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Wall Street woes are old hat…

We thought it might be appropriate these days to share the philosophy of the greatest ragtime composer of them all, Scott Joplin, concerning the cycles of financial turmoil: that what goes up must come down…and then go back up again. Joplin’s The Wall Street Rag (p.36) is one of those lovely pieces, when played at the slow tempo Joplin indicates, is less like ragtime and more akin to a classical piano dance piece. The original intention of the piece, as a musical commentary on the economics of the early 20th century, has been brought into question by musicologists. In his recent book, Scott Joplin and the Age of Ragtime, Ray Argyle states what was generally held as true, that Joplin did indeed write this as an historical musical comment: “Joplin was always aware of happenings around him…not just in musical circles…but in the larger world. He followed with keen interest the Panic of 1907, the latest in a series of financial breakdowns since the Civil War.” Similar to our present day situation, the 1907 debacle saw massive losses in savings and investments of individuals, and massive unemployment. “Joplin,” Argyle writes, recognized “that the financial markets passed through distinct cycles that constantly repeated themselves: panic and collapse; confidence that good times would return; fulfillment in their arrival; and, finally, carefree days before another panic.” The four sections were titled by Joplin to mirror that cycle of disaster and recovery: I: Panic in Wall Street, Brokers feeling melancholy. II: Good times coming. III: Good times have come. IV: Listening to the strains of genuine negro ragtime, brokers forget their cares.  

There are, however, differences of opinion as to whether this piece was written in connection with the financial crisis in the first place, or even originally carried the Wall Street title. An opinion exists that the publisher, Seminary Music, in the person of one Ted Snyder, created those section titles as a promotional gimmick. In Scott Joplin’s biography by Rudi Blesh, included in its entirety in the all-encompassing volume of Joplin’s complete works, Collected Piano Works—Rags, Waltzes, Marches, Blesh admonishes that we “Dismiss all this trumpery” regarding this connection to the crumbling economy, “and whatever aberration invoked it in this tender piece—there is nothing here to do with Mammon: never was a piece of music so mistitled.” Blesh states that it is simply “another little ballade in rag form, romantic and essentially aristocratic.” Played slowly and thoughtfully, as Scott Joplin admonishes, the piece is indeed a gentle, swaying piano piece with a peaceful and haunting quality, Wall Street seeming to be lightyears away.

Continued in the current issue of Sheet Music Magazine.

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Dear Sir: Your magazine is a priceless resource to me. Here is my modest challenge: please help me locate the song, “Hummin’ to Myself”. In all my years as a teacher/performer no one has ever heard of it. We sang it in our 1950 Minstrel. I was a student at Linsly Military Institute in Wheeling, West Virginia. Each spring we presented a full scale old time minstrel. Our music teacher, the late H. Douglas Haigwood, planned the entire production prior to our nine weeks of all-day Saturday rehearsals. After one dress rehearsal with Earl Summers Jr. and his pit orchestra, we gave two professional level performances. Since we were a boys’ school, Captain Haigwood instructed each of us to invite one girl to join the chorus. His caveat was, “Make sure the girl you invite can sing IN TUNE!” Thank you for your help. —Antonio Luigi Salvatori

“Hummin’ to Myself” was a hit for Connie Boswell. With music by Sammy Fain, and lyrics by Herb Magidson and Monty Siegel, the song first appeared in l932. It has since been recorded by Linda Ronstadt, and by Dave Van Ronk, both on albums entitled “Hummin’ to Myself ”. It’s a good song. Thank you for bringing it to our attention and perhaps we may be able to feature your old favorite in a future issue.

As a pianist and educator with a long, enjoyable rapport with Piano Today…I am VERY disappointed at the lack of classical repertoire for myself and my students in Sheet Music...I perform nationally and have served on nine college/ university faculties.
—Ellen Mosher 

While it is true that this publication is primarily popular piano and popular song oriented, we continue to try to include teaching pieces, potential student recital pieces, classical and light classical pieces—the well-known and the discoveries—whenever possible.