ABSTRACT
As late as 1880 or 1890, people growing up in a middle-class U.S. household had no recorded music in their homes in the sense that we understand it today. That’s not to say that homes didn’t have music. For one thing, family members often played musical instruments. Pianos were especially popular in middle-class homes. Many family members learned to play, and there was a vigorous and growing industry that published sheet music and sold it in music stores around the country.
