First Sheet Music

The Historic American Sheet Music, Rare, Book,Another popular and now defunct function of
Manuscript and Special Collections Library at Dukesheet music was as a carrier for art. In some
University struggles with the definition of sheetcases, the art on the cover of the sheet music
music. Though some might desire to relegate thewas as interesting and desirable as the music
use of the term sheet music to popular orfound inside. Music publishing (in America) began in
modern music, The Library at Duke hasthe 1790s. At that point it was not big business
discovered that Especially in the mid-nineteenthbecause unlike a century later, the average
century, a publisher may have issued sacred andconsumer did not have a piano in the house and,
secular songs, Lieder, opera excerpts, potpourris,as America was still expanding, shipping was
waltzes, marches and descriptive etudesdifficult and costly. It wasnt until after the Civil
side-by-side. They go on to describe sheet musicWar that the visual art on the cover of the sheet
as the mere physical product of recording musicmusic became as important as the audible art
on paper. Sheet music can also be described as afound on the inside. One particular artist, E.T. Paul
score. However it is described, sheet music is thebecause particularly well known for his song
way in which a reader (one who reads musicalchoices and cover art. He began by commissioning
notation) can play a piece of music.color lithographs for his own pieces of
Sheet music provides a special kind of potentialcomposition. It is believed that much of his (wild)
entertainment. Musical scores, specifically thosesuccess was due less to the content of his music
written for or including the piano, were veryand more to his topic choice and choice of cover
popular at the turn of the century as manyart. In the same way that cover art
private homes had pianos. Before radio becamerevolutionized the sale and advertising qualities of
the preferred form of entertainment, regularsheet music, cheap alternatives for shipping took
people had to create their own entertainment. Athis fledgling American industry from being strictly
new set of sheet music was like a new TV show,regional to being able to reach all over the
and allowed anyone who could play to entertaincountry.
themselves with a new piece of music.