Collective name for the English and American entertainment music of the first half of the twentieth century. This music is considered to be the forerunner of pop music and was written for a wide audience. Commercial motives are at least as important as artistic ones. Breadwriters supply text and music to order. The offices where the success songs originate, such as Tin Pan Alley (from 1900 to 1930) and the Brill Building (fifties and sixties), acquire mythical status as hit factories. Famous composers are Burt Bacharach, and duos such as Leiber & Stoller and Greenwich & Barry. They write for all-round stage artists who could sing, dance and act and often performed in one of the many theatres on Broadway. Recordings were an afterthought until the forties. With the rise of pop music the popularity of vocal music decreases. Nevertheless, the American Songbook, a collection of classical American songs, continues to intrigue many a soul and pop singer.
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