School of Syncopation - Jazz, Stride, Novelties & the Like

[struwwelpeter]

Hi Peter,

These five pieces should fill the gaps in your collection. Enjoy

Frank

Mayerl - The Jazz Mistress.pdf

Mayerl - Minuet By Candlelight.pdf

Mayerl - Musical Moments - Six Miniatures.pdf

Mayerl - Oriental.pdf

Mayerl - Pastorale Sketches.pdf

Thanks, Frank - very much appreciated! I'll print them off now...

Peter.

[gigiranalli]

Dear Frank,

You very kindly posted a host of Mayerl pieces which I have really enjoyed playing and have plugged several gaps in my collection. You have also been posting some that have not been seen here before, and I would love to know whether you have any more that have not been posted yet.

I (hopefully) attach a list of all the Mayerl that I've collected over the years - if there's anything you have that I don't I'd be very grateful to see it, and equally I'm happy to post anything that other people might not have.

Cheers,
Peter.

Dear Peter,
I checked your Mayerl list and found a piece that I'd been looking for, that is his arrangement of "If You Knew Susie".
When you have time, could you please post it on Pianophilia? I'm always looking for interesting arrangements of popular numbers.
Thanks and regards
Luigi

[gigiranalli]

"Graveyard Blues" is normally found on sheet music and piano rolls as composed by Clarence Woods. However, the first edition of the sheet music credits John S. Caldwell as composer and I don't think it mentions Woods at all. I think this was a collaboration, because Woods was obviously involved. The last strain of "Graveyard Blues" is very similar to the last strain of "Black Satin". And so the ragtime mysteries continue...
All best,
Frank[/i]

Dear Frank,
I didn't know about this issue about the acknowledgement for "Graveyard Blues". That's very interesting!
It makes me think to another piece with a similar story, the "Jinx Rag".
That was originally composed by Jesse Dukes and Lucian Porter Gibson and published by Gibson in 1911.
Than John Stark published a later version of the piece in 1915, arranged by Artie Matthews, and the name of Jesse Dukes simply disappeared....
While the Stark version, arranged by Matthews, is very common (it's also foundable on internet: http://digital.library.msstate.edu/cgi- ... =23933.pdf ), the original version from 1911 is quite rare. I have a deep, a very strong distaste for two particular musicians of the ragtime age, one is Scott Joplin and the other is Artie Matthews, so this may have to do with the fact that I definitely prefer the original version of Jinx Rag than the 1915 arrangement. I admit that the second strain in the Matthews version is better, but I think that he spoiled the first strain, whose original version sounds stronger, more idiosyncratic and less repetitive to me.
Also, I'm very jealous about this particular piece (the 1911 version, of course!), but I'm pleased to share it with Pianophilia!!
I hope you all enjoy this rare and eccentric rag
Best RAGards
Luigi

[liveforpiano]

Dear Peter,

Of Billy Mayerl.

I have a few pieces that I have not found on your list.

Mistletoe, Robots, Siberian Lament, 3 Syncopated Rambles, Weeping Willow,
3 Contrasts, 3 Dances in Syncopation, 3 Miniatures in Syncopation.

If the above are needed, please let me know and I will scan them for you, or anybody that needs these pieces.

Peter (liveforpiano).

[fhimpsl]

"Graveyard Blues" is normally found on sheet music and piano rolls as composed by Clarence Woods. However, the first edition of the sheet music credits John S. Caldwell as composer and I don't think it mentions Woods at all. I think this was a collaboration, because Woods was obviously involved. The last strain of "Graveyard Blues" is very similar to the last strain of "Black Satin". And so the ragtime mysteries continue...
All best,
Frank[/i]

Dear Frank,
I didn't know about this issue about the acknowledgement for "Graveyard Blues". That's very interesting!
It makes me think to another piece with a similar story, the "Jinx Rag".
That was originally composed by Jesse Dukes and Lucian Porter Gibson and published by Gibson in 1911.
Than John Stark published a later version of the piece in 1915, arranged by Artie Matthews, and the name of Jesse Dukes simply disappeared....
While the Stark version, arranged by Matthews, is very common (it's also foundable on internet: http://digital.library.msstate.edu/cgi- ... =23933.pdf ), the original version from 1911 is quite rare. I have a deep, a very strong distaste for two particular musicians of the ragtime age, one is Scott Joplin and the other is Artie Matthews, so this may have to do with the fact that I definitely prefer the original version of Jinx Rag than the 1915 arrangement. I admit that the second strain in the Matthews version is better, but I think that he spoiled the first strain, whose original version sounds stronger, more idiosyncratic and less repetitive to me.
Also, I'm very jealous about this particular piece (the 1911 version, of course!), but I'm pleased to share it with Pianophilia!!
I hope you all enjoy this rare and eccentric rag
Best RAGards
Luigi

