his first real success. Synopsis Egypt suf ...
'',
Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...
launches a string of forty successful operettas, several of which have become staples of the American repertoire and produced a "lasting heritage of popular songs". *The
American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) trade union, labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in N ...
is founded.Southern, pg. 221 *
Thaddeus Cahill Thaddeus Cahill (June 18, 1867 – April 12, 1934) was a prominent american inventor of the early 20th century. He is widely credited with the invention of the first electromechanical musical instrument, which he dubbed the telharmonium. He st ...
's
Telharmonium The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was an early electrical organ, developed by Thaddeus Cahill c. 1896 and patented in 1897. , filed 1896-02-04. The electrical signal from the Telharmonium was transmitted over wires; it was hea ...
( Dynamophone) is one of the earliest, and possibly still the largest, electric instrument. * Aeolian introduces the Aeriola
player piano A player piano is a self-playing piano with a pneumatic or electromechanical mechanism that operates the piano action using perforated paper or metallic rolls. Modern versions use MIDI. The player piano gained popularity as mass-produced home ...
.Clarke, pg. 229


1896

*The
American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) trade union, labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in N ...
is founded. * Edward McDowell's '' Indian Suite'' is premiered; it is an influential work that incorporates aspects of
Native American music Indigenous music of North America, which includes American Indian music or Native American music, is the music that is used, created or performed by Indigenous peoples of North America, including Native Americans in the United States and Abori ...
. He is also offered the first music professorship at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, whose nominating committee praises him as "the greatest musical genius America has produced". *Six
booking agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds work for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, dancers, and other professionals in various entertainment ...
s pool their resources to form the
Syndicate A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest. Etymology The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French word ''syndic ...
, which came to control theaters in New York and across the country. *The first "distinctively syncopated songs (are) published under the '
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
' label". These include "My Coal Black Lady" by W. T. Jefferson and
Ernest Hogan Ernest Hogan (born Ernest Reuben Crowdus; 1865 – May 20, 1909) was the first Black American entertainer to produce and star in a Broadway show, '' The Oyster Man'' in 1907, (shows at the African Grove Theatre preceded it by generations) and h ...
's "All Coons Look Alike to Me". *The
Church of God and Saints of Christ The Church of God and Saints of Christ is a Black Hebrew Israelite new religious group established in Lawrence, Kansas, in the United States, by William Saunders Crowdy in 1896. William Crowdy began congregations in several cities in the Midwes ...
is founded in Oklahoma by
William Saunders Crowdy Jews William Saunders Crowdy (August 11, 1847 – August 4, 1908) was an American soldier, preacher, entrepreneur and pastor. He was also one of the earliest known Black Hebrew Israelites in the United States, he established the Church of Go ...
. The Church is known in part for a "self-sufficient musical tradition without equal that consumes more than half of any service".Miller, Terry, "Religion", pgs. 116–128, in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of Music'' *
James Mooney James Mooney (February 10, 1861 – December 22, 1921) was an American ethnographer who lived for several years among the Cherokee. Known as "The Indian Man", he conducted major studies of Southeastern Indians, as well as of tribes on the Great ...
publishes a
monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...
of Native American
Ghost Dance The Ghost Dance (, also called the Ghost Dance of 1890) is a ceremony incorporated into numerous Native American belief systems. According to the millenarian teachings of the Northern Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka (renamed Jack Wilson), pro ...
songs, which are first commercially released this year by the National Gramophone Company; it is probable that the recordings are of Mooney or his brother
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
. *
Ernest Hogan Ernest Hogan (born Ernest Reuben Crowdus; 1865 – May 20, 1909) was the first Black American entertainer to produce and star in a Broadway show, '' The Oyster Man'' in 1907, (shows at the African Grove Theatre preceded it by generations) and h ...
's "All Coons Look Alike to Me" is an immediate hit, and launches a fad for syncopated
coon song Coon songs were a genre of music that presented a stereotype of black people. They were popular in the United States and Australia from around 1880 to 1920, though the earliest such songs date from minstrel shows as far back as 1848, when they we ...
s that lasts until World War I. The published version carries a caption, describing the second chorus, which is the "earliest association of the word ''rag'' (as in
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
) to instrumental music". * Gussie L. Davis, the most successful African American songwriter in
Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...
, has his biggest hit with " In the Baggage Coach Ahead". * Amy Cheney Beach's ''
Gaelic Symphony ''Gaelic Symphony'' or Symphony in E minor, Op. 32 was written by Amy Marcy Cheney Beach in 1894; it was the first symphony composed and published by a female American composer. The piece debuted in Boston on Friday, October 30, 1896 to "public ...
'' is the first symphony composed by a woman to be performed, by the
Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
. Beach will be accepted as the first American female "composer of significance" in the country. * Homer A. Norris publishes ''Practical Harmony on a French Basis'', a precursor and harbinger of
American classical music American classical music is music written in the United States in the Classical music tradition, which originated in Europe. In many cases, beginning in the 18th century, it has been influenced by American folk music styles; and from the 20th cen ...
's upcoming move from a German-oriented style to a French one. *
Tom Turpin Thomas Million John Turpin (November 18, 1871 – August 13, 1922) was an American composer of ragtime music. Turpin is credited with the first published rag by an African American, his "Harlem Rag" of 1897 (although it was composed by 1892, a ye ...
's "Harlem Rag" is the first published
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
song.Moore, pg. xii *
Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
shows begin using
motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
s. * John Phillips Sousa's ''
El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...
'' becomes the first major American
operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
.Hansen, pg. 241


1897

*The "golden age" of composition in the
Second New England School The Second New England School or New England Classicists (sometimes specifically the Boston Six) is a name given by music historians to a group of classical-music composers who lived during the late-19th and early-20th centuries in New England, Unit ...
ends. *The
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
creates a section for music-related materials.Bergey, Barry, "Government and Politics", pgs. 288–303, in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'' *
Bob Cole Robert Cole may refer to: Entertainment *Robert William Cole (1869–1937), British writer *Bob Cole (composer) (1868–1911), American composer *Bobby Cole (musician) (1932–1996), American musician Sports *Bob Cole (cricketer) (born 1938), for ...
and Billy Johnson compose ''
A Trip to Coontown ''A Trip to Coontown'' is an American musical comedy. It was performed, directed, and produced by African-Americans. It was written and performed in by Bob Cole and Billy Johnson. and debuted it New Jersey in 1897 before touring in the U.S. and i ...
'', one of the productions that helped to establish the field of African American musical comedy. It is the first black show to appear on Broadway.Peretti, pg. 50 *
Buddy Bolden Charles Joseph "Buddy" Bolden (September 6, 1877 – November 4, 1931) was an American cornetist who was regarded by contemporaries and later jazz scholars as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of ragtime music, or "jass ...
's band begins performing; some will consider this the first
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
band, and Bolden the first jazz musician. Bolden is an influential
cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...
ist in the early history of jazz, and his band innovates the use of the
string bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...
in place of the
tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...
. *
Paul Dresser Paul Dresser (born Johann Paul Dreiser Jr.; April 22, 1857 – January 30, 1906) was an American singer, songwriter, and comedic actor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Dresser performed in traveling minstrel and medicine-wa ...
writes "
On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Paul Dresser in 1897. It is among the best-selling songs of the 19th century, earning over $100,000 from sheet music, sheet-music revenues. Writ ...
", one of his most popular songs and later the
state song A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
of Indiana. * William H. Krell copyrights "Mississippi Rag", the first "published piano piece to include the word ''rag'' (as in
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
) in its title". It is advertised as the first ragtime song. However, Theodore Northrup's "Louisiana Rag", published later in the year, is sometimes considered the first "genuine piano rag".
Tom Turpin Thomas Million John Turpin (November 18, 1871 – August 13, 1922) was an American composer of ragtime music. Turpin is credited with the first published rag by an African American, his "Harlem Rag" of 1897 (although it was composed by 1892, a ye ...
's "Harlem Rag", the first rag composed by an African American to be published, is also published in this year, and the first ragtime recordings are made by
Vess L. Ossman Sylvester Louis "Vess" Ossman (August 21, 1868 – December 7, 1923) was a leading five-string banjoist and popular recording artist of the early 20th century. Biography Sylvester Louis Ossman was born in Hudson, New York, and made his first ...
and the Metropolitan Band, while
Ben Harney Benjamin Robertson Harney (March 6, 1872 – March 2, 1938) was an American songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime, ragtime music. His 1895 composition "You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down" is known as the second ragti ...
, pianist-composer, publishes the ''Rag-time Instructor''. The first actual use of the word in a popular media ''ragtime'' is in a Chicago newspaper article this year. *New Orleans, led by Alderman Story, sets up a prostitution district called Storyville. Musicians gravitate there, and the area becomes a hotbed of innovation and a major part of the origins of jazz. *
Henry Sloan Henry Sloan (January 1870 – possibly March 13, 1948) was an American musician, one of the earliest figures in the history of Delta Blues. Very little is known for certain about his life, other than that he tutored Charlie Patton in the way ...
, a legendary, little-known bluesman, played the blues as early as this year. He will go on to mentor
Charley Patton Charlie Patton (April 1891 (probable) – April 28, 1934), more often spelled Charley Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of America ...
, one of the earliest bluesmen.


