The Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo in 1901 was one of a series of world expositions that were mounted at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, including the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia , the Paris Exposition in 1889, the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in St. Louis in 1904. Like the other expositions, the Pan-American provided an opportunity to showcase the latest developments in technology and industries. It also provided a showcase for the arts, including music. Most of the musical display was in the form of performance, be it by renowned bands like those of John Philip Sousa or Thomas Preston Brooke, or by any of the seventy-one organists who performed on the Emmons Howard organ installed in the Temple of Music.
Music composed for the Exposition was predominantly in the form of popular pieces that drew on the celebrity of the event in order to sell music. For this reason, most of the music is ephermeral in nature, much like other Exposition memorabilia. Music that stands out is that composed by John Philip Sousa and the other band leaders who performed at the Exposition, Thomas Preston Brooke (Chicago Marine Band) and Francesco Fanciulli (71st Regiment Band). Victor Herbert, who conducted the Pittsburgh Orchestra at the Exposition, composed his PanAmericana especially for the Exposition and it reputedly won a gold medal for composition, though no record of any other entrants exists. The assassination of President William McKinley at the Exposition was also memorialized in music.
Sheet music at the turn of the century was still prevalently issued in a larger format with illustrated title pages. The illustrations include portraits of band leaders and dignitaries, views of Exposition buildings and scenes, and general boosterism for the Exposition and the city of Buffalo.
| May 2004 Music Library Staff musique@acsu.buffalo.edu http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/music/spcoll/panamsheetmusic/bio.html |
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