Popular music today consists of genres such as rap, hip-hop, alternative and punk, but during the 1840s, "pop music" meant banjos, theater and costumes.

Michael Lasser, music history lecturer and host of the National Public Radio show Fascinatin' Rhythm, will be presenting the history and songs of the minstrel show, which was incredibly popular from the 1840s into the early 1920s. "The minstrel show was the most important form of entertainment in the United States in the 19th century," Lasser said.

The lecture is in conjunction with a special exhibit at Palmer Museum of Art called Picturing the Banjo, said Robin Seymour, coordinator of membership and public relations for the museum. The current exhibit addresses the artistic side of the banjo, while the lecture will address the musical sides of the banjo and the minstrel show.

As a music history lecturer, Lasser said he is interested in popular music as social history. He said songs throughout history can tell people much about the time period during which they were created.

"The songs tell us the attitudes, perceptions, assumptions and dreams of the people during that time," Lasser said. "Songs begin as a mirror when they are created, and, as time passes, they turn into a window."

Just as they are today, most songs throughout history are love songs, Lasser said. Many songs also offer subtle references to the issues during the time period they were written.

"For example, in the midst of 1930s love songs, there were references to money and having a job because people didn't have jobs," Lasser said. "During World War II, songs were about parting, separation and longing to be together."

The songs of the minstrel show are important for American social history because they examine many racial prejudices of earlier time periods.

Lasser said the songs purported to present black culture to America by having white performers wear "black face" and sing songs in a Southern black dialect.

"The songs of the minstrel have two messages, one expected and one unexpected," Lasser said. "The expected is that view of blacks, condescending and degrading, as comic buffoons or simple-minded children. The unexpected is that they are treated with affection, sympathetic understanding."

Lasser said the minstrel songs presented black people as being capable of the same emotions as white people, making them human. The shows, performed in almost every town in America, were very important in shaping America's attitudes, Lasser said.

"[Political correctness] requires us to say [minstrel shows] were evil, but some of it was surprisingly positive," Lasser said. "Some songs will make you want to cringe, and it is hard to believe that song portrays blacks in a positive light."

Lasser's presentation will not use visuals, although the lecture relates to the art on display in the Picturing the Banjo exhibit, Palmer Museum Curator of Education Dana Kletchka said. Instead, the presentation will be completely discussion and audio, as the audience will be hearing some examples of the music. Lasser said he will present about 10 songs.

Lasser's interest in American popular music, which focuses mainly on the music from 1900 through 1950, extends into the radio show he presents once a week on National Public Radio. "Every week, I have a theme or topic, and I use songs to illustrate it," Lasser said.