The Land that Enchants Me So: Picturing Popular Songs of New Mexico
On display through Sep 29, 2019 at the New Mexico History Museum
Before radio and television, when making music at home was the evening’s entertainment and playing the piano was considered an essential talent among the middle class, sheet music was the music consumer’s gateway to the world.” The New Mexico History Museum celebrates this era with sheet music of popular songs about the State of New Mexico, dating from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries, in the new exhibition The Land That Enchants Me So. The show spotlights graphically striking sheet-music covers published from 1840s through about 1960, along with other printed materials, sound recordings, and memorabilia relating to New Mexico and its musical life.
“At a time before everywhere in America was pretty much like everywhere else, songs often gave voice to civic pride. During the 19th and early-20th centuries, people felt that their own home town was a place worthy of singing about,” said James M. Keller, who co-curated the exhibition with Meredith Davidson, the Museum’s Curator of Southwest Collections. “In the 19th and early-20th centuries, publishers understood that potential sheet-music buyers judged pieces of music—like books—by their covers. And so, they accordingly lavished care on the creation of vivid, original art and design for the sheet music they issued.”
The decorative sheet music in the exhibit is drawn from the private collection assembled over the past three decades by James M. Keller, whose collection focuses on historical popular music from the era of vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley. The guest co-curator of the show, he is known to New Mexico’s music-lovers through his work as a staff critic at Pasatiempo/The Santa Fe New Mexican. He is also the Program Annotator of the New York Philharmonic, where he has served since 1995 and occupies an endowed chair, and (since 2000) of the San Francisco Symphony.
Also on exhibit at the New Mexico History Museum
New Mexico CulturePass
Your ticket to New Mexico's exceptional Museums and Historic Sites.
From Indian treasures to space exploration, world-class folk art to awesome dinosaurs—our museums and monuments celebrate the essence of New Mexico every day.
More Info »
Encounter Culture
Take a look inside the museums and historic sites of New Mexico without leaving home. Join host Charlotte Jusinski, and a variety of guest curators, artists, and exhibitors in exploring the art and culture of the state in Encounter Culture, a new podcast from the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
Featured DCA Exhibitions
Shadow and Light
Shadow and Light, the inaugural exhibition at the Vladem Contemporary plays upon the famed New Mexico light which is
more »
Icons of Exploration
Showcases some of the Museum’s most celebrated objects including a real "moon rock," rare replicas of the first
more »
Staff Picks: Favorites from the Collection
Staff Picks: Favorites from the Collection features objects that were selected by members of the Museum of
more »