The Big Book of Vintage Sheet Music Covers: A Kindle Coffee Table Book

HUNDREDS OF DAZZLING VINTAGE SHEET MUSIC COVERS FROM 1896-1923 DIGITALLY RESTORED TO THEIR ORIGINAL GLORY!

After the American Civil War people were looking for ways to entertain themselves at home, and as a result, piano sales went through the roof, with more than 25,000 pianos being sold every year. By 1887 more than half a million young people were studying the piano. 

The immense interest in piano music generated a need for sheet music of the most popular songs of the time, and by 1910, thirty million sheet music copies were being sold every year. At the same time, advances in printing technology allowed publishers to print high-quality art images on their sheet music covers, which acted as an advertisement for the sheet music. Publishers discovered that people would buy sheet music just because they liked the cover, even if they weren’t familiar with the song. Displayed on a piano, the sheet music cover functioned as decorative art when not being used to play a song. 

The sheet music covers of this period employed a variety of subject matter, but images of beautiful women proved to be the most popular, and the art created for these covers proved to be one of the highest forms of commercial art produced during that period of time. It also created a great opportunity for talented artists, providing them with a substantial and lucrative market for their art. 

The covers in this book have been organized according to ten different themes and include a large selection of ragtime songs, which was enjoying immense popularity during this time. Other themes include songs about soldiers and songs about mothers. One chapter includes a large selection of covers that feature beautiful women. But my personal favorite is the collection of songs with zany names, like ”I’ve Got a Pain in My Sawdust.”

In the back of this ebook you’ll find an Index of Songs, with many of the titles linked to a YouTube page where you can listen to the song.