1898

*
Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
songs begin to appear on the stage. *
Will Marion Cook William Mercer Cook (January 27, 1869 – July 19, 1944), better known as Will Marion Cook, was an African-American composer, pianist, orchestrator, lyricist, violinist, and choral director.Riis, Thomas (2007–2011)Cook, Will Marion ''Grove Music ...
's '' Clorindy, or The Origin of the Cake Walk'' and
Bob Cole Robert Cole may refer to: Entertainment *Robert William Cole (1869–1937), British writer *Bob Cole (composer) (1868–1911), American composer *Bobby Cole (musician) (1932–1996), American musician Sports *Bob Cole (cricketer) (born 1938), for ...
's ''
A Trip to Coontown ''A Trip to Coontown'' is an American musical comedy. It was performed, directed, and produced by African-Americans. It was written and performed in by Bob Cole and Billy Johnson. and debuted it New Jersey in 1897 before touring in the U.S. and i ...
'' are the first musicals "written, directed and performed by African American artists". ''Clorindy'', a
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
, introduced "syncopated 'hot' music to Broadway" and starred
Ernest Hogan Ernest Hogan (born Ernest Reuben Crowdus; 1865 – May 20, 1909) was the first Black American entertainer to produce and star in a Broadway show, '' The Oyster Man'' in 1907, (shows at the African Grove Theatre preceded it by generations) and h ...
. ''A Trip to Coontown'' is the "first full-length musical play written and produced by blacks on Broadway", and the first black operetta in the modern syncopated style. It is a harbinger of a new style: the American
musical theater Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, moveme ...
. *Music education is first introduced into the public school system of New York City. *
Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...
's " Romany Life" is the first major American composition in the Hungarian "Gypsy" style. *
Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
becomes a part of the United States, leading to the arrival of numerous immigrants and with them,
Puerto Rican music The Music of Puerto Rico has evolved as a heterogeneous and dynamic product of diverse cultural resources. The most conspicuous musical sources of Puerto Rico have primarily included African, Taino Indigenous, and European influences. Pue ...
in New York City and elsewhere. *The first
African Methodist Episcopal The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. It cooperates with other Methodist ...
hymnal to contain written music is published. *The first African American nationalist composer,
Harry T. Burleigh Harry Burleigh (born Henry Thacker Burleigh, December 2, 1866 – September 12, 1949) was an American classical composer, arranger, and professional singer known for his baritone voice. The first black composer who was instrumental in dev ...
, "to achieve national distinction as a composer, arranger, and concert artist" begins composing. *The
National Federation of Music Clubs The National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) is an American non-profit philanthropic music organization that promotes American music, performers, and composers. NFMC endeavors to strengthen quality music education by supporting "high standards o ...
, the largest music teachers association in the country, is founded. *The
William Morris Agency The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best-known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ...
is founded. It will be the largest agency in the country by the end of the 20th century. *
Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
builds the first coin-operated
player piano A player piano is a self-playing piano with a pneumatic or electromechanical mechanism that operates the piano action using perforated paper or metallic rolls. Modern versions use MIDI. The player piano gained popularity as mass-produced home ...
.


1899

*
Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...
's "
Maple Leaf Rag The "Maple Leaf Rag" (copyright registered on September 18, 1899) is an early ragtime musical piece composed for piano by Scott Joplin. It was one of Joplin's early works, becoming the model for ragtime compositions by subsequent composers. It ...
" is published by
John Stillwell Stark John Stillwell Stark (April 11, 1841October 21, 1927) was an American publisher of ragtime music, best known for publishing and promoting the music of Scott Joplin. Early life and education Stark was the eleventh of 12 children born to Adin S ...
in
Sedalia, Missouri Sedalia is a city located approximately south of the Missouri River and, as the county seat of Pettis County, Missouri, Pettis County, Missouri, United States, it is the principal city of the Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 ...
; the song is a "landmark in American music history" and is a great commercial success, unprecedented for a black composer.Chase, pg. 416 It remains the most famous and popular piano rag, and "establishe(s) a model for classic ragtime that (will be) emulated by all rag composers interested in serious composition". Since its first publication, Maple Leaf Rag has never been out of print. *The wildly popular "My Wild Irish Rose" continues the popular Irish song tradition within the United States. *
Eubie Blake James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. Blake began his career in 1912, and during World War I he worked in partnership with the singer, drum ...
's " Charleston Rag" is published; it is his "first and most famous
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
piece", and it will establish his career as one of the top composers of Eastern ragtime. *African-English composer
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 18751 September 1912) was a British composer and conductor. He was particularly known for his three cantatas on the epic 1855 poem ''The Song of Hiawatha'' by American Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Coler ...
attends a concert held by the
Fisk Jubilee Singers The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American a cappella ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early ...
, inspiring him to create a collection of African-derived melodies, arranged for the piano. The ''Bamboula'' becomes the most popular, and his works make a "marked impression on the American public, particularly in black communities".Southern, pg. 295 * Perry J. Lowery becomes the "first black musician to take his vaudeville acts into the
circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...
", with his group's performance in
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
for the Sells and Forepaugh Brothers Circus. *The Jewish
chorister A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
's union strikes for wages rather than profit shares.


1900

*Violinist and cornetist Helen May Butler's Ladies Military Band begins touring, bucking "stereotypes of the time by showing that women could endure the rigors of touring life and lease enough paying customers to survive in the music business". *The
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
musical theater format begins to take shape.Crawford, pg. 478 * Symphony Hall is built in Boston. *The first permanent orchestra is established in Philadelphia. *
J. Rosamond Johnson John Rosamond Johnson (August 11, 1873 – November 11, 1954; usually referred to as J. Rosamond Johnson) was an American composer and singer during the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, he had much of his career in New York C ...
and
James Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871June 26, 1938) was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ...
compose "
Lift Every Voice and Sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" is a hymn with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) and set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954). Written from the context of African Americans in the late 19th century, the hymn is a pr ...
", the official anthem of the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
. *
Harry Von Tilzer Harry Von Tilzer (born Aaron Gumbinsky, also known as Harry Gumm; 8 July 1872 – 10 January 1946) was an American composer, songwriter, publisher and vaudeville performer. Early life Von Tilzer was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents, Sarah ...
's "A Bird in a Gilded Cage" is released, becoming his "most famous and enduring" composition. * Amy Cheney Beach becomes the first American woman composer to perform as a soloist on her own work, the Piano Concerto with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
. *
Pat Chappelle Patrick Henry Chappelle (January 7, 1869 – October 21, 1911),Lynn Abbott, Doug Seroff''Ragged But Right: Black Traveling Shows, Coon Songs, and the Dark Pathway to Blues and Jazz'' University Press of Mississippi, 2009, pp. 248-268.
organizes an African American theater touring company, initially based in
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
but from 1918 in
Port Gibson, Mississippi Port Gibson is a city and the county seat of Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River. The first European settlers i ...
, to produce musicals, beginning with ''A Rabbit's Foot''. It becomes phenomenally successful, and would go on to employ many of the early African American
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
and
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
performers, including
Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...
and
Ma Rainey Gertrude "Ma" Rainey ( Pridgett; April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was an American blues singer and influential early-blues recording artist. Dubbed the " Mother of the Blues", she bridged earlier vaudeville and the authentic expression of ...
. *
Fred Stone Fred Andrew Stone (August 19, 1873 – March 6, 1959) was an American actor. Stone began his career as a performer in circuses and minstrel shows, went on to act in vaudeville, and became a star on Broadway and in feature films, which earned hi ...
's "My Ragtime Baby" wins a prize at the Paris Exposition, performed by John Philips Sousa's band. This is the first exposure of
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
to most Europeans. *
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem The Bach Choir of Bethlehem is the oldest Bach choir in the United States. Dating back to 1712, according to the choir's archives, it was formally founded in 1898 by Central Moravian Church organist John Frederick Wolle, and was established at r ...
begins a series of annual concert festivals presenting the music of
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
; these festivals are a "major early stimulus" in the revival of Bach's compositions. *The first two
music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...
periodicals begin to be issued: ''School Music'' and ''School Music Monthly''. *Steel strings for the guitar are introduced, making the instrument more easily heard in crowded and noisy settings, which helps the guitar spread across the South. *''
Florodora ''Florodora'' is an Edwardian musical comedy. After its long run in London, it became one of the first successful Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals of the 20th century. The book was written by Jimmy Davis under the pseudonym Owen Hall, the mus ...
'', with music and lyrics mostly by
Leslie Stuart Leslie Stuart (15 March 1863 – 27 March 1928) born Thomas Augustine Barrett was an English composer of Edwardian musical comedy, best known for the hit show ''Florodora'' (1899) and many popular songs. He began in Manchester as a church orga ...
, becomes the first piece of musical theatre to be recorded by its original cast.


