Scott Joplin, King of Ragtime

Classical Composer Datebook: November 24

 

 

Joplin paved the way for early jazz using syncopated, off-beat rhythm

Brief biography of Scott Joplin, known as 'King of Ragtime' in the later 19th-Century. Famous for 'The Entertainer' piano music - used in the blockbuster movie 'The Sting.'      


Scott Joplin, American black composer and pianist, nicknamed 'King of Ragtime,' made his name after the publication of his "Maple Leaf Rag, for piano", which sold over a million copies. He was among the first black composers to have his works published. His music “Piano Rags” particularly The Entertainer, with film arrangement of Marvin Hamlisch, has been made popular as the main theme to the 1973 blockbuster film “Sting” starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. 

 Joplin's Early Life

Joplin, was born in Texas on November 24, 1868. He was the son of a former slave, however, both parents were musically talented, and from them he got his first piano lessons. At 15, he left home to pay his way playing in bars and brothels.  In 1893, he was becoming known, enough to play at the Chicago World’s Fair. He set up his first band. Two years later, he studied music at George Smith College for Negroes in Missouri. 

Listening Pleasure

Scott Joplin: Complete Works (Rags, Marches, Waltzes& Songs). YouTube, uploaded by Majestic George. Accessed January 16, 2024.

Dario Ronchi plays the Maple Leaf Rag to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Scott Joplin's death. YouTube, accessed January 16, 2024.

Joplin's Career

In 1899, Scott Joplin's bestseller "Maple Leaf Rag" was published. He published many rags, including the acclaimed The Entertainer and the The Ragtime Dance and later produced more extended compositions. Some of those he published were collaborative.  "The Entertainer" ragtime piece became extremely famous in 1973, for its arrangement by composer Marvin Hamlisch in the blockbuster film "The Sting" starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The story is about two con men who avenge the death of their friend on a gangster.  The film won an Academy award-winning score in music.  

In 1903 he formed the Scott Joplin Ragtime Opera company, initially to stage his opera A Guest of Honor. He settled in New York City in 1907, where he also started work on his opera Treemonisha. This was not successful in his lifetime. 

Joplin's Death and Revival of Treemonisha

Joplin died severely depressed in 1972, aged 50, when another jazz great Duke Ellington was 18 years old. The same year after Joplin's death, Treemonisha was revived.
 

Joplin's Awards 

• Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970

• Pulitzer Prize award for music in 1976, Posthumous.

Joplin's Legacy

Scott Joplin goes down in musical history as a jazz composer with his reputation resting on classic rags, paving the way for early jazz.

List of Scott Joplin's Major Work
 

• Maple Leaf Rag, for piano  1899

• The Entertainer and Elite Syncopations, for piano  1902

• A guest of Honor, opera  1903

• The Ragtime Dance, for piano  1906

• Pine Apple Rag, for piano  1908

• Wall Street Rag, for piano 1909

• Treemonisha, opera  1916

 

Photo Credit:

Scott Joplin. Public Domain

Resources:  

• IMP BV (1996)

• The Grove Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie, London: Macmillan Publishers (1994)

 

(Note: This piece was originally written and published for Suite101.com, 19 October 2007. I've amended it for Inspired Pen Web. / Tel.  24 November 2021.)  

 

(c) October 2010. Updated January 16, 2024. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved

George Gershwin

Classical Music / Great Composers

American composer and songwriter. Gershwin's works include theatre musicals and jazz classical music. He is famous for Rhapsody in Blue and Porgy & Bess.

American composer and songwriter, as well as pianist and conductor, George Gershwin was a sensitive and passionate musician, who synthesized his musical creations between jazz and classical traditions. He is famous for the sophistication, swing and rhythm in his music.

George Gershwin in a Nutshell

George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 26, 1898. As one of America’s greatest composers/songwriters, George Gershwin was part of the golden age of the New York musical theatre in the 1920s and 30s. Essentially self-taught, he started as a song plugger in Tin Pan Alley and an accompanist. Perhaps not known to many, Gershwin also painted as a hobby. Gershwin was among Broadway's most successful composers, including Strike up the Band, Funny Face, and Girl Crazy. His opera Porgy and Bess uniquely incorporated jazz rhythms and popular song styles in an operatic format. Although his musicals scores were famous, his concert works also, particularly Rhapsody in Blue and Piano Concerto in F earned him critical acclaim. George Gershwin was mostly in partnership with his lyricist brother, Ira Gershwin.

