HISTORY
Did pop music exist in Victorian times?
Carolyn Edwards
■ There wasn’t any pop music as we think of it today, but an alternative to the traditional grand orchestral pieces did appear in Victorian England, and could be classed as a kind of pop music. Great British Music Hall theatres offered entertainment to the masses, and this included lots of songs with a chorus that the audience could join in with. The songs were sometimes sad, often quite cheeky and always extremely catchy so everyone could pick them up and sing them at home. Alternatively, people could enjoy the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, whose songs became very popular. JE