List of compositions by Scott Joplin

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The following is a complete list of musical compositions by Scott Joplin (ca. 1867–April 1, 1917).

Scott Joplin in 1903
Sheet music cover page, 1901
Sheet music cover page, 1905
Sheet music cover page, 1909
Sheet music cover page, 1914

Scott Joplin was born in Northeast Texas in around 1867, just outside of Texarkana, and died April 1st 1917 in New York of dementia brought on by advanced syphilis. He was an American composer and pianist, who achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first pieces, the Maple Leaf Rag (1899) has been recognized as the archetypal rag and influenced subsequent rag composers for at least 12 years thanks to its rhythmic patterns, melody lines, and harmony.[1]

His finances were precarious throughout his career, despite a steady income from the Maple Leaf Rag.[2] Joplin had the majority of his works published by John Stark of Sedalia, Missouri although he did use other lesser-known companies including his own "Scott Joplin Music Publishing Company". His first opera A Guest of Honor was lost after an unsuccessful tour in 1903. After the death of his widow, Lottie, in 1953 a number of manuscripts of unpublished work were lost and no known copies of them exist.[3]

When Joplin was learning the piano, serious musical circles condemned ragtime because of its association with the vulgar and inane songs of Tin Pan Alley.[4] As a composer Joplin refined ragtime, developing it from the dance music played by pianists in brothels in cities like St. Louis.[5] This new art form, the classic rag, combined Afro-American folk music's syncopation and nineteenth-century European romanticism, with its harmonic schemes and its march-like tempos, in particular the works of John Philip Sousa.[6][7][8] With this as a foundation, Joplin intended his compositions to be played exactly as he wrote them – without improvisation.[9] Joplin wrote his rags as "classical" music to raise ragtime above its "cheap bordello" origins and produced work which opera historian Elise Kirk described as "...more tuneful, contrapuntal, infectious, and harmonically colorful than any others of his era."[10]

There are many inconsistencies between the titles of compositions, their subtitles and their respective cover titles, which was seen by the editor of the collected works as reflecting "an editorial casualness" on the part of the publishers, and indicating a genre in which many different dance-steps could be performed interchangeably.[11] Many of the works cannot be dated with certainty and the pieces were not always sent to the Copyright Office for copyright registration. In many cases the publication date is the first indicator when the piece was composed.[12]

