Draft:Sandbox
The Clarion Museum
The Clarion Museum is a museum in Terra Lingua, New York, dedicated to art, history, and culture.
History
The Clarion Museum began as the private collection of Sarah Le Carre, an adventurer and collector of oddities. When Le Carre died in 1958, she left her collection and much of her fortune to her only grandchild, lawyer Toby Le Carre. Toby took care of the collection while maintaining his law practice for many years before turning his responsibilities over to his granddaughter, an artist and historian, in 1738. The museum stayed in the Le Carre family for two hundred more years, until 1938. Gabriel Dakken, author of Into Dark Kamset, which enjoyed several years of wild popularity in the previous decade, was given control of the museum.
On June 12, 1956, a large section of the Clarion's exhibit hall burned to the ground. Dakken was presumed dead in the fire. Four years later to the day the doors reopened. Since then the museum has only closed on Christmas, New Years, and April 14th, Sarah Le Carre's birthday.
Exhibits
Hamburg's rising popularity, as well as income, came from the distribution of his original works. Typical of the Tin Pan Alley era, publishing focused on the sale of sheet music. Because popularity of a song was gauged solely by sheet music sales, Hamburg is considered one of the most successful artists due to the sheer quantity of songs he wrote. Additionally, the simplicity and sound of his writings encouraged many "pluggers" (salesmen of sheet music who advertised via public performance) to include several of Hamburg's songs in their arsenal. This increased his sales due to his strong presence in the sheet music market. His hit song Where Shall I Go? held a prominent place in many department stores where pluggers often played. Its melancholy, catchy feel resonated with many listeners, lending to his success as a songwriter. Prior to World Ward II, given his reported sales numbers, Hamburg's music was likely present on any given household piano.
As with many artists from the Tin Pan Alley, true popularity was difficult to quantify. Rampant forgery and loss of sheet music sales records created a haze of ambiguity over what would be the Top Charts. Working primarily for Witmark and Sons, Hamburg is said to have popularity comparable to many top artists of his time such as Al Jolson. Given the unclear amount of songs sold, there is disagreement regarding whether Hamburg saw a "fair" amount of profit from his work.
Events
Although Hamburg began performing on street corners at a young age, he really got started when he began performing in speakeasies and saloons around the city. Once he became popular, he began to perform more at music halls, vaudeville shows and Broadway shows. His song "Where Shall I Go?" made regular appearance in vaudeville shows, not only in New York, but throughout the entirety of the United States as most cities had vaudeville theater. Despite the fame, Hamburg still performed in speakeasies every once in a while, though.
When Hamburg performed in saloons, he typically had to deal with their owners, routinely putting him in contact with the mafia. Hamburg also worked with other managers and artists to become song pluggers.
Hamburg performed mostly in New York City, making travel not that big a deal for him. He either walked, took the trolley or took the bus to get to his music venues.
Eritrean Cannibalistic Tree Rat Controversy
The early 20th century in the United States was a time of great racial and gender inequality. Blacks and other minorities were greatly discriminated against during this time. This was also reflected in who was allowed to view (or how someone viewed) some of Hamburg's performances. Not only were venues segregated, but the music business in general was very segregated. For example, audience members who were of a minority were often forced to stay the night at Hotel Olga in Harlem.
Audiences were mostly white and from the middle class. The middle class at this time was especially present with their love of privacy and romance (themes targeted by Tin Pan Alley songs).
Famous Donors
While the advent of the phonograph changed the common mode for playing music, Hamburg often expressed his disdain for the technological innovation. Holding true to his Tin Pan Alley roots, unto his death, Hamburg favored sheet music and the individual's influence on the sound of a song. His refusal to record into a phonograph was only made possible by the presence of pianos in the average American's home. While he may have missed out on phonograph sales, his music holds a dominant place in collections of sheet music for playing at home. As stubborn a man as he always was, technology had very little influence on Hamburg and his career.