1901

*
Ethelbert Nevin Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin (November 25, 1862February 17, 1901) was an American pianist and composer. Early life Nevin was born on November 25, 1862, at Vineacre, on the banks of the Ohio River, in Edgeworth, Pennsylvania. There he spent the fir ...
dies shortly after composing "
Mighty Lak' a Rose "Mighty Lak' a Rose" is a 1901 song with lyrics by Frank Lebby Stanton and music by Ethelbert Nevin. The lyrics are written in an approximation of an African American accent as a "dialect song", and the title thus means "mighty like a rose". It i ...
" with lyrics by
Frank Lebby Stanton Frank Lebby Stanton (February 22, 1857 – January 7, 1927), frequently credited as Frank L. Stanton, Frank Stanton or F. L. Stanton, was an American lyricist. He was also the initial columnist for the ''Atlanta Constitution'' and became the ...
. *Composer
Arthur Farwell Arthur Farwell (April 23, 1872 – January 20, 1952) was an American composer, conductor, educationalist, lithographer, esoteric savant, and music publisher. Interested in American Indian music, he became associated with the Indianist movement ...
founds the Wa-Wan Press in
Newton Center, Massachusetts Newton Centre is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The main commercial center of Newton Centre is a triangular area surrounding the intersections of Beacon Street, Centre St ...
, dedicated to music by American composers using indigenous music.Crawford, pg. 438 Its output will become "one of the most important documents of this period of American music history". *The first African American to publish a collection of original songs is
Charles Albert Tindley Charles Albert Tindley (July 7, 1851July 26, 1933) was an African-American Methodist Minister (Christianity), minister and gospel music composer. His composition "I'll Overcome Someday" is credited as the basis for the U.S. Freedom Songs, Civil R ...
, a "pivotal figure in the history of black church music". *
Bert Williams Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. While some sources have ...
and
George Walker George Walker may refer to: Arts and letters *George Walker (chess player) (1803–1879), English chess player and writer * George Walker (musician), English musician *George Walker (composer) (1922–2018), American composer * George Walker (il ...
record songs from black
musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
. These are the first recordings of African American musicians. * John Wesley Work II, a professor at
Fisk University Fisk University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus i ...
and the first African American collector of black folk songs, publishes, with his brother, Frederick Jerome Work, ''New Jubilee Songs as Sun by the Fisk Jubilee Singers''.Southern, pg. 282 *The librarian of the Metropolitan Opera House makes the first bootleg recordings, though the practice does not violate copyright due to a lack of protection for sound recordings. *The first paper label applied to recorded discs is released. Labels of this sort -
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
s - identify a brand name given to a series of recordings released by a particular company. *
Carrie Jacobs-Bond Carrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond (August 11, 1862 – December 28, 1946) was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter who composed some 175 pieces of popular music from the 1890s through the early 1940s. She is perhaps best remembered for writing ...
(1862–1946) publishes "
I Love You Truly "I Love You Truly" is a parlor song written by Carrie Jacobs-Bond. Since its publication in 1901 it has been sung at weddings, recorded by numerous artists over many decades, and heard on film and television. History Carrie Jacobs-Bond began to ...
" which becomes the first song composed by an American woman to sell 1 million copies. "I Love You Truly" appeared in her '' Seven Songs as Unpretentious as the Wild Rose''. "
Just Awearyin' for You "Just Awearyin' for You" is a parlor song, one of that genre's all-time hits. History The lyrics were written by Frank Lebby Stanton and published in his ''Songs of the Soil'' (1894). The tune was composed by Carrie Jacobs-Bond and publishe ...
" is one of the other songs among the ''Seven''.


1902

*
Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, actuary and businessman. Ives was among the earliest renowned American composers to achieve recognition on a global scale. His music was largely ignored d ...
begins a private career as a composer, forging a new style that was "radically forward-looking in style yet rooted in American musical traditions and celebrating American life." He will become the "most spectacular amateur in musical history". *
Oscar Sonneck Oscar George Theodore Sonneck (October 6, 1873 – October 30, 1928) was a U.S. librarian, editor, and musicologist. Biography Sonneck was born in Jersey City. He studied philosophy and musicology in Germany at the universities of Heidelberg ...
becomes head of the Music Division of the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
. He will do "as much as anyone to shape the directions of musicology in the United States". *
Ma Rainey Gertrude "Ma" Rainey ( Pridgett; April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was an American blues singer and influential early-blues recording artist. Dubbed the " Mother of the Blues", she bridged earlier vaudeville and the authentic expression of ...
incorporates
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
into her stage show, eventually becoming one of the most famous performers of the genre in the country.Bowers, Jane, Zoe C. Sherinian and Susan Fast, "Snapshot: Gendering Music", pgs. 103–115, in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'' *The
Aeolian Company The Aeolian Company was a musical-instrument making firm whose products included player organs, pianos, sheet music, records and phonographs. Founded in 1887, it was at one point the world's largest such firm. During the mid 20th century, it surp ...
releases the Pianola, the first
player piano A player piano is a self-playing piano with a pneumatic or electromechanical mechanism that operates the piano action using perforated paper or metallic rolls. Modern versions use MIDI. The player piano gained popularity as mass-produced home ...
. *The
American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) trade union, labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in N ...
accepts its first African American local union, Chicago's Local 208. *The Dinwiddie Colored Quartet becomes the first known African American group to record on disc, for the
Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...
. * Louise Adolph Coerne's ''Zenobia, the Queen of Palmyra'' is the first American opera successfully produced in Germany. *An agreement between the
Gramophone Company The Gramophone Company Limited was a British phonograph manufacturer and record label, founded in April 1898 by Emil Berliner. It was one of the earliest record labels. The company purchased the His Master's Voice painting and trademark righ ...
and
Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyric tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles that r ...
constitutes the first royalty agreement between a record company and a performer. *
Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...
's The Entertainer was enjoyed by the American public.


1903

*
Will Marion Cook William Mercer Cook (January 27, 1869 – July 19, 1944), better known as Will Marion Cook, was an African-American composer, pianist, orchestrator, lyricist, violinist, and choral director.Riis, Thomas (2007–2011)Cook, Will Marion ''Grove Music ...
's '' Walker and Williams in Dahomey'', with the comic duo
George Walker George Walker may refer to: Arts and letters *George Walker (chess player) (1803–1879), English chess player and writer * George Walker (musician), English musician *George Walker (composer) (1922–2018), American composer * George Walker (il ...
and
Bert Williams Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. While some sources have ...
, is the first black show on Broadway, and the "first with an all-black cast". Walker and Williams would go on to star in many major productions, and would "revolutionize black theater". Williams will become the first and most important African American performer in
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
and on Broadway. *
Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyric tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles that r ...
becomes a major star after performing at the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
in New York. He will be the first internationally renowned performer to realize the full potential of audio recording technology. *The first permanent orchestra is established in Minneapolis. *The publication of
Francis O'Neill Francis O'Neill (; August 28, 1848 – January 26, 1936) was an Irish-born American police officer and collector of Irish traditional music. His biographer Nicholas Carolan referred to him as "the greatest individual influence on the evolution ...
's '' O'Neill's Music'' is a milestone in Irish American music history. * J. Berni Barbour and N. Clark Smith found the "first relatively permanent (African American) music publishing" company, in Chicago; it is also "probably the first black-owned music publishing company in history". *
Wilbur Sweatman Wilbur Coleman Sweatman (February 7, 1882 – March 9, 1961) was an American ragtime and dixieland jazz composer, bandleader and clarinetist. Sweatman was one of the first African-American musicians to have fans nationwide. He was also a trai ...
and his band record "
Maple Leaf Rag The "Maple Leaf Rag" (copyright registered on September 18, 1899) is an early ragtime musical piece composed for piano by Scott Joplin. It was one of Joplin's early works, becoming the model for ragtime compositions by subsequent composers. It ...
" in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, becoming the first African American group to record.Southern, pg. 310 *
Early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...
performer and instrument maker
Arnold Dolmetsch Eugène Arnold Dolmetsch (24 February 185828 February 1940), was a French-born musician and instrument maker who spent much of his working life in England and established an instrument-making workshop in Haslemere, Surrey. He was a leading figu ...
moves to the United States. His work with the Chickering company is a landmark of American early music performed on period instruments. *The first recordings of African American music - camp meeting shouts - are made by the
Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...
. *The first popular recorded song dealing with the subject of death is
Theodore F. Morse Theodore F. Morse (April 13, 1873 – May 25, 1924) was an American composer of popular songs. Biography Born in Washington, D.C., Morse was educated at the Maryland Military and Naval Academy. He went on to study both violin and piano. He an ...
's and Edward Madden's "Two Little Boys". *
W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musician ...
is in
Tutwiler, Mississippi Tutwiler is a town in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 2,476. History In 1899, Tom Tutwiler, a civil engineer for a local railroad, made his headquarters seven miles northwest of Sumner. Th ...
, and hears a blues performance. This inspires his career, and is said to be the first documentation of actual blues and the use of the
slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...
.


