Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1820-1860
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Go directly to the collection, Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1820-1860, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.
Creating a Sheet Music Collection
Americans seem to collect almost any product, and sheet music is no exception. Sheet music collectors are numerous, and web sites about sheet music have popped up to meet their needs. Most sheet music collectors have some kind of a specialty — whether it is music by a particular composer (e.g., Stephen C. Foster), a certain type of music (religious), music from a selected era of history (1850s), music about or from a particular area (California), or music about a topic of interest (slavery). Collectors choose the music they buy based on the condition of the piece of sheet music, how well it fits their collection, the attractiveness of the cover, and a range of other factors.
"The World's Fair Polka" could be part of a collection
of polka music or a collection of music commemorating
major events of the nineteenth century.
Imagine that you could begin a sheet music collection with ten pieces of music from the Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1820-1860 collection. Use the questions below to begin designing your collection:
- What will be the focus of your collection? Think about the pieces of music that you have found most interesting or an area that you would like to learn more about.
- What criteria will you use to select the ten pieces of music? Think about such factors as appearance, content, fit with your focus, and variety.
- What search strategies will you use to locate pieces of music that fit the focus of your collection and meet your criteria?
Once you have answered these questions, search the collection to find the ten pieces of music you will use to begin your collection. When you have selected them, print out the pieces and decide how, if you were a serious collector, you might display the pieces.