Type: Exhibition case

Name: 1930s

Detail: By 1930, a previously undreamed-of variety of music, including classical and even folk, was becoming available to listeners across a wide geographic, ethnic, and economic spectrum. By recording and broadcasting performances of musicians in their inherited ethnic and regional styles, the new media made it possible for different communities to enjoy the popular styles of their homelands. By the late 1930s, two new contexts for popular songs emerged: the movie musical and big band jazz bands.

The Great Depression made a deep impact on American musical life, as less money in the hands of audience members meant less work for performers. Between 1929 and 1934, about 70 percent of all musicians in the United States were unemployed, a trend that the American Federation of Musicians, the national musicians’ union, was powerless to stop. Nevertheless, the Depression years brought far more access to classical music than Americans had ever previously enjoyed and New Brunswick was no exception. 1930 marked the 250th anniversary of the founding of the city, and with it came musical concerts, songs, and sheet music. Local musical organizations from the City Band to the String Quartet and the Symphony Society kept the love of music alive throughout the Depression. Taking its cue from federal relief agencies, the Opera House sponsored programs for the benefit of local unemployed musicians and for all members of the American Federation of Musicians.