1904

*Composer
Arthur Farwell Arthur Farwell (April 23, 1872 – January 20, 1952) was an American composer, conductor, educationalist, lithographer, esoteric savant, and music publisher. Interested in American Indian music, he became associated with the Indianist movement ...
begins transcribing the recordings of Spanish folk songs made by
Charles Fletcher Lummis Charles Fletcher Lummis (March 1, 1859 – November 25, 1928) was an American journalist, civil rights activist, preservationist, poet and librarian who promoted Native American rights and historic preservation. He founded the Southwest Museum ...
. * Orchestra Hall is built in Chicago. *The
United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, a ...
of Alabama begin working to change the words to "
Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas have shifted over the years), or the extent of the area i ...
", to make them more favorable to the Southern cause. The introduction of new versions at the
United Confederate Veterans The United Confederate Veterans (UCV, or simply Confederate Veterans) was an American Civil War veterans' organization headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was organized on June 10, 1889, by ex-soldiers and sailors of the Confederate Sta ...
convention caused an uproar and was denounced as sacrilege. Any hope of changing the words ended when the song's author, Daniel Emmett, died eleven days later. *Afro-British composer
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 18751 September 1912) was a British composer and conductor. He was particularly known for his three cantatas on the epic 1855 poem ''The Song of Hiawatha'' by American Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Coler ...
visits the United States, working with his future student, the "most influential composer and propagandist of the
Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ti ...
", Clarence Cameron White. *
Charles F. Lummis Charles Fletcher Lummis (March 1, 1859 – November 25, 1928) was an American journalist, civil rights activist, preservationist, poet and librarian who promoted Native American rights and historic preservation. He founded the Southwest Museum o ...
begins making the first recordings of Mexican American music, in California. *The Estonian Singing Society is founded in San Francisco, becoming the first organization formed to promote Estonian music in the United States. *'' Walker and Williams in Dahomey'' is the first African American
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
performed abroad (in London's
Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theat ...
). *
Hazel Harrison Hazel Harrison (May 12, 1883 – April 29, 1969) was an American concert pianist. She was the first fully American-trained musician to appear with a European orchestra. Harrison was born in La Porte, Indiana, and spent most of her childhood hom ...
is invited to perform at the prestigious Royal Theatre in Berlin. She will become the "first black woman to make a stir in the musical world as a pianist".Southern, pg. 284 *
Lee de Forest #REDIRECT Lee de Forest {{redirect category shell, {{R from move{{R from other capitalisation ...
develops the
Audion The Audion was an electronic detecting or amplifying vacuum tube invented by American electrical engineer Lee de Forest as a diode in 1906.De Forest patented a number of variations of his detector tubes starting in 1906. The patent that most cle ...
tube, a technical innovation that lays the groundwork for electrical technologies including amplification and
radio broadcasting Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a lan ...
.


1905

*
Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...
, a popular songwriter, publishes the operetta '' Mlle. Modiste'', which is successful and launches the hit song " Kiss Me Again". *Most blues performers born before this year generally considered themselves musicians whose repertoire included a wide variety of musical styles; those born later will mostly view themselves as playing a distinct genre. *The first large-scale Filipino immigration to the United States begins, thus beginning the Filipino American musical tradition. *
Hawaiian music The music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Styles like slack-key guitar are well known worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is a frequent par ...
is commercially recorded by Columbia and
Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...
, achieving surprising success throughout the country. *
Arthur Farwell Arthur Farwell (April 23, 1872 – January 20, 1952) was an American composer, conductor, educationalist, lithographer, esoteric savant, and music publisher. Interested in American Indian music, he became associated with the Indianist movement ...
publishes ''Folk-Songs of the West and South'', a collection of songs that include "The Lone Prairee", which Farwell called the first cowboy song to be printed, both words and music". * Robert Motts founds the first permanent black theater, in Chicago, the
Pekin Theatre Established on June 18, 1904, Chicago’s Pekin Theatre was the first black owned musical and vaudeville stock theatre in the United States. Between 1904 and around 1915, the Pekin Club and its Pekin Theatre served as a training ground and showc ...
. *The Philadelphia Concert Orchestra becomes the first black symphony in the North.Southern, pg. 222 *
Ernest Hogan Ernest Hogan (born Ernest Reuben Crowdus; 1865 – May 20, 1909) was the first Black American entertainer to produce and star in a Broadway show, '' The Oyster Man'' in 1907, (shows at the African Grove Theatre preceded it by generations) and h ...
creates a
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
act that is the "first syncopated music concert in history". The performers are the Memphis Students, organized by
James Reese Europe James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880 – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the leading figure on the African-American music scene of New York City in the 1910s. Eubie Blake called him ...
and later led by
Will Marion Cook William Mercer Cook (January 27, 1869 – July 19, 1944), better known as Will Marion Cook, was an African-American composer, pianist, orchestrator, lyricist, violinist, and choral director.Riis, Thomas (2007–2011)Cook, Will Marion ''Grove Music ...
. The show featured a '"dancing conductor", Will Dixon, who danced rhythms to keep the band performing tightly, and the band's drummer, Buddy Gilmore, used unusual noisemaking devices besides drummers. Unorthodox folk instruments are also used in place of the traditional brass and woodwind lineup. The group was the first to "introduce the concept of the 'singing band' to the entertainment world", and performed in a style now known as
barbershop music Barbershop vocal harmony is a style of a cappella close harmony, or unaccompanied vocal music, characterized by consonance and dissonance, consonant four-part chord (music), chords for every melody note in a primarily homorhythmic texture. Eac ...
for some songs. * Hallie Anderson begins promoting a well-attended Annual Reception and Ball. She is the first major American woman
conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...
.Southern, pg. 349 *
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
grants the first
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in music in the country. *A standardized
piano roll A piano roll is a music storage medium used to operate a player piano, piano player or reproducing piano. Piano rolls, like other music rolls, are continuous rolls of paper with holes punched into them. These perforations represent note contro ...
, capable of being fitted to any model of instrument, is introduced. *Will H. Dixon was dubbed "The Original Dancing Conductor" by James Weldon Johnson, (Black Manhattan) circa. 1930. "The Memphis Students were the first band or orchestra to play jazz on a New York stage." a direct quote by Johnson.


