Neapolitan maestro Raffaele Calace was the most renowned composer
of mandolin music during the romantic era.
It was during this time that the musical style ballo liscio,
the equivalent to salon music, emerged.

Ballo Liscio was brought by Italian immigrants to New York and then to San Fransisco
where a lively Italo American ballo liscio scene was established.
Each block represented an Italian region. The typical Italian plucked string music was heard
in public dance halls and coffee houses. The Café Trieste still exists as a venue for ballo liscio musicians. A peculiar tradition was the barbershop music, where passersby would gather in front of a barbershop to listen to the music.

The music styles of ballo liscio include mazurkas, waltzes, polkas, marches, tarantellas
and also Latin American music (tangos, paso dobles, rhumbas) which was the upcoming fad. Some Italian musicians even assumed Spanish sounding names to meet the new demand.