Sheet Music of the Musical Theater
Completed Pages: 8,010
Registered Contributors: 669
Launched Sept. 27, 2023.
Transcribers will encounter songs by some of the best-known composers and lyricists in American popular music history such as Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, George Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and more. Women composers and lyricists such as Anne Caldwell, Rida Johnson Young, and Mabel Daniels are represented in the campaign, as well as trailblazing creative artists who shaped black musical theater like Bob Cole, J. Rosamond Johnson, and Will Marion Cook. American Yiddish Theater is also showcased with selections by notable composers Isidore Lillian, Joseph Rumshinsky, and Sholom Secunda.
The sheet music in this campaign also provides a unique and valuable lens for observing culture and history between 1880 and 1922. One can view attitudes towards relationships, new inventions (such as automobiles), places around the world, leisure activities, and popular topics of the day. The cover art is also an important resource for commercial art of the period.
Content Advisory: Because of potentially offensive and racist language and views, which reflect both their time and circumstances, this transcription project may not suitable for all volunteers.
Instructions: The primary goal of transcribing sheet music text is to facilitate page-level discovery of lyrics, subjects, and the creators and publishers of the work through the Library's website. Musical notation, performance instructions, and other markings are currently beyond the scope of this program. See our illustrated and downloadable Transcribing Sheet Music PDF for more help and examples