This volume uncovers the rich yet largely overlooked musical worlds of the late nineteenth century, moving beyond established canons to explore everyday practices in homes, schools, churches, theaters, and public spaces. Bringing together transatlantic perspectives from the United States and the German Empire, it reveals how amateur music-making, popular entertainment, minority cultures, and evolving music markets shaped diverse musical lives. By rethinking traditional historiography, the book draws attention to hidden repertoires and social contexts, highlighting the roles of education, urban culture, and networks of performance. It emphasizes cultural inquiry and develops new methodological approaches to studying marginalized practices. Through interdisciplinary dialogue and case studies, it demonstrates how these "invisible" musical cultures were essential to the formation of modern musical life.