RAGTIME GUITAR, 14 Songs Arranged for Solo Guitar. Allan Jaffe. BOOK WITH CD & TABLATURE
LIBRO DI MUSICA RAGTIME CON CD.
SPARTITI PER CHITARRA CON:
ACCORDI, PENTAGRAMMA E TABLATURE.
14 Songs Arranged for Solo Guitar
Series: Guitar Solo
Softcover with CD - TAB
Arranger: Allan Jaffe
14 of Jaffe's fingerstyle arrangements of ragtime favorites and originals in standard notation and tablature with accompanying CD, 80 pages
"As a musical entity ragtime was, and is an instrumental work in 2/4 time composed for the piano that combines a syncopated series of melodies accompanied by an even, steady rhythm."-David A. Jasen and Trebor J. Tichener, Rags and Ragtime. In the first twenty years of the 20th century, an unprecedented phenomenon erupted into the world of Western music. For the first time, a form of popular music which was a true fusion of African-American and Western European musical traditions emerged. Although it began as an oral form played by pianists in the bars and brothels of several major American cities, thanks to the publishing houses, it quickly spread through the United States and eventually Europe. Unlike any other music up until then, this music was completely biracial. Everyone called it "ragtime." In an era before the age of radio and recording, the only way for music to reach the public, aside from the concert hall, was through sheet music. Many homes in the United States had their own pianos, and at least one family member was able to play this instrument, albeit often in a rudimentary fashion. Apart from the classical repertoire, most pianists favored versions of popular songs of the day, notated with a very simple accompaniment. Although ragtime challenged the skill levels of the average amateur pianist, Americans quickly succumbed to the new and unusual syncopations. The music became so popular that schools sprouted up around the country specifically for the purpose of teaching the lay-person how to play this strange and seductive music. The original creators and developers of ragtime were the great ragtime pianists and composers of the period, the three acknowledged masters of the classic rag being Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb. Eventually the Tin Pan Alley composers, the pop songwriters of the day, recognized the commercial potential of this form and began cranking out ragtime pieces by the score. By the end of the 1920s, over five thousand ragtime works had been published. Possibly due to this rampant commercialization, the quality of the music degenerated and eventually ragtime disappeared from public favor until it was revived as a repertoire form years later. During the twenty or so years of ragtime's heyday, many wonderful pieces of music were born from the pens of its finest composers. Along with the works of the above-mentioned masters, one can find a wonderful assortment of music by other great ragtime artists, such as Tom Turpin, Charlie Hunter, Charles Johnson, and Artie Matthews, among others. Ragtime displayed great melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic invention; each piece possessed its own clear emotional impact. When I was asked by Hal Leonard Publications to do a book of rags for the guitar, comprising eleven arrangements of classic rags and three of my own, I had little idea of the rich musical world I was about to enter. Over the past ten years I had been writing my own guitar rags, originally inspired by the work of the three great blues guitarists, Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, and Arthur "Blind" Blake. However, apart from Scott Joplin's compositions, I was unaware of the richness of this musical period. Thanks to two excellent literary sources, Rags and Ragtime by David A. Jasen and Trebor J. Tichener and They All Played Ragtime by Rudi Blesh and Harriet Janis, plus the multitude of websites dedicated to ragtime, I steeped myself in this music. Eventually, I chose eleven pieces which I felt were some of the best and most important works of ragtime's great composers. As the statement quoted at the beginning of this intro shows, ragtime has always been associated with the solo piano. In talking with people about this project I often heard the same response, "I have never heard ragtime played on the guitar." Indeed, most of the guitar music that has been called "ragtime" comes from the blues and is associated with the works of blues, folk, or country artists such as Gary Davis, Doc Watson, or Dave Van Ronk. On the surface, this seems to be a far cry from the classical-sounding solo piano compositions of Joplin or Lamb. But in fact, the music produced by these artists all share a syncopated melodic line superimposed on a steady bassaccompaniment figure. I found that with the appropriate key changes this music adapted well to the guitar. The rhythmic, melodic, and multi-timbral nature of the guitar makes it an excellent medium for ragtime. Of course there are challenges. Since this music was developed by pianists for pianists-with thick chords, big octave leaps, and bass lines moving in contrary motion to the melodies-there are few major inherent technical difficulties when played on the piano. This is a different story on the guitar. However, through a process of distillation, careful key selection, register changes, and liberal use of open strings, I was able to create versions of these pieces that retain the lyrical, harmonic, and rhythmic richness of the originals, while acquiring through the translation process a character of their own. The result, I believe, is guitar pieces that are a joy to learn and play.
