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Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the group of New York City music songwriters and publishers from 1880 to the early 1930s, although some consider the era to have lasted through the 1950s. Originally the name referred to the area in Manhattan on West 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue. These songs came to dominate popular music in America during this time.
Tin Pan Alley composers originally focused on melodramatic ballads and comic novelty songs. As other forms of music became more popular, these songwriters incorporated ragtime, jazz, and blues music to produce pop songs influenced by those styles. The Irish and Irish themes run through this era of songwriting, from novelty songs to nostalgic lyrics looking back to Ireland.
Most of the sheet music in this era was published in a large 10 ½” x 13 ½” size. Artists used the entire color spectrum. The addition of pictures of the singers, which now could be heard on records and the radio, were added in hopes of generating more sales through their popularity.