![]() The initial melody in the A section is not at all complicated, and barely even syncopated. Grandpa's Spells is indicative of a musician's application of the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid). He was proud of its versatility, as it could be performed as a rambunctious piano solo in a brothel, yet turned into a smooth traditional band rag at a society ball. Reportedly composed as early as 1918, this is one of the best known Ragtime pieces by Morton, and certainly the most memorable. The Lomax book is in and out of print, but still recommended for perspective if you can locate a copy. The research there, some of which is incorporated into my own biography of Morton, provides a more complete and accurate picture of Morton's life and when and where he performed. One of the best sources for this currently is the website of the late Mike Meddings which is still kept active, and covers Morton and other artists involved with Hot Blues and Jazz. More recently, others have been doing more detailed analysis of Morton's doings, culled from contemporary accounts and advertisements in newspapers, along with long-forgotten interviews of his contemporaries. Lomax penned a biography with some added research, although much of it has since been questioned for accuracy. All of this material is still available on CDs and digital downloads with a little searching. Over a couple of sessions, Morton recalled much of his past, and punctuated the dialogue with musical interludes. However, as previously mentioned ragtime was also used by white individuals to perpetuate black stereotypes and racism with the infamous coon songs. The cakewalks and coon songs featured denigrating and typical lyrics sung in negro dialects by whites in black face.Much of what we knew about Morton until recently was from the biography penned by Alan Lomax based on interviews he had with Morton in 19 under the auspices of the Library of Congress. It gave positive energy to the plight of black people in the United States. Ragtime was an important genre for the inclusion of all African-Americans. Often times, the printed scores reduced the quality and flexibility of the otherwise improvisational rags. The music was not transcribed until white people heard the songs and placed the melodies on sheet music. The beats originate from those played on drums in Africa. The triplet time often heard in most rag instrumentation stemmed from a banjo imitation. A major instrument in ragtime music was the piano, played in an accentuated 2/4 beat. Ragtime could be described as having a particular “swing” vibe, which encouraged lively dance. The rags also incorporated AABBACCDD sections that were repeated throughout the melody. That is, accents were placed into the rhythmic flow in previously unusual locations. With syncopation, ragtime artists integrated poly rhythmic arrangements in a way that had been described as being an”off-beat” syncopated march. This rhythmic pattern is a staple of the genre. Despite the early negative connotations, ragtime’s most prominent element was the first use of syncopation. The genre encapsulates all musical styles from cakewalks and “coon songs” to traditional instrumental and vocal rags. Ragtime was a secular genre that contrasted with jubilee quartets in its primarily instrumental foundation.Īny song that was attributed to “ragging” the melody was denoted as encompassing the ragtime genre. Ragtime encapsulated many underlying styles, ranging from classic ragtime to the racism-influenced coon songs. ![]() ![]() Many of the first ragtime artists were illiterate, so the music was not first transcribed. The genre materialized from the folk blues and marches. It first emerged near the end of the 19th century and further gained popularity up until 1920. “Ragging” was first established with an adornment of rhythmic patterns, originating in cities of the midwest.
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