Wikipedia:Featured sound candidates/Sunflower Slow Drag

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Sunflower Slow Drag[edit]

1901 - Sunflower Slow Drag
"Sunflower Slow Drag", which was co-written by Scott Joplin and Scott Hayden. It was Hayden's most important work. This version performed by the United States Marine Corps Band is a brass band arrangement of a piano original score.

I am nominating this because it adds significantly to several articles that were devoid of musical samples. I am aware that ragtime is not orchestral, but this nom may be a quickfail anyways since the band has no piano, which may be essential to ragtime. Let me know and I will withdraw this nomination if it is problematic in that regard. This file adds significantly to the following articles:

  • Nominate and support. TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 17:28, 17 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Wary. Pluses are (1) very nice arrangement for its genre (although, ahem, does it say here that it's an arrangement?). (2) Lovely performance. (3) The acoustics work very well and the audio-engineering is professionally done. Minuses are (1) that it is an arrangement, so I wonder about the encyclopedic value to an article on Scott Joplin; in my view, it should not be used in that article—Joplin(/Haydn) was a piano composer. (4) It loses a lot by being taken out of the piano genre in which it was conceived; specifically, Joplin's textures are quintessentially percussive, punchy, pianistic; they have a unique left-hand pattern that is sort of translatable to an orchestra, but it's a shadow of its real self. Some would say a falsehood. It's not to say I wouldn't have arranged it for the band if I'd worked for them—it's a socially/professionally constructed issue. But should WP be marking it as among our best and using it to exemplify Joplin? Tony (talk) 15:49, 19 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
As I was going to say, before it got withdrawn, ragtime was indisputably played by bands at the time, often in arrangements such as this. I don't think that fact is controversial. Hence, while we don't want a lot of such arrangements, I do think it's worth having at least one, to recognise the ways the performances were used. Obviously, with careful notes about it being an arrangement, and contextualising.
It's very easy to forget that the popular genres of the early 20th century were generally performed in various arrangements; and the best performers often took liberties far beyond the exact published score, because the scores are written for someone of average talent, and they were better than that and could add all the tricks back in. As I understand it, the original published score to Tiger Rag was nothing like what it was when Louis Armstrong was done with it. But (were he out of copyright) Armstrong's performance would be far preferred. Adam Cuerden (talk) 20:21, 19 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • On account of this being unwithdrawn, I've unarchived it. If we do promote it, it really must be supported by text per the irregularity of it, even if it's only two sentences saying that sometimes ragtime pieces were later adapted to band setups. Sven Manguard Wha? 20:35, 19 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Conditional Support Sounds great - as long as it is made clear that this is an arrangement of a piano original. BTW, Ragtime originated in Sousa-style marches, so I don't think it's a problem that this Rag has been played by a band. Major Bloodnok (talk) 11:15, 26 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Conditional Support Needle Nardle Noo - I mean, per Bloodnok. Adam Cuerden (talk) 14:49, 29 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Ying tong iddle I po Major Bloodnok (talk) 17:54, 2 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]


If the condition for Bloodnok's and Adam's supports are not fulfilled by the 9th I will close this as not promoted --Guerillero | My Talk 22:22, 6 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

  • It already says "performed as a brass band arrangement of a piano original" on the description page. I will rearrange it and make it look more clear, but I am not sure what else you want me to do.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:36, 6 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  • Also both articles say "This is a brass band arrangement of a piano original ". What am I missing?--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:38, 6 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Promoted Scott Joplin's "Sunflower Slow Drag" performed by the United States Marine Band.oga --Guerillero | My Talk 00:53, 8 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

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