Among the many cultural innovations of the Victorian age,
printed sheet music was one of the most widespread. The upright
piano made it possible for most middle-class families to have
musical entertainment in their own parlors. Printed music had
existed since the dawn of the press in the fifteenth century,
but lithography and mechanized production made sheet music
available to the masses. "The Boz Quadrilles" At the same time,
while copyright protected an author's writing, there was no
concept of licensing like we have today. Beloved characters from
the novels of Charles Dickens lived on in songs inspired by his
works, yet not necessarily authored - or authorized - by his
pen. Much like today when we buy the soundtrack to a favorite
movie, Victorian readers would sing songs that continued their
literary experiences and contributed to their collective
enjoyment of popular literature. "Poor Little Nell" See these
items and other materials from the Dartmouth College Library's
collections in the exhibit "Dickens