Dear Luigi,
I had a copy of the "Jinx Rag" first edition also, and personally prefer it to the Artie Matthew's arrangement as well. I like to think of the original piece and Matthew's arrangement as separate entities because they are so different. That is one fascinating piece of ragtime history. There have been many instances where the true composer of a piece was not given credit on subsequent editions. Even worse, there were complete thefts of the material as well. One of the best known rags there is, "12th Street Rag", was lifted outright by Euday Bowman from a ca. 1912 rag published in St. Louis and entitled "The Candy Rag" by Robert Bircher. The comparison to 12th St. is not a remote one....it is doggone note-for-note the same piece. I could give even more examples, but they raise my blood pressure in discussing them!!
Anyhow, thanks for sharing with us all the rare original version of "Jinx Rag". What we need to find is a first edition of "Cactus Rag" by Gibson as well!
Very Best,
Frank

[liveforpiano]

Dear Frank,

Sorry, I forgot to mention you with regard to the Mayerl. Obviosly the message is directed at you as well. (I was haveing a "senior" moment.)

Please accept my apologies.

Peter (liveforpiano).

[fhimpsl]

Dear Peter,

No problem...I live from one senior moment to the next! Actually I have these Mayerls...and to make a long story short years ago I photocopied all the original sheets and bound them
with plastic comb type binders. When I went through Peter's listing, I skipped over one of the volumes by accident, hence I didnt' get them all posted. If you can help out that would
be great, or I can share the uploading no problem. The more Mayerl posted the better!

All best,
Frank

[struwwelpeter]

Dear Peter,
I checked your Mayerl list and found a piece that I'd been looking for, that is his arrangement of "If You Knew Susie".
When you have time, could you please post it on Pianophilia? I'm always looking for interesting arrangements of popular numbers.
Thanks and regards
Luigi

Here you go, Luigi! Not my scan...

Cheers,
Peter.

If you knew Susie.pdf

[gigiranalli]

Here you go, Luigi! Not my scan...

Cheers,
Peter.

Hi Peter,
thanks so much for this arrangement by Billy Mayerl. It was time I was trying to get a copy if it!
I will soon post an interesting folio entitled "Joe Davis' Piano Modes", featuring arrangements by well known pianists like Pauline Alpert, Ferde Grofe, Vee Lawnhust, Fats Waller, Roy Bargy, etc...
I will scan it on next weekend...I had already scanned it once, but made a mess with the data.
So for the moment I just post an arrangement taken from the folio, by Vee Lawnhurst (I'm sure you've already downloaded the wonderful transcription written by Frank Himpsl from of her piano roll of "Changes"!).
Enjoy
Thanks again!
Luigi

[gigiranalli]

Even worse, there were complete thefts of the material as well. One of the best known rags there is, "12th Street Rag", was lifted outright by Euday Bowman from a ca. 1912 rag published in St. Louis and entitled "The Candy Rag" by Robert Bircher. The comparison to 12th St. is not a remote one....it is doggone note-for-note the same piece. I could give even more examples, but they raise my blood pressure in discussing them!!

Dear Frank,
well, the second strain in "The Candy Rag" is just "12th Street Rag"! I have a recording of that piece (a folk ragtime masterpiece!!!) played by Trebor Tichenor, so I see how much the two pieces are similar....
And what do you think of Wilbur Sweatman's "Old Folks Rag" ?
By the way, I feel ashamed to ask about it, but when you have time, would you please post "The Candy Rag"? I was surprised when you mentioned it, because it's some years I'm looking for this particular piece and that's another I couldn't find anywhere, like "Hot Coffee". I'm sorry for all these requests
Speaking of the many floating strains recycled in different rags, here I post anothe rnice example.
I'm attaching the recording of a rag entitled "Piano Price Rag", a rare rag composed by an itinerant ragtime pianist of the early 1900s named "Piano" Price Davis.
This recording was played by another ragtime pioneer, Glover Compton, piano partner of the famous Tony Jackson in the old days. He remembered and recorded this "lost" rag in 1956 and I hope you'll like it!
I was almost forgetting...if you pay attention to the third strain in this piece, you'll notice it's just like the first strain in Fred Irvin's "Doctor Brown".
I had sent the recording to the late John Farrell and I commissioned and bought a transcription of this piece from him.
I post the transcription here for the Phianophiliac syncopators
Enjoy:)
Luigi
P.S.
Later I will write about the role of Glover Compton in the steal of a rag strain by Sid LeProtti perpetrated by the "composers" of "Canadian Capers"....