 
Jazz as a Springboard 
 

With his love for jazz, his songwriting talent, and knowledge of established forms in concerto and opera, he began to compose songs and produced succession of musicals from 1919 to 1933, with his first show La Lucille, the song “Swanee” was made a hit by Al Jolson, on of the top singer during that time. 

 

 George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue - Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic (1976). YouTube, uploaded by Qiyu Liu, accessed February 12, 2024.

Stravinsky and Gounod

Classical Music Composers Datebook: June 17

Charles Gounod and Igor Stravinsky were both born same day.

Charles Gounod (17 June 1818 - 18 October 1893), born in Paris, was a French composer, organist and conductor.  His operas - best known is Faust -  combine graceful melody and elegant harmonization.  Gounod's Meditation on Bach's Prelude became successful and most popular with his "Gounod's Ave Maria" we often refer to as "Bach/Gounod Ave Maria."  The piece was published 1853 under the name "Méditation sur le Premier Prélude de Piano de S. Bach". The original composition by Bach dates 1722. French romantic composer Charles Gounod layered his melody on a slightly changed version of the Prelude No.1 in C Major, from Bach's 'Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846', Book I of The Well-Tempered Clavier. P

I'm familiar with few other "Ave Maria" creations and I have to admit that my two all-time favourites are "Ave Maria" by Franz Schubert and the one below by Bach/Gounod. Below, a then 14 year-old girl Elena sang Gounod/Bach's "Ave Maria."  Elena sang 

Irving Berlin

Composer/Songwriter Datebook: May 11

Composer Famous for "White Christmas"

Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989), was born on Tyumen Russian Empire and migrated to the United States. He was a composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage. Along with Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers, he is widely considered one of the greatest American songwriters.

His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became famous worldwide.  Over the years he was known for writing music and lyrics in the American vernacular which was simple and direct that reached the hearts not only of ordinary Americans but simple people all over the world.

Stephen Sondheim

Musicals / Classical Music Datebook:  March 22 

Happy Birthday Stephen Sondheim! Thank you for the lovely music!

Stephen Sondheim:  American Composer and Lyricist

Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, born March 22, 1930, is an American composer and lyricist known for his contributions to musical theatre. He has received numerous awards including an Academy Award, Tony Awards (plus a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, the Laurence Olivier Award, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015).

His best-known works include: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies, A Little Night Music (with the famous "Send in the Clowns"), Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods. The list goes on... Sondheim also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy, and some songs for 1990's Dick Tracy, including "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" by Madonna, which won the Academy Award for Best Song.

Fritz Kreisler

Classical Music / Composers Datebook:  February 2  

 

Fritz Kreisler was an Austrian and later American composer and violinist. At the age of 13, he made his American debut in Steinway Hall, New York City.

Friedrich "Fritz" Kreisler (February 2, 1875 – January 29, 1962), Austrian-born American violinist and composer. He was one of the most noted violin masters of his day, and regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time. Kreisler was known for his sweet tone and expressive phrasing. Like many great violinists of his generation, he produced a characteristic sound which was immediately recognizable as his own. Although it derived in many respects from the Franco-Belgian school, his style is nonetheless reminiscent of the gemütlich (cozy) lifestyle of pre-war Vienna. 

Kreisler wrote a number of pieces for the violin, some of them in the style of other composers, in particular, emotionally committed performances of the Beethoven and Brahms violin concerti. Many of these works were originally ascribed to earlier composers such as Giuseppe Tartini and Antonio Vivaldi until Kreisler revealed in 1935 that they were actually by him.

He is famous for romantic short pieces, for example:  "Liebesfreud" (Love's joy), "Liebesleid" (Love's sorrow) and "Schön Rosmarin", among others.  

Sigmund Romberg

Classical Music Dateline: July 29

Musicals & Operetta Composer

Sigmund Romberg, Hungarian-born American composer, was born July 29, 1887, in Nagy-Kaniza. Romberg wrote film scores and adapted his own work for film.

He became famous by adapting some endearing music of the greatest melodist of all time, Franz Schubert.  Blossom Time, which was produced in the UK as Lilac Time was popular.  His most successful and best known operettas include The Student Prince, The Desert Song and The New Moon. He also styled some of his music to that of Franz Lehar.  He was a contemporary of George Gershwin, with whom he co-write Rosalie.

Early in his career, Romberg was employed by the Shubert brothers  to write music for their musicals and revues. Still for the Shuberts, he also adapted several European operettas for American audiences, including the successful Maytime (1917) and Blossom Time (1921). His three hit operettas of the mid-1920s, named above, are in the style of Viennese operetta, but his other works mostly employ the style of American musicals of their eras. He also composed film scores including "Student Prince" and "The Desert Song." 



