The record changer (Jan-Dec 1944)

We do not know with what feelings or emotions Scott Joplin arrived in New York, but certainly he must have gone there with confidence. He was supreme in his field, the acknowledged "King of the Ragtime Writers," and already established jn the big city was the Stark firm, the "Classic Rag House," with which he had achieved his early successes. He did not arrive in the East as a stranger who had to fight for recognition ; his music had won that for him long before he considered going to the metropolis. The man who wrote the Maple Leaf Rag needed no sponsor or patron ; musically, it would seem, Scott Joplin could feel that a place was prepared for him, and in so far as composing was concerned, all he had to do was to resume in New York just where he left off in St. Louis. Reference to Joplin's published compositions reveals that the flow of good rags from his pen was not interrupted. His first rags published in the East appeared in 1907, and in that year there were issued Heliotrope Bouquet (written with Louis Chauvin), The Nonpareil, Gladiolus, Search-Light Rag, Rose Leaf Rag and Lily Queen (written with Arthur Marshall). Every one of these numbers is a fine rag, worthy of the composer, and each has that typical Joplin quality, — substance. We do not believe that Joplin ever composed what might be termed a light or "frothy" number, evidently preferring to put a little weight into his music. It might be a little difficult to choose the best one of these rags, but in our estimation Gladiolus should come first, followed closely by Rose Leaf Rag and Heliotrope Bouquet. Gladiolus, modelled somewhat after the Maple Leaf, yet in no way an imitation of it, is a rag classic if there ever was one ; each part is excellent, and the listener's interest is held until the last note is struck. The same can be said of the Rose Leaf Rag, which is of a different type, but fine throughout, with a final part that must have been an inspiration for jazz pioneers. Jelly Roll Morton, who was familiar with the important Joplin rags, considered Rose Leaf a very high class number. Heliotrope Bouquet, characterized by the Starks as "the audible poetry of motion," is a difficult number, a heavy rag with solid bass, some of which is syncopated in the first part. Lily Queen is not §o difficult, but is a lusty rag in the best ragtime tradition, with a strong honky tonk reminiscence about it ; perhaps that was supplied by Arthur Marshall. It would be interesting to know just how much Scott Hayden, Arthur Marshall and Louis Chauvin con SCOTT JOPLIN [■llllllllllllinilllllll mi mi nmn n n ■ ii ■ in i in mi Overlooked genius tributed to the rags on which they collaborated with Joplin. Certain it is that they are all good rags, and without knowing any more about the collaborators, it is believed that they must be classed with the pioneers in genuine American music. Louis Chauvin is reputed to have been an exceptionally fine piano player. Arthur Marshall composed other rags which Stark published, but we do not know of any published rags entirely composed by Chauvin or Hayden. During 1908 three new numbers appeared,— Fig Leaf, Pine Apple Rag and Sugar Cane, as well as School of Ragtime (sheet music). There was published also a number of Joseph F. Lamb of New York, Sensation, which was arranged by Joplin. In this group Fig Leaf stands alone, being another of those piano numbers in a class by itself. When the ordinary player goes over a number like Fig Leaf, he may wonder at the admonition "Do not play this piece fast," since it would be impossible for the ordinary person to play it fast correctly. Certainly a great deal is lost if Joplin's compositions are hurried over carelessly. Pine Apple and Sugar Cane are good rags, but probably should not be rated with Joplin's best ; they measure up in most ways, but lack just a little of the lustre that marks the top notch numbers. Sugar Cane is the fourth and last rag to which Joplin gave a first part similar in structure to the first part of the Maple Leaf. Pine Apple was published later (1910) as a song with ingenious words by Joe Snyder. The School of Ragtime consists of six exercises in ragtime by means of which Joplin endeavors to set before the ragtime novice the principal forms of syncopation. He also gives his advice on 10