<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Problems playing this file? See media help . </Td> </Tr> <P> Tin Pan Alley was an area called Union Square in New York City, which became the major center for music publishing by the mid-1890s . The songwriters of this era wrote formulaic songs, many of them sentimental ballads . During this era, a sense of national consciousness was developing, as the United States became a formidable world power, especially after the Spanish--American War . The increased availability and efficiency of railroads and the postal service helped disseminate ideas, including popular songs . </P> <P> Some of the most notable publishers of Tin Pan Alley included Willis Woodward, M. Witmark & Sons, Charles K. Harris, and Edward B. Marks and Joseph W. Stern . Stern and Marks were among the more well - known Tin Pan Alley songwriters; they began writing together as amateurs in 1894 . In addition to the popular, mainstream ballads and other clean - cut songs, some Tin Pan Alley publishers focused on rough and risqué . Coon songs were another important part of Tin Pan Alley, derived from the watered - down songs of the minstrel show with the "verve and electricity" brought by the "assimilation of the ragtime rhythm". The first popular coon song was "New Coon in Town", introduced in 1883, and followed by a wave of coon shouters like Ernest Hogan and May Irwin . </P> <P> The early 20th century also saw the growth of Broadway, a group of theatres specializing in musicals . Broadway became one of the preeminent locations for musical theater in the world, and produced a body of songs that led Donald Clarke to call the era, the golden age of songwriting . The need to adapt enjoyable songs to the constraints of a theater and a plot enabled and encouraged a growth in songwriting and the rise of composers like George Gershwin, Vincent Youmans, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern . These songwriters wrote songs that have remained popular and are today known as the Great American Songbook . </P>

Which was one of the most popular forms of entertainment in america in the 19th century