1906

*At a Congressional hearing, John Philips Sousa testifies that the phonograph was discouraging Americans from performing themselves. *The United Booking Office of America forms to connect theater managers and performers in the eastern United States. *The
Azusa Street Revival The Azusa Street Revival was a historic series of revival meetings that took place in Los Angeles, California. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African-American preacher. The revival began on April 9, 1906, and continued until roughly 191 ...
in Los Angeles, led by
William J. Seymour William Joseph Seymour (May 2, 1870 – September 28, 1922) was a Holiness Pentecostal preacher who initiated the Azusa Street Revival, an influential event in the rise of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, particularly Holiness Pentec ...
, an integral part of the origin of
Holiness-Pentecostal Holiness Pentecostalism is the original branch of Pentecostalism, which is characterized by its teaching of three works of grace: the New Birth (first work of grace), entire sanctification (second work of grace), and Spirit baptism evidenced ...
-style
gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...
. *
Freddie Keppard Freddie Keppard (sometimes rendered as Freddy Keppard; February 27, 1890 – July 15, 1933) was an American jazz cornetist who once held the title of "King" in the New Orleans jazz scene. This title was previously held by Buddy Bolden and su ...
becomes bandleader of the Olympia Band, soon becoming one of the most prominent
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
trumpeters in that city. He will later turn down a recording contract, fearing it will make his music too easy to steal; the contract will instead be given to the
Original Dixieland Jazz Band The Original Dixieland Jass Band (ODJB) was a Dixieland jazz band that made the first jazz recordings in early 1917. Their "Livery Stable Blues" became the first jazz record ever issued. The group composed and recorded many jazz standards, the m ...
, who will become national stars. *The first African American orchestra in the nation to be incorporated is in Philadelphia. *The first radio broadcast of music is sent by Reginald A. Fessenden in Brant Rock, Massachusetts. *The
Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...
releases the
Victrola The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...
, the most popular
gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...
model until the late 1920s. The Victrola is also the first playback machine containing an internal horn. Victor also erects the world's largest illuminated billboard at the time, on Broadway in New York, to advertise the company's records. *The Gabel Automatic Entertainer is an early
jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a user-selected song from a self-contained media library. Traditional jukeboxes contain records, compact discs, or digital files, and allow user ...
-like machine, the first to play a series of gramophone records.


1907

*
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
' ''
Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...
'' premiers in New York at the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
, to great controversy over the scandalous subject matter. *Beginning with
Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life and career L ...
's ''The Merry Widow'', light
operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
s, or comic operas, begin to dominate the Broadway theatres, theaters of Broadway.Crawford, pg. 526 *The Intercolonial Hall on Dudley Street in Boston opens as a social club for Irish Americans and Canadians. It will be one of the preeminent Irish music venues in the country during the mid-20th century. *
Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...
publishes "Gladiolus Rag" with Joseph W. Stern, intending to "reposition ragtime in the sheet music marketplace by playing down its African American roots." *The battle over cultural ownership of the patriotic song "
Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas have shifted over the years), or the extent of the area i ...
" continues, with Southerner William Shakespeare Hays claiming to have written the song in 1858. He is able to convince the Filson Club of Louisville, Kentucky. *The migration of Japanese-Hawaiians to the mainland United States is banned, preceding a ban on labor emigration in Japan, effectively isolating Japanese Americans on the mainland and in Hawaii, both from each other and from Japan itself. *Florenz Ziegfeld launches the show that will become known as ''Ziegfeld's Follies'', which "enlarged the scope of entertainment with every kind of extravagant presentation, including current topics, comedy routines, and of course, the ever-present gorgeous girls. It will "set the standard and (break) box-office records". *Natalie Curtis Burlin publishes ''The Indians Book'', a "definitive collection" of songs that "set the standard for all future musicologists in the study" of
Native American music Indigenous music of North America, which includes American Indian music or Native American music, is the music that is used, created or performed by Indigenous peoples of North America, including Native Americans in the United States and Abori ...
. *The MENC: The National Association for Music Education, Music Educators National Conference is founded. *A
Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...
recording of
Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyric tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles that r ...
singing "Vesti la Giubba" becomes the first to sell a million copies. *The Uptown, Chicago#Green Mill Jazz Club, Green Mill opens in Chicago. As of 2009, it is the oldest extant nightclub in the city.


1908

*Arturo Toscanini becomes the conductor of the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
; he is lauded for "his energy, the command he brought to the podium, his demands for perfection, and his uncanny musical memory." *
Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...
publishes the education ''School of Ragtime'', "a landmark in the development and diffusion of classic
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
". *The first black bandmasters are appointed to the U.S. Army, for the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry and the Twenty-Fourth and Twenty-Fifth Infantry regiments. *Edward L. Gruber composes "The Caissons Go Rolling Along", which, as "The Army Goes Rolling Along", will become the official song of the U.S. Army. *Frederick Converse's ''Iolan, Or, the Pipe of Desire'' is the first American full opera scores to be published abroad. *N. Howard "Jack" Thorp's ''Songs of the Cowboys'' is the first published collection of cowboy music. *Sound recordings, along with photography and cinematography, are added to the Berne Convention, an international
copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
agreement which the United States is not yet a signatory to.


1909

*The Copyright Act of 1909, Copyright Act is passed to secure royalties for composers on the sale of recordings and public performances.Crawford, pg. 527 It also required publishers of music to allow mechanical reproduction by anybody if they allow any individual to do so; furthermore, the law is the first in American history to intervene directly into the marketplace by setting a price for the use of private property, requiring payment of two cents to the copyright holder from the creator of each
piano roll A piano roll is a music storage medium used to operate a player piano, piano player or reproducing piano. Piano rolls, like other music rolls, are continuous rolls of paper with holes punched into them. These perforations represent note contro ...
, recording Phonograph cylinder, cylinder and
phonograph A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...
record. *Charles Wakefield Cadman's "From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water", a classical work using American indigenous musical themes, crosses over and becomes a surprise mainstream success. *The first African American bandmasters in the American military are appointed; these are Wade Hammond (9th Cavalry Regiment (United States), Ninth Cavalry), Alfred Jack Thomas (9th Cavalry Regiment (United States), Tenth Cavalry), William Polk (bandmaster), William Polk (24th Infantry Regiment (United States), Twenty-fourth Infantry) and Egbert Thompson (25th Infantry Regiment (United States), Twenty-fifth Infantry). *Kurt Schindler organizes the MacDowell Chorus, soon known as the New York Schola Cantorum, one of the earliest ensembles in the country to gain recognition for performing Renaissance music. * John Phillips Sousa's operetta, ''The American Maid'', is the first known American stage production to use
motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
s. *Charles "Doc" Herrold and his wife, Sybil Herrold, Sybil, start the first college radio station. *The Theater Owners' Booking Agency is founded by the Barasso Brothers, Sherman H. Dudley, S. H. Dudley and other black theater owner-managers. It will become the primary booking agency for African American performers of the era. *The first use of the word ''
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
'' in print, in reference to dancing.Clarke, pg. 68; Clarke cites this to the ''Oxford English Dictionary''


1910

*The Clef Club, the first booking agency for African American performers, is formed by
James Reese Europe James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880 – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the leading figure on the African-American music scene of New York City in the 1910s. Eubie Blake called him ...
and others.Peretti, pg. 65 Europe would go on to make it into a performing orchestra as well. *Arthur Nevin, Arthur Finlay Nevin's ''Poia (Opera), Poia'' is the first American opera accepted by one of the great European opera houses, the Royal Opera House of Berlin. Later this year, Frederick Converse's ''Iolan, Or, the Pipe of Desire'' becomes the first American opera to be performed at the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
. *Inayat Khan, a ''veena, vina'' player, comes to the United States to spread Sufism, of the Chishti order. *Homer Allen Rodeheaver is hired by Billy Sunday, an influential development in the early history of
gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...
. Rodeheaver will be the first gospel artist to record, and will found the first gospel label, Rainbow Records. Music historian Don Cusic has called Rodeheaver the first American chorister perceived as a ladies' man or sex symbol. *John Lomax publishes a collection of cowboy songs, ''Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads'', a ground-breaking publication that launched his career; he is shortly afterwards elected president of the
American Folklore Society The American Folklore Society (AFS) is the United States (US)-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world, which aims to encourage research, aid in disseminating that research, promote t ...
. This collection is the first of American folk songs to be printed with the music. *The
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
performs its first show by an American composer, with Frederick Converse's ''The Pipe of Desire''. *The Mexican Revolution spurs a wave of immigration, mostly to states with large Mexican populations, like Colorado and New Mexico; these immigrants bring with them contemporary Mexican culture and helped to revitalize the indigenous music of the Hispanic Southwest. *The MENC: The National Association for Music Education, Music Supervisors National Conference is formed to promote music in public schools. *The New York Philharmonic Society ceases to be a musician-run cooperative, and is taken over by a board of directors. *The first convention of the Norwegian Singers Association of America is held. *Vassily Andreyev brings his balalaika and domra orchestra to the United States, inspiring a similar orchestra, supported by the Russian Orthodox Church, to form in St. Louis, followed by Chicago and New York in the next two years.Livingston, Tamara E. and Katherine K. Preston, "Snapshot: Two Views of Music and Class", pgs. 55–62, in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'' *R. Nathaniel Dett becomes the "first black pianist to make a transcontinental tour of the nation". *Homer Rodeheaver publishes the first of many gospel song collections that will quickly become a major part of the repertoire for African American churches across the nation. *The Vaughan Quartet becomes first all-white and all-male professional gospel music, gospel vocal quartet in the country. *"A Perfect Day" by
Carrie Jacobs-Bond Carrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond (August 11, 1862 – December 28, 1946) was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter who composed some 175 pieces of popular music from the 1890s through the early 1940s. She is perhaps best remembered for writing ...
(1862–1946) sells 25 million copies. Bond becomes America's first woman to make a living as a composer.


