Daily AncestorMusician
A musician earned a living playing, singing, composing or teaching music, in bands, orchestras, theaters, churches or private lessons.
Musician is a general word for anyone who follows music as a profession, including performers, singers, conductors and composers.
The 1900 census instructions list musician or teacher of music among the professions enumerators were to specify in detail, so a music teacher may be entered differently from a performer. In 1910 to 1940 the industry column can show where a musician played, such as theater or orchestra.
As seen in a recordOccupation and industry columns of the 1910 to 1940 census
Emil Franke, 29, Musician, Theater
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Musician." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/musician. Last checked 2026-10-10.