#1902 piano rag by scott joplin full

The trio is not unlike some trios that Joplin would later write during his first few years of rag composition, save for syncopation. The B strain is further emphasized through the effective use of highly contrasting dynamics. These include unusual unrepeated minor section between the A and B strains, which sounds somewhat like a trio interlude, followed by an interesting interplay between the treble and bass clefs. While standard piano fare for that time, there are some noteworthy attributes. The context of the title is unclear, whether Joplin is referring to a combination of styles or ideas, or the group with which he was playing. He had been traveling with his Texas Medley Quartette (actually double that since there were eight members) and secured publication in Temple, Texas during their tour. Joplin's second published march was nowhere near as ambitious as his first instrumental opus, The Great Crush Collision, but it demonstrated his ability to assemble well-structured themes and is not all that far off from the ragtime he would be writing in short order. When you finally hear the wreck coming on my rendition, back away from the speakers. In this performance, I simply insert a near miss in the first iteration of the interlude. However, the score suggests that the collision be performed again in a repeat of the interlude, something that diminishes the impact of the moment. Paull marches of the time, it includes descriptions of activity to explain what is happening in the music, including the spectacular collision. In any case, the march came out a couple of months later. It has been suggested by some that Joplin may have witnessed this event (unconfirmed). Crush was fired that evening as a result of the calamity, but quietly rehired the following day. The photographer, Joe Deane lost an eye from a flying bolt. In spite of precautions that were taken, including Crush interviewing many mechanics about possibility of boiler explosions, both boilers exploded and three spectators were killed while many more were injured from the debris. The 90 mph collision (each train was traveling at least 45 mph), of which the point of impact is shown in the accompanying photograph, was spectacular as promised.

#1902 piano rag by scott joplin full

Then each backed up a mile or so, and the crew jumped out after setting the trains at full throttle. The trains, painted red and green and towing cars filled with railroad ties, touched noses. It took hired law enforcement several hours to push the onlookers back far enough from the planned point of collision. There were about 40,000 spectators who came by Katy excursion trains for a nice picnic lunch.

After months of hype on posters spread throughout northern Texas, the event came to pass on September 15, 1896. He convinced the line to stage a collision with him as the promoter. In 1896, William George Crush, an agent of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas line (the Katy), noted how many spectators showed up at train wrecks.

Try that one on in this age of personal accountability! The lyrical content reflects male attitudes of the time, with a man begging his intended love to take him back because the tryst he engaged in was the other girl's fault. There is little extraordinary about the song, which reflects the current style of maudlin ballads that were a part of the 'gay nineties,' but it shows that Joplin was already an accomplished musical talent. Mantell, who purchased the song, was a jeweler by trade, but many different merchants dabbled in publishing in this time when vanity publications were becoming good business. At some point the group likely had an extended stay in Syracuse, New York, where this and one other Joplin piece were first published. Having been well represented by a credible booking agency, they traveled throughout the Midwest and Eastern United States. During this period Joplin had been traveling with his Texas Medley Quartette, actually an octet, in which Scott played piano, conducted and acted as a soloist, and his brothers Robert Joplin and Will Joplin sang baritone and tenor respectively. This song was a worthy first effort, and the first known Scott Joplin piece published.