Title Form Year Comments Notes
Please Say You Will Song 1895 Lyrics by Scott Joplin [13][14]
Picture Of Her Face, AA Picture Of Her Face Song 1895 Lyrics by Scott Joplin [13][14]
Great Crush Collision March March 1896 [15]
Combination March March 1896 [15]
Harmony Club Waltz Waltz 1896 [15]
Original Rags Rag 1899 Arranged by Charles N. Daniels, although this involvement is doubtful [16][15]
Maple Leaf Rag Rag 1899
Maple Leaf Rag played by a Wikipedian in 2008
[15]
Swipesy Cakewalk Cakewalk 1900 With Arthur Marshall [14][15]
Peacherine Rag Rag 1901 [15]
Sunflower Slow Drag Rag Time Two Step 1901 With Scott Hayden
Sunflower Slow Drag played by the US Marine Corps Band in 1994
[17][15]
Augustan Club Waltz Waltz 1901 [15]
I Am Thinking Of My Pickaninny Days Song 1901 Lyrics by Henry Jackson [18][15]
Easy Winners, TheThe Easy Winners Rag Time Two Step 1901 [15]
Blizzard, AA Blizzard Unknown 1901 Lost - unpublished. Mentioned in Indianapolis Freeman, November 16, 1901 [19][15]
Cleopha March and Two Step 1902 [15]
Breeze From Alabama, AA Breeze From Alabama March and Two Step 1902 [15]
Elite Syncopations Rag 1902 [15]
Entertainer, TheThe Entertainer Rag Time Two Step 1902
The Entertainer played by a Wikipedian
[15]
March Majestic March 1902 [15]
Strenuous Life, TheThe Strenuous Life Rag Time Two Step 1902 [15]
Ragtime Dance, TheThe Ragtime Dance Song 1902 Lyrics by Scott Joplin [13][15]
Something Doing Cakewalk March 1903 With Scott Hayden [17][15]
Weeping Willow Rag Time Two Step 1903 [15]
Little Black Baby Song 1903 Lyrics by Louise Armstrong Bristol [18][15]
Palm Leaf Rag Slow Drag 1903 [15]
Guest of Honor, AA Guest of Honor Rag Time Opera 1903 Lost [15]
Dude's Parade Excerpt from Opera 1903 Lost - unpublished. Excerpt from A Guest of Honor. Announced in the Indianapolis Freeman, September 12, 1903 [20][15]
Patriotic Patrol Excerpt from Opera 1903 Lost - unpublished. Excerpt from A Guest of Honor. Announced in the Indianapolis Freeman, September 12, 1903 [16][15]
Maple Leaf Rag Song 1904 Lyrics by Sydney Brown. A simplified arrangement not done by Joplin [21][16][15]
Sycamore, TheThe Sycamore Concert Rag 1904 [15]
Favorite, TheThe Favorite Rag Time Two Step 1904 [15]
Cascades, TheThe Cascades Rag 1904 [15]
Chrysanthemum, TheThe Chrysanthemum Afro-intermezzo 1904 [15]
Bethena Concert Waltz 1905 [15]
Binks' Waltz Waltz 1905 [15]
Sarah Dear Song 1905 Lyrics by Henry Jackson [22][15]
Rosebud March, TheThe Rosebud March Two Step 1905 [15]
Leola Two Step 1905 [15]
You Stand Good with Me, Babe Song 1905 Lost - unpublished. Announced in Indianapolis Freeman, July 22, 1905 [14][15]
Eugenia 1906 [15]
Ragtime Dance, TheThe Ragtime Dance Stop Time Two Step 1906 [15]
Antoinette March and Two Step 1906 [15]
Good-bye Old Gal Goodbye Song 1906 Music by H. Carroll Taylor, lyrics by Mac Darden, arranged by Joplin [23][15]
Snoring Sampson. A Quarrel in Ragtime Song 1907 Music & lyrics by Harry La Mertha, arranged by Joplin [17][15]
Nonpareil (None To Equal) 1907 [15]
When Your Hair Is Like The Snow Song 1907 Lyrics by Owen Spendthrift [14][15]
Gladiolus Rag Rag 1907 [15]
Searchlight Rag Syncopated March and Two Step 1907
Searchlight Rag
[15]
Lily Queen Rag Time Two Step 1907 By Arthur Marshall, edited by Joplin [24][18][15]
Rose Leaf Rag Rag Time Two Step 1907 [15]
Heliotrope Bouquet Slow Drag Two Step 1907 With Louis Chauvin [23][15]
Fig Leaf Rag Rag 1908 [25]
Wall Street Rag Rag 1908 [25]
Sugar Cane Rag Time Classic Two Step 1908 [25]
Sensation Rag 1908 By Joseph F. Lamb; arranged by Scott Joplin [22][25]
Pine Apple Rag Rag 1908 [25]
School Of Rag Time - 6 Exercises For Piano Exercises 1908 [25]
Pleasant Moments Rag Time Waltz 1909
Pleasant Moments performed by the composer on a Player Piano in 1916
[25]
Solace Mexican Serenade 1909 [25]
Country Club Rag Time Two Step 1909 [25]
Euphonic Sounds Syncopated Novelty 1909 [25]
Paragon Rag Syncopated Novelty 1909 [25]
Stoptime Rag Rag 1910 [25]
Pine Apple Rag Song 1910 Lyrics by Joe Snyder [13][25]
Treemonisha Opera 1911 [25]
Felicity Rag Rag 1911 With Scott Hayden. May have been composed before 1903 [23][25]
Lovin' Babe Song 1911 Lyrics by Al. R. Turner, arranged by Joplin [18][25]
Scott Joplin's New Rag Rag 1912 [25]
Kismet Rag Rag 1913 With Scott Hayden. May have been composed before 1903 [18][25]
Real Slow Drag, AA Real Slow Drag Slow Drag 1913 Revised excerpt from Treemonisha [25]
Prelude to Act 3 Opera Excerpt 1913 Revised excerpt from Treemonisha [25]
Silver Swan Rag Rag 1914 Originally published only on piano rollsheet music. Sheet music published in 1971 [25]
Magnetic Rag Rag 1914
Magnetic Rag
[25]
Frolic of the Bears Ballet 1915 Revised excerpt from Treemonisha [26][25]
Morning Glories Song 1915 Lost - incomplete, and unpublished Announced by the composer in the Indianapolis Freeman newspaper, September 4, 1915. Seen by biographer Rudi Blesh in 1950 [27][25]
Syncopated Jamboree Vaudeville Act 1915 Lost - unpublished. Announced in the Indianapolis Freeman newspaper, September 18, 1915 [28][25]
Pretty Pansy Rag Rag 1915? Lost - incomplete, and unpublished [25]
Recitative Rag Rag 1915? Lost - incomplete, and unpublished [25]
For The Sake Of All Song 1915? Lost - incomplete, and unpublished. [25]
If Musical Comedy 1915 Lost - announced in the New York Age September 7, 1916 [18][25]
Symphony No. 1 Symphony 1916? Lost - announced in the New York Age September 7, 1916 [14][25]
Piano Concerto Piano Concerto 1916? Lost - unpublished [13][25]
Reflection Rag (Syncopated Musings) Rag 1917 Published posthumously by Stark, likely from much older unpublished manuscripts [25]


