The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • 91

THE SUN, BALTIMORE, SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 21, 1971 Section PACE I The Growing Ragtime Band are no longer around. Perhapi a concert version would arouse enough Interest for a full-scale production. Wtw York Ttm N.wt d.rVl mm Completely It spa I rid and Hot Asphalt Coated things they will be Investigating is the Influence of Louis Moreau Gottschalk on Joplin. In JacKson'i folder were odd pieces of Information about Joplin. He composed 504 piano pinccs, including marches, waltzes and cakewalks as well as ragtime.

He published, in 1008, a little book of instruction on the secrets of playing ragtime. The first time the word "ragtime" was used on a sheet of music was in 1893, in a work by Fred Stone named "Ma Ragtime Baby." Until the end of World War I ragtime was the popular musical rage of America. Mrs. Lawrence said she was preparing reprint editions of out of print and unavailable historical American music under a Rockefeller Foundation grant. The Joplin volumes, "Treemonlahar The Elesh-Janls book Is the authoritative study of ragtime, and naturally its central character is Joplin.

Informative and well-written, it Is In its third edition and can be purchased as a paperback (Oak Publications, New York). As for "Treemonisha," I studied it with mixed feelings. Could it be staged today? It is largely in ragtime, with some adulterations in the late romantic style. Some of the music is bcautfiul, and the slow drag that ends the opera is a knockout. But the libretto is pretty bad.

However, It should be taken as the period piece it is. And It is an opera composed by a black, with black characters only, expressed In music that reflects the black heritage. It will have to be orchestrated. September of this year and will be brought out by a major publisher. "You have no idea of the Interest in Joplin," Mrs.

Lawrence said. "Once word began getting around that I was perparing an edition, material started coming in. Peopl' even sent In first editions 1 got one from, will you believe it, Vienna. Did you know there wai a recording by Knocky Parker of all the piano rags? I'll let you borrow It; it's hard to locate. Have you seen a score of 'Treemonisha'?" I hadn't.

I'll lend it to you, and also the Blcsh book." Mrs, Lawrence was as good as her word. I spent the next two days listening to the records (Audiophile 71-72), reading "They All Played Ragtime" by Rudi Blesh and Har A few days later at the music library in Lincoln Center, I talked to Richard Jackson, head of the Americana collection. "Joplin Is In the air," Jack-son said. "Did you know that Mrs. Lawrence is working on a two-volume edition of all-Jo-plin music?" Vera Brodsky Lawrence, a former concert pianist, was largely responsible last year for the five-volume reprint of Gottschalk piano music, published by Arno Press.

"I have a folder on Joplin," Jackson continued. He brought it out. "And here's what we have of his printed music." There wasn't much. Little work has been done on Joplin, and that is surprising, considering that ragtime was the predecessor of jazz. Scholars are going to have to get busy on Joplin, and among the SIZE 15x30 25 By HAROLD C.

SOIONBERG (no relation, as far as I know), trying a series of rags on two guitars. 'By No Means Easy The music held up fine, and it was interesting to hear the same pieces "Maple Leaf Rag," say played by two different pianists. Paget was much faster than Rifkin in the "Maple Leaf." I can't say which interpretation was better (though the sheet music insists that the tempo in ragtime music should never be fast). Both had their points. The pianists also played rags by other comnosers.

incliirlinir ROW HOUSE those composers were in Joplin's class. During the concert, I had a few words with Rifkin. He Is a young man, Juilliard trained, who teaches at Brandcis and also is an avant-garde corn-poser. He said the music was by no means easy. "It's as exposed as Mozart, and you can't afford to make a technical or rhythmic mistake." He said nearly all ragtime music was out of print, including the once-famous 100 ragtime classics selected by Max Morath.

A volume named "34 Ragtime Jazz Classics," published by the Edwin H. Morris is, Ihlngllin Spouting Slat Roof Ginvu Porch Docks Repairs A Specialty Fret Eatimatea Tarnu CHESAPEAKE R00FINQ E42-SS79 Sine 1911 Joseph Lamb, Clarence Woods and James Scott. None of however, available. she thinks, will be ready by riet Janis, and going through Joplin's orchestral sketches Tlis is the story of Scott Joplla and me, and of a few weeks of adventure with his music." It started Just after the new year, when I played Joshua Itifkin's recording of eight of Joplin's piano rags (None-sut 7123BJ. 1 was enchanted.

Tne music had a lovely swing and as one rag succeeded another, it was clear that Joplin, had a style very much his own. Melody succeeded melody! and even though Joplin was working in a rather circumscribed form, every rag sounded different. the music not only bad an elegance of its own, in such a work as "Euphonic Sounds" it bad a good deal of delicate color and harmonic imagination. This was not just any man's music. The syncopationsand ragtime is based on syncopation Were as idiomatically applied as the'ruba-tos, in a Chopin mazurka.

Jo-plii) was a real composer. Rifkin, whose playing was relaxed and smooth, also wr6te the notes to his record. From them I learned that Joplin was a black composer (1868-1917), born in Texar-kana, active in the Midwest, who ended his career in New York. He was a pianist and cornetist, but primarily he wrote music, and his "Maple Leaf Rag" of 1899 made him famous. First Opera By Black He also composed two oper as, -one of which has disappeared.

The other, "Treemon-isha," is thus the first known opera ever composed by a black. Joplin himself published the piano score. There seems to have been one semi-private performance of the work. Nobody was interested in a ragtime opera about black people and their aspirations. i ThrJopliii tunes pn Rifkln's reeord refused to go out of my A few days after playing the record, I was telling some of the music staff of the Times about my "discovery." I was then -told about a scheduled concert of ragtime music at the Free Music Store.

On the night of the concert, In Martinson Hall (which has no seats), I listened to Bill Bbjcom, Rifkin and Dan Paget play -'rags. There also were twSTyoung guitarists, David Lgfbn-ian and Rick Schoenberg Wl BI5CBVI THI RIGHT TO LIMH-QUANTITIES A 1 71 i I I) I I'Sf- f'i Mfr'a List 2.95 -J 1 I Mfr'stist99 I 1 Reg. 10.97 W-J 4 1 rf COUPON GOODTHROUGH 1 COUPON GOODTHROUGH COUPON GOOD THROUGH COUPONGOODTHROUGH IS fYf-'VkL Jan. 27, 1971. 1 Jon.

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Jig "4' A tntRWHT IMF liiraKHTOOTHPASIinhr "It I It'Tm! I COUPON GOOD THROUGH lj COUPON GOOD THROUGH Jlfl COUPON GOOD THROUGH I COUPON GOODTHROUGH I 'Baroque Concert An all-Baroque program with, instrumental soloists will beJiresented bv the Goucher Hopkins Symphony Orchestra at, 8.3ft P.M. Wednesday in KraUsHaar Auditorium of the Goucher College Center. The concert will be directed by Daniel Abrams, pianist, cojiiposer and associate pro-fessor of music at, Goucher College and the Johns Hopkins University. Soloists will be Ann jJilezikian, oboist; David Maitsbn, cellist; Janet Shelk-roJSiolinist; Sharette Kern anjf'tjnn McLarin, flutists. The freeprogram will in-duclfi" Concerto Grosso, No.

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