美语词汇掌故第 5 课：Tinpan Alley-2

Mr. Rosenfeld used this expression when he wrote his stories about the music publishing business.

And from that time on, 28th street in New York City was known as tinpan alley.

Tinpan alley is linked to an exciting period of American popular music that lasted from about 1880 to 1930.

In earlier years, American publishing companies mainly dealt with serious music.

But toward the end of the century, some young men decided to change this.

So they went to New York City, where they could find performers to sing and sell their songs.

On tinpan alley, American popular music developed.

From publishing companies on this street came love songs, sad songs, and silly songs, songs that were Ragtime, Jazz and Blues.

From tinpan alley, came such great composers as George Gershwin , Irving Berlin , Jerome Kern , Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers.

It was there the composers learned their trade. They learned what the public wanted and what would make a song sell.

The end of tinpan alley as the center of American music business came around 1930 after records, radio, and talking movies were created.

Yet the name, tinpan alley still is linked to the creators of popular music who got their start on the street of songs.