It is an elegant and regal piece, and Marshall told historian Rudi Blesh that he was responsible for the entire contents, but there are hints that Joplin had a hand in it. This is the only other known collaboration between Joplin and Marshall after Swipesy in 1900, and is likely to have been written no later than 1905, as both many had gone on to different lives by this time. I suggest that you also listen to the stage version of The Ragtime Dance for contrast. This version is played with performance in mind rather than dancing. What remains is fairly tight and balanced, including the innovative (for 1902) stoptime section. The opening verse and interlude were completely dropped, the transition from the A to B section was recast as the introduction, and the final iteration of the descending thirds E section was excised as well. Whether it was to bring out a new Joplin piece at a time when Stark had none, an effort to recoup any losses realized from the original printing, or perhaps both, Stark had the piece reformatted into a viable piano rag. The dance version was a format that Stark thought would have little sales appeal, a hunch that turned out to be correct when he grudgingly published it. It started out in 1902 as a staged ragtime folk ballet rather than a piano rag. This version of The Ragtime Dance is due to the efforts of publisher John Stark more than its composer. So please be MY guest of honor as we appreciate this often neglected work together. However, after having worked through it at various speeds, I have found that a slightly relaxed tempo seems to favor a better performance and help to sustain the lovely melodic lines more effectively. When I first heard the Labeque Sisters recording of the piece in 1983, I was uncertain of their interpretation of the piece which is played rather slowly. The inscription within dedicates it to a Marie Antoinette Williams A 6/8 march, it in no way translates like the military or band marches of the time. It may have been taken from individual themes or a central piece that stayed with the composer until he felt the desire to publish it. Berlin also suggests a plausible possibility that Antoinette was constructed from a portion of A Guest of Honor. Joplin's admiration for Washington's focus of forwarding the black cause through education is strongly reflected as the backbone of Treemonisha as well. Washington to the White House to meet and dine with President Theodore Roosevelt, something that left southern whites feeling disenfranchised, and creating quite a regional controversy. Music historian Ed Berlin, in his definitive scholarly book on Joplin, King of Ragtime, suggests the possibility that the opera concerned the legendary 1901 visit of Booker T. The disposition of the score has been disputed, including some recent claims that it was in one or another person's posession, or that Joplin had left it in a trunk in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (or was it Pittsburg, Kansas). There were mentions in documents of record during the early 1900s that Joplin had been working on an opera called A Guest of Honor, dated around 1902. While most people who know about Scott Joplin are certainly aware of his magnificent opera Treemonisha, few are aware that he may have written or sketched out at least one or more earlier attempts. I have interpreted parts of the highly melodic C section with contrasting dynamics and a bit of rubato in places. Will Rossiter of Chicago was likely ecstatic to have such name recognition associated with his company. It should be also noted that this was one of the rags not published by John Stark, as it was offered during a period of cooler relations between the two. The interlude in the C section, while not clearly a full-fledged section itself, is still a complete 16 bars in length, and utilizes classical development techniques in a sophisticated manner. The use of repeated phrases starting on off beats results in more interesting accumulative phrases. The pattern of repeated bass octaves is present throughout the piece, providing continuity. Eugenia is one of Joplin's better examples of "coloring outside of the lines." In spite of his use of the common cakewalk/march pattern of a repeated interlude in the C section, this rag transcends many old ideas. However, after some examination of the piece it became evident that the two plants bookending the cover were of the Eugenia variety, and since that is consistent with the flora-based names of many other Joplin rags, it is likely the basis for having named this one. Louis, rather than a woman (both naming methods a common practice) that was some two blocks behind Tom Turpin's Rosebud Cafe according to a 1904 map. Some sources suggest this piece to have been named for a street in St.
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