American Original.

If any art had come into its own as a purely "American" form by the turn of the century, it was popular music, and popular music was a veritable medley. The rhythms of jazz, the sentimental strains of ballads, the syncopation of ragtime, the poignancy of the blues, the lively melodies of show tunes — all were sung, played, hummed, whistled, recorded, and enjoyed by Americans during the decade. American "popular song" was taking on a character of its own, distinct from the song of other countries. Music was also the basis of a rapidly expanding industry: sheet music, instruments, phonographs, and record cylinders or disks were spreading musical fads countrywide at an unprecedented rate. The ragtime number improvised in a Louisville honkytonk in 1900 was being played in an Omaha parlor by 1902; the catchy tune showcased in a Broadway musical...