The Gerontologist, Vol 30, Issue 3 345-354, Copyright © 1990 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

Old age in America represented in nineteenth and twentieth century popular sheet music

ES Cohen and AL Kruschwitz
Community Services Institute, Inc., Narberth, PA 19072.

This paper examines American popular sheet music published between 1830 and 1980 as a source for understanding popular perceptions and feelings about aging and old age. From a private collection of over 300 pieces of sheet music related to aging, two forms of representation of popular sentiments are reviewed: cover art and lyrics. A substantial majority present negative rather than positive views of aging and old age.