Parlour music, popular in the late 19th century, was intended to be performed in the parlours of houses, usually by amateur singers and pianists. Disseminated as sheet music, or printed in serialised magazines, its heyday came as a result of a steady increase in the number of households with enough resources to purchase musical instruments and instruction in music, and with the leisure time and cultural motivation to engage in recreational music-making. Its popularity faded in the 20th century as the phonograph record and radio replaced sheet music as the most common means for the spread of popular music.
Presented in this volume are twenty-eight songs, originally printed in Cassell's Family Magazine between 1875 and 1885.