I heard Mick Moloney give an interesting lecture yesterday that he titled "If It Wasn't for the Irish and the Jews" - mostly the music of Tin Pan Alley. Much of the sheet music from the end of the 19th century came from Irish and Jewish musicians in New York, and it was played on pianos and sung in parlors all over America. For the most part, this was music from the north, mostly New York, but it was popular all over the country.
-Joe-