Guerrieri: New Year Rag (1995/2009) (PDF, 5 pages, 267 Kb; MIDI here)
That's right—the original version of this one was written at the beginning of 1995. But now the notation is cleaner and it has a better ending.
Writing ragtime is one of those things that, for me at least, the more you do it, the longer it takes. As a result, I have a folder bulging with unfinished bits and pieces. One of this year's resolutions is to finish them all up, so I think a new rag every month ought to go a long way towards that. (Seriously—there's one that's been stuck in the same harmonic cul-de-sac between the C and D strains since 2000.)
Anyway, this is probably the closest to "classical" rag style that I've ever gotten, the D strain feint towards the Neapolitan notwithstanding. Yes, we're ringing in the new year with an old piece in an older style—along with the promise of future installments. The present is so elusive, isn't it?
Post title via James Weldon Johnson.
3 comments:
Huzzah for ragtime! Great way to start of '09.
Very nice rag! C.E.I. would certainly approve.
What Elaine said--good piece, thanks for posting the Midi file and the downloadable score.
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