Classic and Original Ragtime

The quintessential American music, ragtime is the first music I learned to play, and despite the heavy presence of Bach and friends on this site, rag remains among my very favorite music. The best works in the genre transcend mere popular music and hold their own easily among works of true art music.

Below you'll find a slowly growing set of realizations of various rags. The links below take you to an MP3 player to listen to the rag, as well as a link to download it. At the bottom of the narrative on each page is a link that will return you to this index (or just use your browser's back button). I will add rags by the turn of the century composers chronologically to the Classic Ragtime section. The rags in the Original Ragtime section are by me and are under copyright and registered with BMI. You are welcome to download the MP3s for personal use, and you can find ten of my rags on my CD Eine Kleine Ragtime.

Classic Ragtime
Tom Turpin	Harlem Rag (1897)	4.47 MB	3:15
Scott Joplin	Maple Leaf Rag (1899)	4.57 MB	3:20
Original Ragtime
	Republic Rag (1984)	3.62 MB	3:57
	Flag Rag (1995)	3.51 MB	3:50
	Flying Fiddle Rag (2006)	3.55 MB	3:52

Scott Joplin felt it necessary to add this caution to his published music beginning with Leola (1905). When taken at breakneck speed, ragtime suffers as badly as express versions of the immortal Toccata in F for organ by Charles-Marie Widor. A moderate tempo is essential to preserving the fascinating rhythms and tunefulness of ragtime, though the "ideal" tempo varies from piece to piece, and is best determined by trusting the ear. I usually find myself settling in around 80-88 beats per minute, depending on the rag; maybe a little faster for some of the more pyrotechnic works (James Scott's New Era Rag comes to mind) and a little more sedate for the slow drags. I usually play my own rags around 76-80. Contrast these tempi with rags played at well over 100 and you'll see that Joplin's intuition for effective ragtime -- as usual -- was on the mark.

Orchestrations in these MP3s

As a kid, I played the LP's of Max Morath's Original Ragtime Quartet until the needle had practically ground through the vinyl, and to this day I love the possibilities available for scoring rags for a small ensemble. First and foremost in my realizations, of course, is the piano, and I add bass heft and a bouncy beat with an upright brass and sometimes a low brass patch. For melodic counterpoint and accompaniment, I rely on banjo and guitar patches, and occasionally winds. I find the sound of a small band playing these beautiful dance tunes irresistible, and I hope you do as well!