Resources:

Sigmund Romberg. en.wikipedia.org.
The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, Edited by Stanley Sadie. New Update Edition. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1994.

Video Credit:

Sigmund Romberg. en.wikipedia.org / Public Domain.  

Stephen Foster

American Songwriters / Composers Datebook: July 4

Although Foster’s melodies are very familiar, it is amazing that little is known about the composer.

Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826 – January 13, 1864), known as "the father of American music", was born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. He was an American songwriter known mainly for his minstrel and parlor music. He wrote most of his well known songs between 1850 and 1860. Despite the popularity of his music, Foster lived in poverty. Since his songs were not protected by copyright, Foster realized only scanty income from them. He died in New York City in 1864.

Foster’s songs are characterized by moving melodies and simple harmonies. He composed more than 200 songs, hymns, arrangements and instrumental works and wrote the lyrics for most of them as well. Among his best-known are "Beautiful Dreamer", "Oh! Susanna", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", "Hard Times Come Again No More", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home" ("Swanee River"), "My Old Kentucky Home", and "Old Black Joe".




His compositions are thought to be autobiographical, and many of them have remained popular through time.  He has been identified as "the most famous songwriter of the nineteenth century" and may be the most recognizable American composer in other countries. His compositions are sometimes referred to as "childhood songs" because they have been included in the music curriculum of early education. Most of his handwritten music manuscripts are lost, but copies printed by publishers of his day can be found in various collections.
 

Mezzo-soprano, Mary Beth Nelson, exquisitely sings Foster's Beautiful Dreamer, accompanied by Lachlan Glen.  Youtube, accessed February 14, 2023.   

Leonard Bernstein

Classical Music / Composer's Datebook: August 25

 

 

 

Brief biography of Leonard Bernstein, American conductor, composer, pianist, teacher and author; a consummate musician, one of 20^th century's most celebrated conductors.  Famous for West Side Story, Candide, and Wonderful Town.

 

 

Leonard Bernstein was a renowned conductor, composer and pianist, famous for musical West Side Story, Wonderful Town, and Candide. His most popular stage works are ballets and musicals.

Energetic and versatile, Bernstein was more influential as a conductor than as a composer, as he drew tremendous audiences around the world. He was considered an eclectic composer with his inspired influences coming from many different sources - from his fellow American composers Gershwin and Copland, from Mahler and Stravinsky, exciting idea of concert jazz, and just about anything.  

 

Early Life: Musical Training

Leonard Bernstein was born on 25 August 1918, in Lawrence Massachusetts, USA. He studied at Harvard University with Walter Piston and at Curtis Institute.   

 

The Conductor

In 1944, aged 26, he made his reputation as a conductor as a replacement when Bruno Walter became ill, after which he was associated with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra from 194, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra as musical director from 1958-69, soon achieving an international reputation. He conducted in Vienna and La Scala, Milan, the first American to conduct there.

 

The Composer

Bernstein wrote two of the greatest of all American stage and screen musicals, On the Town, Candide, and West Side Story, which is Shakespeare's classic story Romeo and Juliet transferred to the contemporary New York life.  

 

The Author

In more personal level, Bernstein was also an author (e.g., The Joy of Music), teacher, spellbinding broadcaster on radio and television, simply, a talented communicator. 

 

The Musical Director

From 1958 to 1970, he was musical director of the New York Philharmonic.

 

Maestro Leonard Bernstein was one of the most attractive, entertaining, and creative minds of the 20^th century. He died in New York, 14 October 1990.

 

Bernstein's Works

His works established a more realistic, contemporary themes. His works, which established a more realistic, contemporary themes, include symphonies such as The Age of Anxiety, ballets such as Fancy Free, and scores for musicals, including  Wonderful Town, West Side Story, and Mass in memory of President John F Kennedy. Other works are symphony Jeremiah, the ballet Facsimile, and the musicals Candide and the Chichester Psalms.

 

Symphonies:

Jeremiah (1944)

Symphony No.2, 'The Age of Anxiety' (1949)

Symphony No.3, 'Kaddish'

 

Opera:

Trouble in Tahiti (1951)

 

Ballets:

Fancy Free (1944)

Facsimile (1946)

 

Scores for Musicals:

Wonderful Town (1953)

Candide (1956)

West Side Story (1957, in which he arranged an exciting set of “symphonic dances” from the score, also includes the song 'America')

Chichester Psalms (1965)

Mass (1971) in memory of President John F Kennedy

 

Film Music:

On the Waterfront (1954)

 

 

Image Credit:

Leonard Bernstein. en.Wikipedia.org / By Jack Mitchell, created 1 Dec 1977.  