[edit] References

  1. ^ Blesh 1981, p. xxiii.
  2. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 52, 56 & 58.
  3. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 246-248.
  4. ^ Curtis 2004, pp. 37-8.
  5. ^ Whitcombe 1986, p. 24.
  6. ^ Jasen 1978, p. 88.
  7. ^ Davis 1995, pp. 67-68.
  8. ^ Williams 1987.
  9. ^ Scott & Rutkoff 2001, p. 37.
  10. ^ Kirk 2001, p. 190.
  11. ^ Vera Brodsky Lawrence, Editor's Note pix, Scott Joplin Complete Piano Works, New York Public Library, 1981.
  12. ^ Index p. 325, Scott Joplin Complete Piano Works, New York Public Library, 1981.
  13. ^ a b c d e Berlin 1994, p. 265.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Berlin 1994, p. 268.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw Berlin 1994, p. 269.
  16. ^ a b c Berlin 1994, p. 264.
  17. ^ a b c Berlin 1994, p. 267.
  18. ^ a b c d e f Berlin 1994, p. 263.
  19. ^ Berlin 1994, p. 260.
  20. ^ Berlin 1994, p. 261.
  21. ^ Berlin 1994, p. 131.
  22. ^ a b Berlin 1994, p. 266.
  23. ^ a b c Berlin 1994, p. 262.
  24. ^ Berlin 1994, p. 169.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Berlin 1994, p. 270.
  26. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 235, 262.
  27. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 235, 264.
  28. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 235, 268.

[edit] Bibliography


Scott Joplin
Compositions
Piano rags
Original Rags (1899)  · Maple Leaf Rag (1899)  · The Easy Winners (1901) · The Entertainer (1902)  · The Ragtime Dance (1902/1906)  · Weeping Willow (1903)  · Searchlight Rag (1907)  · Silver Swan Rag (1914/1971)  · Magnetic Rag (1914)
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A Guest of Honor (1903)  · Bethena (1905)  · Treemonisha (1911)
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