Nice quality recording, and nice roll arrangements! I should point out that neither of these were actually played by Joplin himself, but actually were arranged on a drafting board (using the published music) by staff arrangers at the respective piano roll companies. This was confusing to early jazz and ragtime record producers, who assumed that since the rolls listed the composer but not the arranger (who was usually anonymous), that the composer had played them themselves.
The discussion of tempo settings on piano rolls intrigues me. I am used to Josiah Rifkin's covers--this seems a bit fast but I have no knowledge. Wonderful to hear these rolls. Thank you for posting them.
That said, Joplin IS known to have made 7 hand-played piano rolls himself: 6 for the Connorized label (Maple Leaf Rag, Weeping Willow, Ole Miss Rag, Something Doing, Pleasant Moments, and Magnetic Rag), and 1 for Aeolian's Uni-Record label (a different version of "Maple Leaf Rag"). The latest consensus of roll experts is that the Connorized rolls may have been doctored, but the Uni-Record roll represents Joplin's playing the truest.
A recut of "Pleasant Moments" was offered just a couple months after it was found. There were two versions: one an exact duplicate of the roll (hole-for-hole), the other nearly so, but with the (few) wrong notes corrected. This would probably be an editing error rather than Joplin's fault. The production run of 50 duplicate rolls sold out very quickly. I am not sure when he will be doing more but you can hear a recording of this roll on the finder's website (w-- dawt pianola dawt co dawt nz)
I agree. This isn't that fast. Plus, rags were really marches and one was supposed to be able to dance to them. When Joplin indicated otherwise he stated it in the titles. A true American genius! And I thank you for posting it. No, probably not Joplin at the keyboard, but he'd be fine with the extra notes!
Thank-you very much for the sharing the history/information about Scott joplin. I am a life-long fan of him and his music. I visited the "Joplin House" in St. Louis and was very impressed by the history/artifacts they were able to preserve, if not the neighborhood. I was wondering if you could speak to why, after all of his life-long success, the failure of his "operetta" seemed to hit him so hard and, if you know, how debilitating his syphilis was to him later in his life? Thanks again!
A roll is only definitely hand-played by someone if the label specifically states "played by _____", or "pianist, ____". Even then it is a little confusing, since a few rolls were not actually played by the pianist listed, but were "ghosted" by staff arrangers with the permission of the pianist listed. Two good examples of this are all the Ampico rolls marked "assisted" (which basically means "ghosted"), and the 1930's QRS rolls of celebrity pianists like Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson.
When I started playing this two years ago at age 9, I started of with the maple leaf rag. I listened to it, hundreds of times, to where it got to the point when i knew ever note, but not where it was, but what it sounded like, so I learned it by ear on A flat, and corrected my notes using synthesia, but generally I play it a little slower than this peice and gradually make the song a little faster as it goes..
I first was introduced to ragtime in the form of the move The Sting in 1973. I have never actually recovered from the evening I first saw it. I saw it several times since! So for the past 45 years I have put a lot of effort into Ragtime, and will love it until the day I die! Love is a funny thing, but I now have someone whom I love dearly who will put up with all my shenanigans over Ragtime!!! Hope you are as enthusiastic. AMEN!
Yes, the originals are very rare. The roll of "Pleasant Moments" is so rare that only one original has ever been found and that was just last year, I believe! Recuts (that is, new rolls that are exact copies of the old ones) of all these rolls (except "Pleasant Moments") are available from BluesTone Music Rolls in Illinois (they have a web site). Recordings of most of them are available on a couple of CDs on the Biograph label.
Probably the best contemporary player of ragtime was Max Morath. He was a stickler for not playing too fast. Rags played with a light touch and not too fast are a delight. This video is very enjoyable. Thanks for posting.
@pig409 I believe ragtime must be played with the sustain pedal. There are pedal indications in several of Joplin's pieces, and when he writes it, it's always a very heavy pedal (it is often sustained for whole measures). This would contrast oddly with the rest of the piece where there is no written pedal, if it were played "dry". I think Joplin only wrote down pedal indications when it deviates from what one would usually do (that is, one pedal each half measure). I may be wrong, but...
