Two Views of Scott Joplin

Two Views of Scott Joplin Program Notes by James Siddons "Two Views of Scott Joplin" is an exploration of a personal and artistic crisis that Scott Joplin, the "King of Ragtime," went through between 1904 and 1906. This crisis was precipitated by the untimely death of Freddie Alexander in September 1904, to whom Joplin had been married only ten weeks. "Two Views of Scott Joplin" consists mostly of words and music written by Scott Joplin, and piano music composed by two close associates, the composer-pianists Louis Chauvin and Scott Hayden. These words come from "Treemonisha," from Joplin's little-remembered vaudeville and parlor songs, and also from text in his sheet-music---copyright notices, publishers' addresses, titles and subtitles of rags, performance directions. In most cases, selected lyrics are extracted from songs and paired with piano-solo themes. These ingredients are combined in creative ways to express the biographical narrative. Instrumental themes are re-cast as necessary to express their newly-attached lyrics. But in no place can any of the music in "Two Views of Scott Joplin" be considered an arrangement of a given, intact composition, nor a medley of tunes, nor a theatrical revue. The character development and dialogue found in "Scott Joplin's Struggle with Destiny" (Part II, No. 3) is my own biographical interpretation of Joplin, based on known evidence, and on his music. For school and college choirs rehearsing this work, the director can make a written assignment by having the students, individually or in study groups, listen to recordings of Scott Joplin music or study the printed scores, then writing a report of what work, in each section of "Two Views of Scott Joplin," is quoted or modified. The audio recording (mp3) has the melodic lines only of the voice parts, as there is as yet no recording of a live performance available.