ABSTRACT
Music theatre, and in particular the revues produced by Albert De Courville at the Hippodrome in the period 1912-1919 (detailed in Seeley and Bunnett, 1989), was fundamental in introducing American fashions of all kinds to Britain. The popularity of ragtime reached its peak in Britain through the revue Hullo Ragtime (1912) and the earliest 'jazz' song contained in the British Library sheet music collection was included in Box o' Tricks (1918). However, it was not the music of these shows that defined either ragtime or jazz as musical styles, as most of the songs, including those that specifically referred to these genres, used a standardized musical idiom that was related to the music hall song and often included some syncopation. Rather, it was the verbal and visual imagery associated with these musical styles, presented in the song lyrics and dances of the revues, which provided the earliest clear descriptions of these genres. The popularity of these shows led to the importing of American sheet music and the publication of songs in Britain. As this sheet music could easily be disseminated outside London, it was very important in establishing the image of ragtime and jazz throughout the country.