@TheMcbro No. They were right. It's pedal to the metal (press the gas pedal down to the metal car frame) as confirmed/sung by greg lake of emerson lake and palmer ("touch and go"). "Put the pedal to the metal it's touch and go......."
Brilliant playing to be sure. The second piece was probably names after Theodore Roosovelt's famous speech "The Strenuous Life." Just confused about one thing: there are most certainly 2 pianos playing in this recording. Was this possible with Piano Rolls? If so, who is the second pianist?
Actually, this is not a 'hand-played' roll. The liner notes of the Biograph record which includes this specifically state it was not. You can tell by the 'extra' notes in the arrangement.
This isn't fast. This is fast: ruclips.net/video/BoORU0GBGcE/видео.html This is what Joplin wanted to avoid. In general, march tempo (around 120 beats per minute) or slow march tempo (as Joplin himself often writes) is adequate for ragtime. These were lively dances, not funeral songs!
this cannot be scott joplin himself playing. joplin would never play this fast according to his own beliefs regarding ragtime. sure you can play as fast as YOU want it, but Joplin never played any of his stuff this fast. you can also use the sustain pedal throughout if you want, too, as many pianist tend to, even though joplin never uses that except in his ragtime dance, i think.
The best interpretation is the PIANO ROLL interpretation.
Fancy seeing you here
hey
Hey
hey
Salve vinheteiro
Nice quality recording, and nice roll arrangements! I should point out that neither of these were actually played by Joplin himself, but actually were arranged on a drafting board (using the published music) by staff arrangers at the respective piano roll companies. This was confusing to early jazz and ragtime record producers, who assumed that since the rolls listed the composer but not the arranger (who was usually anonymous), that the composer had played them themselves.
The discussion of tempo settings on piano rolls intrigues me. I am used to Josiah Rifkin's covers--this seems a bit fast but I have no knowledge. Wonderful to hear these rolls. Thank you for posting them.
Fig Leaf Rag. The second is The Strenuous Life.
That said, Joplin IS known to have made 7 hand-played piano rolls himself: 6 for the Connorized label (Maple Leaf Rag, Weeping Willow, Ole Miss Rag, Something Doing, Pleasant Moments, and Magnetic Rag), and 1 for Aeolian's Uni-Record label (a different version of "Maple Leaf Rag"). The latest consensus of roll experts is that the Connorized rolls may have been doctored, but the Uni-Record roll represents Joplin's playing the truest.
A recut of "Pleasant Moments" was offered just a couple months after it was found. There were two versions: one an exact duplicate of the roll (hole-for-hole), the other nearly so, but with the (few) wrong notes corrected. This would probably be an editing error rather than Joplin's fault. The production run of 50 duplicate rolls sold out very quickly. I am not sure when he will be doing more but you can hear a recording of this roll on the finder's website (w-- dawt pianola dawt co dawt nz)
I agree. This isn't that fast. Plus, rags were really marches and one was supposed to be able to dance to them. When Joplin indicated otherwise he stated it in the titles. A true American genius! And I thank you for posting it. No, probably not Joplin at the keyboard, but he'd be fine with the extra notes!
Thank-you very much for the sharing the history/information about Scott joplin. I am a life-long fan of him and his music. I visited the "Joplin House" in St. Louis and was very impressed by the history/artifacts they were able to preserve, if not the neighborhood. I was wondering if you could speak to why, after all of his life-long success, the failure of his "operetta" seemed to hit him so hard and, if you know, how debilitating his syphilis was to him later in his life? Thanks again!
A roll is only definitely hand-played by someone if the label specifically states "played by _____", or "pianist, ____". Even then it is a little confusing, since a few rolls were not actually played by the pianist listed, but were "ghosted" by staff arrangers with the permission of the pianist listed. Two good examples of this are all the Ampico rolls marked "assisted" (which basically means "ghosted"), and the 1930's QRS rolls of celebrity pianists like Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson.
