Joshua Rifkin – Piano Rags by Scott Joplin – Volume III

★★★✰

   One of most interesting questions linked to the history of jazz and popular music of turn of 19th and 20th centuries is how much ragtime influenced the rise of jazz and some kinds of popular music. Was it just one of many trends which passed away, or powerful idea of connecting European artistic tradition with folk music of Afro-Americans. To the 1970’s such a question was easy to answer. Ragtime was just a historic fact without clear potential for taking place in living culture. But after Joshua Rifkin started the revival of Scott Joplin’s ragtime, these attributes had rapidly changed. Ragtime became trendy musical miniature evoking old days of America intact by crisis, prohibition and social change, almost a symbol of American musical heritage.
   After great albums of ragtimes by Scott Joplin in 1970 and 1972, in 1974 Joshua Rifkin recorded Volume III of this cycle. Three days of recording session, September 9 to 11, 1974, took place in Rutgers Presbyterian Church in New York. As it was on previous two volumes, album included eight pieces, four compositions on every side. In effect 24 Scott Joplin’s ragtimes in three collections cover 60 % of complete Joplin ragtime works. Meanwhile, in between Nonesuch records in 1973, Joshua Rifkin took part in work on Marvin Hamlish’s adaptation of Joplin’s music as the movie soundtrack The Sting. This was highest point of Joplin’s revival. He was played almost everywhere and thousands of pianists all over the world have taken The Entertainer as an encore and a half serious position in jazz or the partly popular position in classical repertoire.

Joshua Rifkin - Piano Rags by Scott Joplin - Volume III (1974)

   The program of third collection of Piano Rags by Scott Joplin consists of eight pieces covering 11 years of composer's activity. It starts with Original Rags, the first printed rag composition by Scott Joplin which was credited also for Chas. N. Daniels, although his involvement is doubtful. As Joshua Rifkin had stated, Daniels “acted as a sort of copy editor, modifying some details of Joplin’s notation and keyboard writing”. Daniels later became composer himself, selling his works under the name Neil Moret. The first ragtime by Scott Joplin can be seen as a moment of establishing the formal idea being later the base for constant changes. Four sections with repetitions with first section repeated between sections B and C show strong relations between Joplin’s ragtime form and various forms of 19th century march music, especially John Philip Sousa military and patriotic marches.
   Scott Joplin was not alone, there were more ragtime composers. In his elegant, perfectly constructed phrases artistic ambitions are visible. As a piano composer he was much more gifted in melodic and emotional possibilities than ragtime composers like his contemporary Joseph Lamb and later Artie Matthews. The closest one to specific Joplin’s style was James Scott, pianist of next generation who was intentionally imitating some of Joplin’s features. There are also various links with dance and popular music, later works show higher ambitions and progress of composer’s possibilities. By criteria of artistic means difference between first Joplin’s Original Rags (1899) and four years later Weeping Willow or next year The Cascades (1904) and The Chrysanthemum (An Afro-American Intermezzo) show how strong was impact of salon music of the era. Second side shows four ragtimes from Joplin’s best period, Sugar Cane (1908), The Nonpareil (1907), Country Club (1909) and Stoptime Rag (1910). Even if later there were published Complete Works of Scott Joplin recorded by Richard Zimmerman or Scott Joplin pieces pour clavecin performed by Elisabeth Chojnacka, these three Nonesuch albums remain model performance and repertoire choice.
   Joshua Rifkin is famous not only for his congenial interpretations of Scott Joplin’s music. He is one of most significant musicologists conducting research on music of Johann Sebastian Bach and interpreters of great cantor’s music. It’s hard to believe these are recordings of the same artist. First I’ve heard Rifkin’s Bach; I was convinced it’s just similarity of names. But there can be no mistake. Joshua Rifkin is a great example of scholarly supported artist. When he interprets Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen” BWV 12 he uses his knowledge as foundation to his artistic expression. The same with Scott Joplin. We can admire the elegance of Rifkin’s interpretations but in this case we must admit he is just translating artistic means of Joplin’s time into our receptivity. This third album of Rifkin interpretations was perfect closing of three volume series. For its position in history and artistic excellence this album as well as two previous volumes deserve three stars and a half.

