We have a detailed history of Tin Pan Alley thanks to invaluable information from the Historic Districts Council in their “Brief-ish History of Tin Pan Alley” written in 2008, and Michael Minn in his piece “Tin Pan Alley”, part of his “New York City” photography collection project. As both accounts cover both overlapping and different information, we present them both below. Many thanks to them both for their thorough and dogged research and insightful presentation.
Exhibition: “Illustrating Tin Pan Alley: From Ragtime to Jazz”
Fri, Jul 19
|Society of Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators and the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project presents an exhbtion of sheet music illustrations from the Collection of historian John T. Reddick, Illustrating Tin Pan Alley: From Ragtime to Jazz." FOR MORE INFO: https://societyillustrators.org/event/tinpanalley/
Time & Location
Jul 19, 2024, 11:00 AM – Sep 21, 2024, 5:00 PM
Society of Illustrators, 128 E 63rd St, New York, NY 10065, USA
Guests
About the event
Exhibition
“Illustrating Tin Pan Alley: From Ragtime to Jazz”
July 24-September 21, 2024
Society of Illustrators, 128 East 63rd Street
Presented in partnership with the Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project
This exhibition of sheet music covers, and other illustrations are drawn from the collection of Harlem historian John T. Reddick whose research has focused on that community's Black and Jewish music culture between 1890-1930. The illustrations on sheet music served as an important tool in marketing Tin Pan Alley songs and capturing their spirit in the minds of the public. The sheet music helps tell the stories of the songwriters, music publishers and performers -- many of whom were Eastern European Jewish immigrants and Black Americans -- that formed the sound and industry of American Popular Music in the first half of the 20th Century,
Tin Pan Alley located on 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue in the late 19th and early 20thcenturies was the cradle of the music industry in the United States. Here, American popular music as we have come to know it was first manufactured and promoted through sheet music and its compelling representative illustrations. The landmark buildings on that block of 28th Street offer a glimpse into what has become a worldwide cultural force – pop music – at its specific place of creation.
The nonprofit Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project commemorates and continues the legacy of Tin Pan Alley, the culturally rich and diverse birthplace of American Popular Music on 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue in New York City. the Project connects people with the power of music as an essential element of New York City and American cultural history.
Exhibition-related Events:
Opening Happy Hour, Thursday, July 25, 5-9pm
Tin Pan Alley themed Sketch Night Wednesday, August 28
Lecture with curator John T. Reddick, Wednesday, September 11, 6:30-8:30pm
Closing Happy Hour, Thursday, September 19, 5-9pm