When I started playing this two years ago at age 9, I started of with the maple leaf rag. I listened to it, hundreds of times, to where it got to the point when i knew ever note, but not where it was, but what it sounded like, so I learned it by ear on A flat, and corrected my notes using synthesia, but generally I play it a little slower than this peice and gradually make the song a little faster as it goes..
I first was introduced to ragtime in the form of the move The Sting in 1973. I have never actually recovered from the evening I first saw it. I saw it several times since! So for the past 45 years I have put a lot of effort into Ragtime, and will love it until the day I die! Love is a funny thing, but I now have someone whom I love dearly who will put up with all my shenanigans over Ragtime!!! Hope you are as enthusiastic. AMEN!
Yes, the originals are very rare. The roll of "Pleasant Moments" is so rare that only one original has ever been found and that was just last year, I believe! Recuts (that is, new rolls that are exact copies of the old ones) of all these rolls (except "Pleasant Moments") are available from BluesTone Music Rolls in Illinois (they have a web site). Recordings of most of them are available on a couple of CDs on the Biograph label.
Probably the best contemporary player of ragtime was Max Morath. He was a stickler for not playing too fast. Rags played with a light touch and not too fast are a delight. This video is very enjoyable. Thanks for posting.
It was a test of nerve as to how slow you could go before you got caught and still have em dancing
@pig409 I believe ragtime must be played with the sustain pedal. There are pedal indications in several of Joplin's pieces, and when he writes it, it's always a very heavy pedal (it is often sustained for whole measures). This would contrast oddly with the rest of the piece where there is no written pedal, if it were played "dry". I think Joplin only wrote down pedal indications when it deviates from what one would usually do (that is, one pedal each half measure). I may be wrong, but...
as fast as you need to not to get caught was the general rule
@WaffleAbuser First one is Fig Leaf Rag The second one The Strenuous Life
I love this piece! I still haven't learned the second strain, though.
@TheMcbro No. They were right. It's pedal to the metal (press the gas pedal down to the metal car frame) as confirmed/sung by greg lake of emerson lake and palmer ("touch and go"). "Put the pedal to the metal it's touch and go......."
They were made on "recording pianos". You can find info on them on the net, much more than I can relate here.
0:00 Fig Leaf Rag
3:10 The Strenuous Life
3:10 is actually The Strenuous Life.
@@SQUAREHEADSAM1912 Oh, ok
Brilliant playing to be sure. The second piece was probably names after Theodore Roosovelt's famous speech "The Strenuous Life." Just confused about one thing: there are most certainly 2 pianos playing in this recording. Was this possible with Piano Rolls? If so, who is the second pianist?
What's the first song called?
ORIGINAL PIANO ROLLS, this is how rag time should be played.
What is the first song?
I'm sorry for the bad assessment It was an accident I really loved it
xxx
Actually, this is not a 'hand-played' roll. The liner notes of the Biograph record which includes this specifically state it was not. You can tell by the 'extra' notes in the arrangement.
For wich year ?.
can I get an mp3 of the first song please by any chance?
should have made some vinl recordings
whats the title of the record its taken from?
How do they make the original rolls?
@22483511
Thanks. :)
where did you hear this saying??
This isn't fast. This is fast: ruclips.net/video/BoORU0GBGcE/видео.html This is what Joplin wanted to avoid. In general, march tempo (around 120 beats per minute) or slow march tempo (as Joplin himself often writes) is adequate for ragtime. These were lively dances, not funeral songs!
I don't think there is a second pianist, it's piano roll, that's why it's off tempo every few seconds. That's how piano roll is.
go on my videos and click my favourites... i have a whole vid describing the process to manufacturing a QRS piano roll.
6 people must be Klansmen (if you don't get it, you're not racist)
this cannot be scott joplin himself playing. joplin would never play this fast according to his own beliefs regarding ragtime. sure you can play as fast as YOU want it, but Joplin never played any of his stuff this fast. you can also use the sustain pedal throughout if you want, too, as many pianist tend to, even though joplin never uses that except in his ragtime dance, i think.