 

Resources:  

Leonard Bernstein.  Leonard Bernstein Official Website

Leonard Bernstein The Gift of Music 1993 French subtitles. Youtube, uploaded by Hans Hesseling. Accessed January 4, 2024.

The Encyclopedia of Music by Max Wade-Matthews & Wendy Thompson, Hermes House (2002)

The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, Edited by Stanley Sadie, Macmillan (1994)

The Oxford Companion to Music, Edited by Alison Latham, OUP (2002)

The Oxford Dictionary of Music, Edited by Michael Kennedy, OUP (1994)

  

(c) August 2009. Updated August 25, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Samuel Barber

Classical Music / Composers Datebook: March 9

 

Brief biography of American composer Samuel Barber, musician of the neo-Classical style, with a passion for poetry and drama, famous for 'Adagio for Strings' and 'Dover Beach'. He created a "modern" grand opera Antony and Cleopatra, the first to be performed at the new Metropolitan Opera House (Met) in New York City, Sept 16, 1966.      

   

  

Early Life, Influence and Success  

Born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, on March 9, 1910, he was bred into a cultured musical family. At the age of seven, Samuel displayed a prodigious talent for composing both in vocal and instrumental music. Aged 18, he formed a lasting friendship with Gian Carlo Menotti.

He studied as a baritone, pianist and composer at the Curtis Institute and while there, he won acclaim with such work as Dover Beach. He also wrote his famous Adagio for strings at the age of 25. His opulent yet unforced romanticism struck a chord and he was much in demand during the 1930s.

He rarely incorporated popular jazz and folk idioms into his music.  Samuel won a Pulitzer scholarship in 1935, and the following year, the American Academy’s Prix de Rome. In the 1940s he began to include more ‘modern’ features of harmony and scoring. 

 

More Work and Awards

His works include Adagio for Strings (used in the films The Elephant Man and Platoon in the 1980s), ballets (Medea, Op.23, 1946, reviewed as Cave of the Heart, 1947, and Souvenirs, Op.28, 1952), some chamber music and the opera Vanessa which won him one of his two Pulitzer prizes.

Notably, the opera Antony and Cleopatra, which was commissioned for the opening of the Metropolitan Opera House at the Lincoln Center, New York City, was considered a failure at its premiere primarily due to an over-elaborate staging, but had some success during the later version in 1974. 

 

Later Works

Barber’s music is lyrical and fastidiously worked. His later compositions include The Lovers in 1971. The tuneful style of his composition has been considered conservative by some contemporary critics, understandably, perhaps due to influence from European Romantic tradition, but he is held in highest esteem with the depth of emotion expressed in his music.

 

He died in New York, January 23, 1981.

 

Barber's Major Works:

Dover Beach, for solo baritone and string quarter, 1931

Overture, The School for Scandal, 1931

String Quarter, 1936

Symphony No.1, 1936

Adagio for Strings, 1938

Violin Concerto, 1941

Cello Concerto, 1945

Medea, Op.23, 1946, reviewed as Cave of the Heart, 1947,

Knoxville: Summer of 1915, for soprano and orchestra, 1947

Piano sonata, 1949

Souvenirs, Op.28, 1952

Opera, Vanessa, 1957-1958

Piano Concerto, 1962

Opera, Antony and Cleopatra, 1966

Agnus Dei, for choir, 1967

 

Photo Credit:

Samuel Barber.  Wikipedia Commons / Public Domain

 

Resources:

The Encyclopedia of Music, by Max Wade-Matthews & Wendy Thompson, Hermes House (2002)

The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie, Macmillan (1994)

The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham, OUP (2002)

 

 

(c) March 2009. Updated March 9, 2024. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.   

Richard Rodgers

Musicals / Composers


Richard Rodgers was born on June 28, 1902, in Hammels Station, Long Island, borough of Queens, New York City. He is one of the most renowned Broadway composers with string of successes on stage and screen first with librettist Lorenz Hart, and hitting the box office when he teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II.

Rodgers studied at Columbia University (1919-21) and the Institute of Musical Art (1921-23), later at Juilliard School, New York.

His first smash at the Broadway musical with Oscar Hammerstein II was Oklahoma (1943, NY), followed by Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951) and The Sound of Music (1959).

With Lorenz Hart, his earlier collaboration before Hammerstein II, Rodgers aimed to use good poetry in place of the banal lyrics of current popular songs. Their association produced 30 stage musicals as well as films.

A Tribute to Richard Rodgers