Pianophilia

Hello friends,
Here are some great and famous Novelty Piano Solos for this weekend... Sure you'll like this pieces.
All the best,
Martin

P.S.
QUESTION : Does somebody have the Midi file from QRS Player Piano-Roll "Zip-A-Dee Doo Dah (Disney Song) arranged by J. Lawrence Cook" ?
Thanks !

Hi everyone!

I'm returning after a long absence (too long) to post some things for your viewing and listening pleasure. I've SO appreciated all the things you've shared with Pianophilia. My gratefulness knows no bounds! Thanks Toby JJ, especially for all the amazing (many quite rare) items you've posted over the life of this thread. And, Martin, (would that be Martin S. by chance?) thanks for all your very cool recent postings. Never thought I'd see Mayerl's "Studies in Syncopation" so it was thrill to see you post it so quickly! And, if I'm missed any other major posters, please forgive me--you, too are greatly appreciated!

I mentioned in my previous posting (on the Rags thread--just a few minutes ago) that I try to correct errors in scores on my midis and document them in the midi. Well, this beautiful "tropical dance" which was posted on Ben Intartaglia's site a few years ago (it was a scan of my copy--I assume it's still available there) is fraught with so many errors that at times it's difficult to read. So I made a corrected score. At the end of the score I documented every error I found so you can know what the original looks like even if you haven't downloaded a copy. Everyone I ever shared this piece with has loved it so if you've never heard or seen it you're in for a treat!

But wait, there's more (as they say in the infomercials) recently a Texan ragtime friend of mine found a different arrangement of "Lolita" published the same year by the same publisher. Though he scanned the cover in black and white he told me that not only is the cover illustration the same as the one on my copy, even the colors are exactly the same. The only difference is that my copy has "The Original" at the top. BTW, I only found 3 errors in the revised version, they're noted in my tagging. This version is very interesting a completely different intro., some different rhythms, but the basic melody survives.

I looked in the Catalog of Copyright entries and found that two copies of "Lolita" for solo piano (same composer, publisher, etc.) were copyrighted in 1903. The first, presumably the original, was © March 23, 1903. The second was © on June 5, 1903. The following month an arrangement for band was copyrighted (July 1, 1903). For those of you interested in such things I made a copy of those 3 entries and am also posting it here separately.

Best to all!!

Rob

Thank you Rob C. for this beautiful "Lolita," which I've never heard before. I certainly is a gorgeous rag tango, and this publisher imprint must be extremely obscure. The revised edition has a nice coda section which differs substantially from the original score. Thanks for all your great research into the copyright registrations. There are numerous pieces in this genre, but few I've heard have such a memorable melody line.

All Best,

Frank H.

So glad you enjoyed it, Frank! My wife and I agree about the beauty of the melody line. We absolutely love this piece, which makes it all the more surprising that it's so rare. I did find a reference online to it being issued as a piano roll (sometime before 1905) in the key of E flat, implying that perhaps the roll was of the revised version which begins and ends with three flats. I'm posting the reference here ("Lolita" is the last entry). I only included the cover of the catalog and the relevant page. I hope someday this roll turns up!!

Best,

Rob

Hi Everyone,

Today I'm posting a novelty piano solo by Bert Dixon called "Finger Wrecker." My favorite strain is the first--very cool. The midi was done by James Pitt-Payne who lives in London.

Enjoy!

Rob

Hello again!

Today's posting is a Jack Mills novelty piano solo by Frank Christian Westphal (1889-1948), who appeared a few times on stage with the Marx Brothers and was hired in 1913 as the accompanist for "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas" (Sophie Tucker). He married Sophie 4 years later, a few months after America entered WWI. It was her second of three marriages and they divorced after only 2-3 years.

I was intrigued to find that Jack Mills copyrighted the manuscript of "Pianola' a few months before copyrighting the published version. One wonders if Mills feared someone would steal the melody. This is a nice number. The first strain is a little reminiscent of Nacio Herb Brown's "Doll Dance" which was published 3 years later.

Enjoy!

Rob

Dear ragtime and novelty experts out there, I attach a file I scanned of American Cake-walks all copyrighted between 1896 and 1903, they are so light and jolly, I have used them at school, believe it or not and they went down well in the Dance/Yoga class. The favourites were Uncle Pliny and Aunt Caroline.
I don't think these have been posted here before and as I am no expert I have no idea of this albums rarity, no doubt one of you will enlighten me, all I can say is enjoy!
regards
Brian

HI Brian,

Some of the cakewalks in this book are quite common and others quite rare. "Uncle Pliny" is one of the rare ones so it's delightful to hear that it's popular with your audiences! So glad you posted this! Thanks for sharing!

Best,

Rob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI6fD6Pz164

I wonder if anyone might have the piano version of King Chanticleer so wonderfully played on banjos by Dave Marty and Dave Fry above.

Luv

Thal

I don't have a banjo arrangement of this but the piano version is a good start