1911

*
Alice Fletcher Alice Cunningham Fletcher (March 15, 1838 – April 6, 1923) was an American ethnologist, anthropologist, and social scientist who studied and documented Native Americans in the United States, Native American culture. Early life and education ...
and
Francis La Flesche Francis La Flesche (Omaha, 1857–1932) was the first professional Native American ethnologist; he worked with the Smithsonian Institution. He specialized in Omaha and Osage cultures. Working closely as a translator and researcher with the anthr ...
publish ''The Omaha Tribe'', a
monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...
that documents the music and culture of the
Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
; it is often called the first ethnomusicology, ethnomusicological work. *Irving Berlin's "That Mysterious Rag" is the first
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
song to not revolve around explicitly black lyrical themes. Berlin shifts to describing his work in this style as "syncopated", rather than "ragtime". His "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is "conspicuously representative" of the
Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...
songwriters, and brings about a "brief revival of interest in (ragtime)" despite being the "swan song" of the ragtime era. *Charles Griffes moves away from a German Romantic style and towards a more free-form style that comes to include French, East Asian and other influences. *The first permanent orchestra is established in San Francisco.Crawford, pg. 581 *The term ''barbershop quartet'' comes into usage with the release of "Mr. Jefferson, Lord, Play That Barbershop Chord".Darden, pg. 135 *The Victor Gramophone Company hires Frances Elliott Clark to create educational materials that could be sold alongside recordings, for the purpose of music education. *Henry Cowell's ''Adventures in Harmony'' is premiered in San Francisco, an early use of tone clusters in the field of classical music. *Mary Carr Moore composes ''Narcissa, or The Cost of Empire'', with a libretto by her mother, Sarah Pratt Carr, which is "very likely the first grand opera to be composed, scored, and then conducted by an American woman". *A private performance of ''Treemonisha'' by
Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...
is the first of an African American "folk opera written by a black composer". *Raymond Lawson becomes the first known African American pianist to perform concertos with a symphony orchestra, the Hartford Symphony. *
Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...
's ''Natoma'' is the first American opera to display ''verismo'' (Realism (arts), realism). *The United States Army's bandmaster school is founded at Fort Jay on Governors Island in New York,U.S. Army Bands
/ref> led by Walter Damrosch and directed by Arthur A. Clappe.Hansen, pg. 247


1912

*
W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musician ...
publishes "The Memphis Blues",Spotlight Biography: William Christian Handy
a song he had written for the mayoral campaign of Edward Hull Crump; its publication creates "an unprecedented vogue" for blues-styled songs, and made Handy's band the most popular in Memphis.Southern, pg. 338 Earlier in the year, the first blues texts to be published were Artie Matthews's "Baby Seal Blues" and Hart A. Wand's "Dallas Blues". *Community dance halls begin to grow more common, as a number of new dances become a part of the American music scene. *The All-Kansas Music Competition Festival becomes the first contest devoted to music in schools. *Leopold Stokowski becomes the conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, becoming well known for his showmanship.Crawford, pg. 585 *
James Reese Europe James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880 – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the leading figure on the African-American music scene of New York City in the 1910s. Eubie Blake called him ...
, the first black bandleader in the country, presents the first Concert of Negro Music at
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
, the first "organized attempt" to showcase African American music for mainstream audiences in New York. *Lydia Parrish begins going to St. Simons, Georgia, St. Simons Island in the Sea Islands of Georgia, eventually founding the Spiritual Singers Society of Coastal Georgia. *Within a week of the sinking of the ''RMS Titanic'', songs have been composed about the disaster, one being a ballad being sold by a black, seemingly blind, preacher to A. E. Perkins. *Cyrus H. K. Curtis gives the first public recital of organ music in the United States, in Portland, Maine. *
George Whitefield Chadwick George Whitefield Chadwick (November 13, 1854 – April 4, 1931) was an American composer. Along with John Knowles Paine, Horatio Parker, Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, and Edward MacDowell, he was a representative composer of what is called the Sec ...
's opera ''The Padrone'' is rejected by the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
on the basis that it was "probably too real to life" in its portrayal of "life among the humble Italians". The opera takes place in "the seamy side of Boston (which) Chadwick was the first to dramatize... musically and realistically". It is among the earliest American operas to present its subject realistically. *
John Stillwell Stark John Stillwell Stark (April 11, 1841October 21, 1927) was an American publisher of ragtime music, best known for publishing and promoting the music of Scott Joplin. Early life and education Stark was the eleventh of 12 children born to Adin S ...
publishes ''Standard High-Class Rags'', a collection of
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
songs arranged for small orchestra. It will eventually become known as ''The Red-Backed Book of Rags'', "and as such it (will be) a wellspring of the 1970s ragtime revival".Chase, pg. 423 *Helen Hagan becomes the first African American pianist to matriculate from Yale University with a Bachelor of Music, and is also the first to win the Sanford Fellowship. *David I. Martin and Helen Elise Smith found the Martin-Smith School of Music, "one of the most important black musical institutions" of the era. *A series of concerts begin to be held in New York, sponsored by the Clef Club and the Music School Settlement for Colored; these attract large, mixed-race audiences, and inspire other similar concerts in cities around the country. The most remarkable feature is the use of mandolin, banjo and other elements of African American folk culture by the Clef Club Symphony Orchestra. *The first piano-roll recordings of African American performers are made by the QRS company, a subsidiary of the Melville Clark Piano Company.


1913

*The word ''
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
'' is used in print for the first time, in San Francisco in reference to "speed and excitement" in a game of baseball. The word's first use to describe a genre of music this year as well, in the catalogue for the International Exhibition of Modern Art (Armory Show) in New York,Southern, pg. 366 and in reference to US Army musicians "trained in ragtime and 'jazz'". *
Frances Densmore Frances Theresa Densmore (May 21, 1867 – June 5, 1957) was an American anthropologist and ethnographer from Minnesota. Densmore studied Native American music and culture, and in modern terms, she may be described as an ethnomusicol ...
's research constitutes the most extensive description of traditional Ojibwe music, and the "largest collection ever published from one tribe". *Ragtime is a major part of a brief craze for social and ballroom dancing, which spurs the rise of two well-known dancers, Vernon Castle, Vernon and Irene Castle, especially after their performance in ''Watch Your Step (musical), Watch Your Step'' the following year.Clarke, pg. 126 They work with
James Reese Europe James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880 – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the leading figure on the African-American music scene of New York City in the 1910s. Eubie Blake called him ...
, whose band becomes the first all-African American dance band to receive a commercial recording contract, recording "Down Home Rag" this year. Europe and the Castles are best known for introducing the castle walk, turkey trot (dance), turkey trot, bunny-hug, Castle rock and Foxtrot, fox trot.Jones, pg. 111 *The Italian Luigi Russolo publishes ''L'arte dei rumori'', "in which he (views) the evolution of modern music as parallel to that of industrial machinery", a basis for futurism, a movement "identified with technology and the urban-industrial environment... "seeking to enlarge and enrich the domain of sounds in all categories". The foremost proponent of futurism in the United States is Leo Ornstein, who composes ''Dwarf Suite'' this year; it is the first of his "anarchistic" and highly dissonant pieces. *The "first black theater circuit" is founded by Sherman H. Dudley. It will lead to the creation of the Theater Owners Booking Association (TOBA). *Robert Nathaniel Dett becomes the first African American director of music at Hampton Institute in Virginia. *James Mundy begins founding community groups in Chicago, and staging "mammoth concerts" at the Coliseum (Chicago), Coliseum and Orchestra Hall. Choruses led by Mundy and J. Wesley Jones will sing at "all important occasions in Chicago that called for the participation of blacks" into the 1930s, when the duo's choruses attracted wide attention for their rivalry. *Bill Johnson (double-bassist), Bill Johnson founds the Original Creole Orchestra featuring
Freddie Keppard Freddie Keppard (sometimes rendered as Freddy Keppard; February 27, 1890 – July 15, 1933) was an American jazz cornetist who once held the title of "King" in the New Orleans jazz scene. This title was previously held by Buddy Bolden and su ...
, who become the first African American dance band to make transcontinental tours, on the
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
circuit. This band carries the "jazz of New Orleans to the rest of the nation". *Harry Pace and W.C. Handy found the first black-owned music publishing firm. *Thomas Edison forms a disc company, essentially conceding to the new format rather than his long-time business of cylinders. *''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' begins publishing information on the relative success of sheet music for various songs. *The Lyric Theater (Miami, Florida), Lyric Theater opens in Miami, soon becoming one of the pre-eminent African American music venues in the area. *The Apollo Theatre in New York opens, eventually becoming a music venue and cultural symbol of unparalleled importance in African American music.