Joshua Rifkin – Piano Rags by Scott Joplin – Volume II

   Ragtime was one of styles of the late nineteenth century popular music. It had flourished from dance forms and romantic miniatures and combined a clear construction with lots of attractive features. The main characteristic was syncopated, dance, ragged rhythm, which was the source for the name of the whole style in popular piano music. It has some formal similarities with marches by John Philip Sousa and with European folk dances. Between different the most popular was “classic style ragtime” presented by Scott Joplin and Missouri school. The term was created by John Stillwell Stark, publisher and promoter of ragtime music who considered these compositions as classical music pieces. In Stark’s sheet editions Scott Joplin was presented along with Joseph Francis Lamb, James Scott and many others, including editor’s eldest son Etilmon J. Stark. In twentieth after the Great War, ragtime has declined as the new trends in popular music were growing up.

   Scott Joplin was composer of melodic, syncopated pieces of classic ragtime. He was the one of first professional Afro-American composers in United States and leading composer of piano music in ragtime era. He wrote 44 ragtime pieces shortly called “rags”, a ragtime ballet and first Afro-American opera Tremonisha. His early years were a moderate success, but after great success of Maple Leaf Rag in 1899, he became appreciated and praised composer. He settled in St. Louis and was trying to develop his style. Ragtime in this period is in most cases based on the matrix of Maple Leaf Rag. But Joplin was creative and searching pianist so he was breaking sometimes these schemes and building more complex forms. Good example is Solace titled as A Mexican Serenade. 

Joshua Rifkin - Piano Rags by Scott Joplin - Volume II (1972)

   Two years after comeback of Joplin’s music, in 1972 Joshua Rifkin recorded next Joplin Piano Rag album. Under the title Piano Rags by Scott Joplin – Volume II it features eight compositions from most successful period in composer’s life, between 1902 and 1909. Starting with Elite Syncopations from 1902 and concluded with Pine Apple Rag from 1908, album shows most subtle and classical side of Joplin’s work. Firmly establish rhythms of steady left hand, syncopated melodies of right hand and brave harmonics were clear instruction for next generation of composers of popular music and jazz. Opening the second side Bethana is a concert waltz and one of his most romantic compositions. And again Solace – A Mexican Serenade shows how clear Joplin’s musical narration can be. This recording became standard of interpreting Joplin’s music. It is supported by academic authority of the performer and critical acclaim. In 1976 Scott Joplin was awarded posthumously with a Pulitzer Prize.

Joshua Rifkin – Piano Rags by Scott Joplin

   Amidst different elements building many currents of popular music in the last decades of the nineteenth century, piano music was particularly notable trend. It was present in many public places, mainly for wide range of sound possibilities, by also for economic reasons, since there was cheaper to pay for one musician than four or more. So in 19th century's public places piano music had started replacing various ensembles. Repertoire for such performances was taken mainly from popular songs, opera and even symphonic melodies, but a noticeable part was composed by pianists themselves. Some compositions of such kind were published for sale. Artistic level of this production was varied, wages were just discreditable but it was always a chance to earn a little bit more than just by live performances.
   Scott Joplin (1868-1917) was one of the greatest ragtime players and composer of most famous rags. He was playing ragtime in honky tonk bars in St. Louis and its outskirts. In 1899 this 31 year old pianist achieved great success composing Maple Leaf Rag, and this single composition gave him place in history. There was even a legend about 1 million copies sold in 3 months, but according to research by Joplin’s biographer Edward A. Berlin, first print of 400 copies needed a year to be sold. After his death most of his works were almost forgotten even if Maple Leaf Rag was recorded few times as a standard in 1930’s and later. The Great War dramatically changed the popular culture and ragtime was abruptly out of fashion as well as many other dances and forms of 19th century popular music.

Joshua Rifkin - Piano Rags by Scott Joplin (1970)

   In 1970 Nonesuch published first collection of Scott Joplin’s Rags. Eight carefully chosen rags were mostly Joplin’s best sellers on A side, from opening Maple Leaf Rag, through The Entertainer and The Ragtime Dance, to Gladiolus Rag. Second side opens with Fig Leaf Rag, then shows some examples of composer’s harmonic advancements in Scott Joplin’s New Rag and Euphonic Sound, and is crowned by Joplin’s latest composition Magnetic Rag, which Joshua Rifkin in linear notes called „valedictory work”. Pianist and musicologist pointing development of this last composition, sees it as the synthesis of various influences and Joplin’s imagination driven both by Afro-American culture and Middle-European dance music, which can be read as tribute to his teacher Julius Weiss. These eight ragtimes recorded by young pianist Joshua Rifkin perfectly fitted the revival of traditional jazz and popular music in early seventies. It is the publication that in fact changed the history.