Scott Joplin: The Entertainer, played by Cory Hall

I never get tired of this classic rag! To hear a variety of exciting playlists, go to "BachScholar" and click "see all" on the Playlists box! There seems to be quite a bit of misunderstanding about ragtime, at least judging from the comments on YouTube, so please allow me to clarify some things. Joplin often specified "not fast" for his rags. This does not mean, however, that ragtime is slow. Many pianists are under the impression that ragtime is slow and criticize performers when they play a classic rag "fast". It is important to understand that "not fast" does not mean "slow". Joplin simply said "not fast" to warn against outrageously fast tempos, for example, like the way Alan Thompson plays "Maple Leaf Rag" on YouTube (quite possibly the world's record in tempo). It is also important to understand that almost all faster rags are actually marches and demand a lively march-like tempo. Exceptions include expressive slow rags like "Solace" and "Wall Street Rag" by Joplin, as well as "Graceful Ghost Rag" or "Last Rag" by William Bolcom. Somewhere in between this slowest and most expressive category and the faster marches are cakewalks and "slow drags", which have moderate tempos (for example, Joplin's "Swipsey" or "Sunflower Slow Drag" or Bolcom's "Through Eden's Gates"). Because virtually all faster rags are marches in a strict tempo, to expect high artistic license with multiple shades of coloring and rubato, as one would in a Chopin Nocturne, is to misunderstand ragtime altogether. If one does not like pieces in strict march time and believes that it sounds too "mechanical", this is fine. After all, one is entitled to one's own opinions. If, however, one is trying to do too much with a march-style rag, that is, trying to turn it into "high art" music, as one might do in most classical music like by Beethoven or Chopin, then it might be best to stay away from ragtime altogether. As final proof that ragtime should have a strict tempo, is not "high art" music requiring sophisticated coloring and rubato, and is not "slow", one needs to listen no further than Joplin's own recording of Maple Leaf Rag here on YouTube (click on link below). To my ears, Joplin's performance is what many pianophiles nowadays might consider "mechanical" and maybe even a little rough and unsophisticated sounding. The reality is, however, that this kind of music was meant to be played this way! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMAtL7n_-rc I hope these insights have been helpful in coming to terms with what ragtime is and what it is not, written by a scholar who has studied ragtime for a very long time. To learn more about the performer, please visit: http://www.bachscholar.com/who_is.html

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YouTube | October 1, 2008

Tags:. .YouTube. .cakewalks. .sunflower. .ragtime. .altogether