1914

*The
operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
ends its period of dominating the Broadway theatres, Broadway stage. *The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) is founded to take advantage of recent changes in
copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
law on behalf of composers of music, specifically by collecting royalties from public performances of music. There are 170 charter members, of whom, six are black: Will Tyers,
Harry T. Burleigh Harry Burleigh (born Henry Thacker Burleigh, December 2, 1866 – September 12, 1949) was an American classical composer, arranger, and professional singer known for his baritone voice. The first black composer who was instrumental in dev ...
,
Will Marion Cook William Mercer Cook (January 27, 1869 – July 19, 1944), better known as Will Marion Cook, was an African-American composer, pianist, orchestrator, lyricist, violinist, and choral director.Riis, Thomas (2007–2011)Cook, Will Marion ''Grove Music ...
,
James Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871June 26, 1938) was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ...
and J. Rosamond. *
W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musician ...
publishes "St. Louis Blues (song), St. Louis Blues", "the most widely popular and enduring commercial success of all blues songs"Crawford, pg. 538 It will carry "the blues all over the world". *Dance is becoming a major part of social life in New York and other cities, while certain dancers become national symbols, including Vernon and Irene Castle, and Maurice Mouvet and Florence Walton. The Castles' recordings are with
James Reese Europe James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880 – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the leading figure on the African-American music scene of New York City in the 1910s. Eubie Blake called him ...
's Syncopated Society Orchestra, the first black ensemble with a recording contract. *The
Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
hosts the American premier of Arnold Schoenberg's ''Five Pieces for Orchestra'', a composition that experimented with atonality and other new elements; the premier scandalized the musical establishment of Boston. *R. Nathaniel Dett composes and publishes one of the first "anthemized" versions of a spiritual, specifically "Listen to the Lambs". *The first permanent professional orchestra is established in Baltimore. *The Hardanger Violinist Association of America is established in Ellsworth, Wisconsin to preserve and celebrate the traditions of the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle. The Association's main activities are fiddling contests known as ''kappleikar''. *Freddie Kreppard, a jazz cornetist, takes his Original Creole Orchestra to California, causing a popular sensation with his music, which he calls ''jass''. *Jewish American choirs begin springing up in urban areas across the country, many of them associated with socialism. *James P. Johnson publishes "Carolina Shout", the song that will make him famous and launch his career as one of the big composers of Eastern ragtime. *
Joseph Douglass Joseph Henry Douglass (July 3, 1871 – December 7, 1935) was an American concert violinist, the son of Charles Remond Douglass and Mary Elizabeth Murphy, and grandson of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Early life and influence Born in the Anaco ...
becomes the first violinist to record, for the
Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...
, but the results are never released. *Nicola A. Montani organizes the Society of St. Gregory of America to assist in implementing the musical reforms of the ''Motu proprio'' encyclical issued by Pope Pius X in 1903. *Tom Brown (trombonist), Tom Brown becomes the first white jazz performer to leave New Orleans to make a career in Chicago.


1915

*The Panama-Pacific Exposition is held in San Francisco, and Hawaiian performances lead to unprecedented interest for Hawaiian music, as well as the ukulele and the Hawaiian guitar, which eventually becomes the steel guitar used primarily in country music. The song "On the Beach at Waikiki" is usually credited with sparking the craze. *Jerome Kern receives his first "major success with a musical comedy", with ''Very Good Eddie'' with lyrics by Schuyler Greene and a libretto by Guy Bolton, based on a farce written by Phillip Bartholomae. *The score for the film ''The Birth of a Nation'', composed by Joseph Carl Breil, launches the idea of a written film score being a musical work in its own right. *"Jelly Roll Blues" by Jelly Roll Morton becomes the first published jazz arrangement. Morton, one of the first jazz pianists, will come to be regarded as "the first true jazz composer" in that he was probably the first to write down his jazz arrangements in musical notation. Clarence Williams (musician), Clarence Williams claimed to be the first to use the word ''jazz'' on sheet music, for the song "Brown Skin, Who You For?", which he described as a "Jazz Song". *Melville Charlton becomes the first African American to become an associate in the American Guild of Organists. *Marie Lucas (musician), Marie Lucas' Famous Ladies Orchestra begins performing, soon making Lucas the best known of the "female leaders of syncopated orchestras". *Charles Demuth begins a series of jazz-themed paintings that are a "definitive contribution to the early history of jazz. *Tom Brown (trombonist), Tom Brown forms a white band, Original Dixieland Jass Band, Brown's Dixieland Jass Band, for the Lamb's Club in Chicago; this dance orchestra was the first group to "formally introduce the music called jazz or
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
" to white Americans. African American ensembles did not use the word ''jazz'' consistently until the 1920s. *The Howard Theater.the most prominent African American music venue in Washington, D.C., opens. *African Americans begin moving to northern cities, especially Chicago, in large numbers, bring with them their distinctive forms of African American music, music.Southern, pg. 367 *The founding ''Musical Quarterly'', with
Oscar Sonneck Oscar George Theodore Sonneck (October 6, 1873 – October 30, 1928) was a U.S. librarian, editor, and musicologist. Biography Sonneck was born in Jersey City. He studied philosophy and musicology in Germany at the universities of Heidelberg ...
as chief editor, gives musicologists their first "specialized forum" in the country.


1916

*
Harry T. Burleigh Harry Burleigh (born Henry Thacker Burleigh, December 2, 1866 – September 12, 1949) was an American classical composer, arranger, and professional singer known for his baritone voice. The first black composer who was instrumental in dev ...
arranges a series of spirituals, artistically composed to fit within the Western classical hymn and aria traditions, in ''Jubilee Songs of the United States of America''. He is the first to arrange a spiritual for solo voice, and is also credited with "starting the practice of closing recitals with a group of spirituals". *Lucie Campbell becomes the music director of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., National Baptist Convention's Sunday School and the Union Congress of the Baptist Young People; during her career, she will compose a number of important hymns, including "Heavenly Sunshine", "Something Within", "He Understands, He'll Say 'Well Done'" and "The King's Highway". *
Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...
writes the first full-length score for a motion picture, for ''The Fall of a Nation''. *English folklorist Cecil Sharp begins collecting Scottish and English folk songs in the southern Appalachian region, and is surprised to discover that the "cult of singing (British) traditional songs is far more alive than it is in England, or has been, for fifty years or more". *The first Lithuanian American song festival is held, predating the first similar festival in Lithuania by eight years. *A bookstore in New York is opened by Myron Surmach, becoming one of the major institutions of the Ukrainian American music industry. *Irish American music's commercial recording begins in earnest with the work of Ellen O'Byrne DeWitt in Boston. *Ernest Bloch comes to America. His subsequent work will mark "the crux of the Hebraic impact in America's art music". *Sherman Clay begins publishing Hawaiian sheet music in San Francisco, greatly improving distribution for Hawaiian music on the mainland, while Ernest Ka'ai publishes a ukulele instruction book, ''The Ukulele: A Hawaiian Guitar and How to Play It'', the first of many to come throughout the following decade. *Charles A. Tindley's ''New Songs of Paradise'' is a popular work, the "first publication of a collection of gospel hymns written by a black songwriter". *Emma Azalia Hackley becomes one of the first African Americans to record, though the results are never released. *Nathaniel Clark Smith begins his teaching career at Lincoln Prep Academy, Lincoln High School in Kansas City, Missouri. He will go on to pioneer the African American "master teacher" phenomenon, in which a public school teacher contributes an "enormous amount of time to developing the skills of talented young people". Smith becomes a local legend, and his students include many of the "leading jazz and concert artists" of the mid-20th century. *John Alden Carpenter's ''Concertino for Piano and Orchestra'' is the first work by a white composer to use elements of
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
. *W. Benton Overstreet uses the word ''jass'' (
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
) in reference to the performers he directed for the
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
an Estelle Harris at the Grand Theatre (Wheaton, Illinois), Grand Theatre of Chicago. *Congress authorizes the creation of a band for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and headquarters companies. *Westfield, New Jersey is home to the first contest for students on the memorization of recording works ("music memory contests"). *"When the Saints Go Marching In", a jazz standard, is published in a Baptist hymnal. Its author is Edward Boatner, who also composed "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands".


