 The late-19th century saw a massive explosion of parlor music, with ownership of, and skill at playing the piano becoming "de rigueur" for the middle-class family.In the late-19th century, if a middle-class family wanted to hear a popular new song or piece, they would buy the sheet music and then perform the song or piece in an amateur fashion in their home.But in the early 20th century the phonograph and recorded music grew greatly in importance.