Of all the cities in the United States, possibly none are more celebrated than New York. With its tall skyscrapers, its iconic landmarks, and its rich history, it is no wonder that it's America's most visited city.
And it also shouldn't come as a big surprise that New York has been made the subject of countless songs, stories and works of art. This blog article will explore the songs and the art, more specifically sheet music cover art that depicts this majestic city. We will present the covers in chronological order, while touching on some tidbits of the city's history in the process.
The cover above, which was published in 1831, shows New York in its infancy, just a few decades after the United States won its independence from Britain. As you can see, the city is still not much more than farmland, and not anywhere near as bustling with activity and grandeur as it would later be. In fact, New York didn't really start to resemble a city until the mid 19th century. (For more on the way New York used to look in its early stages, check out this collection of old photographs.)
This next one was published four years later, in 1835, and although the city still had a long ways yet to be developed into the metropolis we know it as today, it shows one of its most famous streets. As we can see here, Broadway was, even at this time, one of New York's busier thoroughfares.
The next cover shows one of New York's shortest lived monumental landmarks. Built in 1853, it was inspired by London's Great Exhibition, which was built two years prior. It was intended as a celebration of New York's industry and culture, and even the building itself was greatly admired, as it would be immortalized in art, music, graphics, and much more. The cover below is one of many such depictions. Sadly, the Crystal Palace would burn to the ground in 1858, in spite of much well-publicized hype around it being fireproof. [Source: The New York Times]
The next few covers show New York at the turn of the 20th century. By this time, New York was finally shaping itself into the city we know it as today, (mostly because of such landmarks as the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Flatiron Building, which were being built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.)
Broadway has had theatrical associations for much of its history, starting with the opening of Thomas Kean and Walter Murray's theater company in 1750, and Broadway musicals are a well-established institution. The next three covers are for (now obscure) Broadway plays that were set in New York. (For more information on Broadway theater, check out this article.)
In 1917, America entered WWI, two years after the German torpedoing of the Cunard liner Lusitania, which claimed 128 American lives. The next few covers, arranged in chronological order, depict America's involvement in this global conflict.
As an aside, the next cover was published after the end of the war, and a brief look at the lyrics reveals that the song is about the returning American soldiers' disappointment upon discovering that Prohibition was enacted. (The 18th Amendment, which prohibited the import and sale of "intoxicating liquors" into the United States, was ratified on January 16, 1919. Furthermore, a brief look at this article reveals that many American troops returned after Prohibition began, even though WWI ended on November 11, 1918.) The following is a brief sample of the lyrics:
"America never took water,
So why should she take it now?
England gave us Ale and Porter
To drink their wine the French have taught us how.
Of water in the trenches, we surely had our fill,
So we can't understand why you should hand it to us still.
For America never took water
And America never will."
---------
If you liked this post, please visit our website, where you can receive $20 towards the purchase of any print in our upcoming art store.
If you liked this post, please visit our website, where you can receive $20 towards the purchase of any print in our upcoming art store.
No comments:
Post a Comment