The Entertainer - Scott Joplin (1902)
Marvin Hamlisch's adaptation of this rag for the movie, The Sting in 1976, was responsible for bringing the music of Scott Joplin and ragtime back to the attention of the public. It was originally dedicated to the vaudeville entertainer, James Brown, and, although I was unable to get any information about this person, in arranging it I had in mind an elegant "soft-shoe" performer. In order to bring out the beautiful melodies I have decided on a slower tempo for this tune.
Maple Leaf Rag - Scott Joplin (1899)
A fitting end to one century and beginning to the next, the publication of "Maple Leaf Rag" by publisher John Stark marks the emergence of ragtime as a popular musical form. By 1909 it had sold over a half-million copies. To the aspiring ragtime composer "Maple Leaf" became the model for this relatively new form of music. My version diverges from Joplin's original in two ways: 1. I have chosen to swing it, and 2. I have left out the standard repetition of the A section after the B section.
Heliotrope Bouquet - Scott Joplin and Louis Chauvin (1907)
This beautifully lyrical piece was a collaboration between Joplin and the legendary genius Louis Chauvin. As Chauvin's music had not previously appeared in print, Joplin suggested that in order for him to get his first publication, they should collaborate on this one. The A and B sections were written by Chauvin, the last two by Joplin. One can get some insight into Chauvin's unusual harmonic sense from the haunting A section.
Frog Legs Rag - James Scott (1906)
Scott is the forgotten genius of ragtime. This tune was his first publication and it was an immediate success. Although the B section is reminiscent of "Maple Leaf," we become aware of Scott's considerable originality throughout. The entire piece dances and is, I believe, an imaginative depiction of the movement of the appendages for which it is named. The D section, with James Scott's characteristic "octave echo," is a challenge technically on the guitar, but I have suggested a fingering which makes it a joy to play.
Grace and Beauty - James Scott (1909)
For me, this is the most lyrical and unusual of the James Scott rags. Scott was known to be the most adept pianist of the major three rag composers, and this is one of his most pianistic, using his characteristic octave leaps and arpeggiated "rips." Consequently, in order to make my arrangement "guitaristic" I have taken some liberties with the melody and bass lines.
Sunburst Rag - James Scott (1909)
This is a joyful and exuberant statement by Scott. Scott's rhythmic clarity and variety is apparent in this composition from one section to the next. The C section, which I find to be a wonderful workout for the left hand, seems to have been echoed, whether consciously or unconsciously, about sixty years later in Herb Alpert's "Spanish Flea." This work is beautifully structured, with the B section reappearing at the end, transformed by its modulation up a fourth.
American Beauty Rag - Joseph Lamb (1913)
This is one of the two rags I have arranged in "dropped D" tuning and is a beautiful, and at the same time, revolutionary work. The first two sections here are yet another example of Lamb's extraordinary lyricism and gift for long, arching melodies. Yet midway through this composition, beginning with the transition between Band C, Lamb takes quite a different direction. Suddenly the focus is on rhythm. The C section is remarkable in that, unlike any of the rags of this period, it seems to incorporate the "swing" rhythmic approach of jazz. Lamb notates the "swing" as a dotted eighth and sixteenth note rhythm and effectively alternates it with a straighteighth rhythm. Also unusual in this rag is the increasing intensity of the piece, beginning with the C section and continuing until the end.
1988 - Al's Slow Rag [Jaffe, Allan]
1913 - American Beauty Rag [Lamb, Joseph]
1911 - Barber Pole Rag [Johnson, Charles]
1986 - Delta Rag [Jaffe, Allan]
1906 - Dill Pickles [Johnson, Charles]
1906 - Frog Legs Rag [Scott, James]
1909 - Grace And Beauty [Scott, James]
1907 - Heliotrope Bouquet [Joplin, Scott] [Chauvin, Louis]
1990 - Joplin Rag [Jaffe, Allan]
1899 - Maple Leaf Rag [Joplin, Scott]
1915 - Ragtime Nightingale [Lamb, Joseph]
1909 - Sunburst Rag [Scott, James]
1902 - The Entertainer [Joplin, Scott]
1916 - Top Liner Rag [Lamb, Joseph]
Italiano
English