1917

*The U.S. Navy appropriates the St. Thomas Juvenile Band, led by Alton Adams; this is the first black band and bandmaster in the Navy.Hansen, pg. 249 *The
Original Dixieland Jazz Band The Original Dixieland Jass Band (ODJB) was a Dixieland jazz band that made the first jazz recordings in early 1917. Their "Livery Stable Blues" became the first jazz record ever issued. The group composed and recorded many jazz standards, the m ...
makes the first jazz recordings,Bird, pg. 17-19 though the white band's style is meant for white audiences with little awareness of African American music practices, and the band is unable to impress black audiences or jazz enthusiasts. *English folk song collector Cecil Sharp publishes an anthology of songs from western North Carolina, ''Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians'', with Olive Dame Campbell; this is the "first major scholarly collection of the mountain people's music". *The October Revolution in Russia leads to political change, soon resulting in state support for professional, virtuoso balalaika orchestras; these groups come to be seen as "role models" by similar groups in the United States. *The Supreme Court of the United States, Supreme Court rules that the "public performance of music contributed to the ability of an establishment to make profits even if no special admission was charged for that music". *With the United States' entry into World War 1, warrior customs among the Plains Native Americans are briefly revived, as many ceremonies and rituals are allowed, after many years of being banned, for the duration of the war. *
Harry T. Burleigh Harry Burleigh (born Henry Thacker Burleigh, December 2, 1866 – September 12, 1949) was an American classical composer, arranger, and professional singer known for his baritone voice. The first black composer who was instrumental in dev ...
, one of the most prominent African American composers of his time, publishes "Deep River (song), Deep River", the first of many classically arranged spirituals. *George M. Cohan writes "Over There", which will become the most popular song of World War I. *W. Benton Overstreet's "Jazz Dance", popularized by
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
an Estelle Harris at Chicago's Grand Theatre (Wheaton, Illinois), Grand Theatre, is an early use of the word ''jazz'' and is used by "more black vaudeville acts than any other song ever published". *The Navy shuts down Storyville, the prostitution district of New Orleans, because the Secretary of the Navy believed it threatened the moral integrity of the armed forces; the result is an exodus of black musicians, who had played in the bars and clubs of Storyville, to cities like Memphis and Chicago. Many of the musicians are hired by Northern bands because their style was considered a novelty that is thought to increase an ensemble's commercial potential; the Northerners, however, tended to adopt the "hot", bluesy style themselves. *Leo Sowerby, bandmaster of service bands during World War I composes "Tramping Tune". *
W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musician ...
's band makes some of the earliest major recordings by African American artists at a session for the Columbia Phonograph Company. *The most famous riverboat bandleader of the early jazz era, Fate Marable, forms his first band. He will play with a wealth of well-remembered recording artist, though he will only play on one record, from 1924. *Art Hickman, a San Francisco bandleader, publishes "Rose Room". Hickman and his pianist-arranger, Ferde Grofé, are influential figures, who "are generally given credit for inventing the type of dance band which" dominates American popular music for the first half of the 20th century; they were among the earliest to "write separate music for the reed and brass sections, combining the higher and lower instruments in each section into choirs... for dancing rather than listening." Hickman was also probably the first to hire three saxophones, enabling the use of more complex and richer harmonies.


1918

*The Cotton Club is founded in Harlem, soon becoming the most prominent jazz venuesof the era. *Henry Cowell, an ultramodernism, ultramodernist, while working under Charles Seeger, writes ''New Musical Resources'', and "important compositional and theoretical primer".Haskins, Rob, "Orchestral and Chamber Music in the Twentieth Century", pgs. 173–178, in the ''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music'' *Charles N. Daniels (music), Charles N. Daniels' "Mickey (Pretty Mickey)" is one of the first pieces of music written expressly for a film, for the movie of the same name starring Mabel Normand. *The Native American Church, which uses many musical elements in its services, including peyote songs, is formally incorporated. *The first permanent professional orchestra is established in Cleveland. *The Million Dollar Theater is opened in Los Angeles, eventually becoming one of the premier avenues for Spanish language performances in the Western hemisphere. *A Kansas woman named Nora Holt becomes the first African American to complete a master's degree education in music, from the Chicago Musical College. *The Pace and Handy Music Company Music publisher (popular music), music publishing, a firm for African American composers, co-owned by
W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musician ...
, relocates to New York and becomes a leading local institution. *Charles Tomlinson Griffes' ''Sonata for Piano'' is considered his "most original... most complex and ambitious work", and a "powerfully creative and consistently conceived work that (stands) as a peak for neo-Romantic expression in American music for piano". *''Shanewis'' by Charles Wakefield Cadman is the "most notable" of the Native American-themed operas then popular; it will run for eight shows in two seasons, setting a new American record for opera. *
James Reese Europe James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880 – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the leading figure on the African-American music scene of New York City in the 1910s. Eubie Blake called him ...
's band for the 369th Infantry is the only African American military band of World War 1 sent on a special mission to perform for troops on leave in Aix-les-Bains. The band performs throughout the area, and is very well received. The band popularizes
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
in France. *E. F. Goldman organizes the "first American competition for serious concert band work". Percy Grainger and
Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...
serve as judges.Hansen, pg. 251 *North Dakota and Oklahoma become the first states to sponsor band contests. *Congress, on the suggestion of General John J. Pershing, authorizes the creation of twenty additional bands for the duration of World War I. Pershing also increases the size of bands to allow for full instrumentation, setting the standard lineup for future military bands, relieves bandsmen of all non-musical duties, and establishes a band school at Chaumont, Haute-Marne, Chaumont in France.U.S. Army Bands
/ref> *The first attempt to cross-promote a song and film comes from ''Mickey (1918 film), Mickey'', a film whose title song, "Mickey", is written by Charles N. Daniels (music), Charles N. Daniels.


1919

*Popular bandleader
James Reese Europe James Reese Europe (February 22, 1880 – May 9, 1919) was an American ragtime and early jazz bandleader, arranger, and composer. He was the leading figure on the African-American music scene of New York City in the 1910s. Eubie Blake called him ...
is murdered; he becomes the first African American honored with a public funeral in New York City. *
Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...
publishes songs that spark a fad for
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
-like music; these songs include syncopated foxtrots like "Jazz Me Blues", pop songs that were marketed as blues like "Wabash Blues", as well as actual blues songs.Crawford, pg. 562 *Prohibition in the United States, Prohibition begins, driving the consumption of alcohol (drug), alcohol into secret clubs and other establishments, many of which became associated with the developing genre of
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
. *The first permanent orchestra is established in Los Angeles. *Carl Seashore's ''Measures of Musical Talent'' is a system of assessing musical aptitude that becomes widely adopted but also inspires controversy. *Merle Evans begins leading the Ringling-Barnum Band, becoming the most famous circus bandleader in the country, especially known for leading the other performers with one hand while simultaneously playing the
cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...
. *Canadian-born black composer R. Nathaniel Dett is the first to arrange a spiritual in a classical oratorio, with ''Chariot Jubilee''. *Irving Berlin's "You Cannot Make Your Shimmy Shake on Tea" is one of many songs from the era that expressed opposition to Prohibition. Other songs, like "Drivin' Nails in My Coffin (Every Time I Drink a Bottle of Booze)" expressed support for the abolition of alcohol. *James Sylvester Scott publishes three rags, "which are among the most demanding of all published piano ragtime": "New Era Rag", "Troubadour Rag" and "Pegasus: A Classic Rag". *George Gershwin's "Swanee (song), Swanee", performed by Al Jolson, becomes a "tremendous hit" and Gershwin's "big breakthrough". *The National Association of Negro Musicians is founded, after Nora Holt organizes a black musicians summit in Chicago. *Ryles Jazz Club opens in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It will become the oldest and most renowned jazz club in Cambridge, and the second-most in the Boston area.Bird, pg. 176


References

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Notes


Further reading

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Timeline Of Music In The United States (1880-1919) Timelines of American music, 1825 19th century in music 20th century in music 1880s in music 1890s in music 1880s in American music 1890s in American music 1900s in American music 1910s in American music