This is the second of three volumes designed, in the author's words, to tell 'the story of America's popular songs, the people who wrote them, and the business they created and sustained'. Volume II concentrates on the 19th century, and among the topics discussed are: the effect of changing technology upon the printing of music; the growth of the American musical theatre; popular religious music; black music (including spirituals and ragtime); music during the Civil War; and 'music in the era of monopoly' (covering copyright, changing technology and distribution, the invention of the phonograph, and the establishment of Tin Pan Alley).
