Before the advent of phonographs and radio, pianists used piano sheet music to popularize their compositions to people. This is basically a printed musical notation, used for reference when playing the piano. Piano sheet music was more popular as parlor music in the late 19th century when parlor music was famous in US. This parlor music is basically music played in a parlor where most middle class homes had their own parlors and pianos at home.

The popularity of this sheet music has reduced with the advent of the phonograph, radio and other modern devices. However it is not out of the music world as song writers still publish their piano music on sheets of paper. In fact, in the computer world of today, it is possible to find and use this sheet music in computer readable formats, which can be bought and downloaded through the internet. There is also free sheet music that you can download from the internet.