e-concertpianola
e-Concert #1
Here's a half-hour's musical
program to enjoy. I thought this might be an interesting way to present piano
roll midi files for a change. Start at piece number one and play your way through.
Don't just click and click and never get to listen to anything properly - there's
only 11 pieces not 3000 after all. Hopefully you'll find something here you never
heard before. I'll put together another 1/2 hour of music shortly. This way you
get unfettered access to hear music from the very depths of my colllection. A
copy of everything you hear is scanned for preservation. This first "concert"
is based around syncopated music. Many thanks to Julian Dyer for scanning and
making this possible.
1. Caprice Rag
James P Johnson recorded his own live-recording piano roll of this piece. Here
is a very rare alternate non hand-played interpretation of the piece Pianostyle
46415 Caprice Rag - James P Johnson 88-note
2. Cotton Bolls rag
Superb folksy rag by blind pianist Chas Hunter dating from 1901. You can play
it fast or slow but at this sedate pace I've always found it to have a hidden
charm of it's own. Enjoy! Melographic 0320 Cotton Bolls - Hunter 88-note
3. Honolulu Cake Walk
A fine cakewalk from way back in 1899. This rather regal instrumental piece latterly
became a very popular solo for the banjo and ukelele. This is the original full-length
piano version. Themodist TL21159 Honolulu Cake Walk - Lerman 88-note
4. 1915 Rag
Harry Tierney's 1915 Rag. A few years later he wrote the hit show "Irene" followed
by "Kid Boots" and "Rio Rita" Enjoy! Aeolian UK Universal S6464S 1915 Rag -
Tierney 88-note
5. Oh Mr Dream Man medley march & two-step
A fun medley two-step from the their early 1910s heyday from the great Harry von
Tilzer. As with all medley two-steps you get two tunes wrapped up into one. No
tin-pot academic musicological or socialogical contextualization theories offered
to accompany the music here. You can find all that hot air on other websites.
Just listen to the tune and enjoy! Aeolian Themodist T102062 Oh Mr Dream Man
medley march and two-step - Tilzer 65-note
6. Buzzin' the Bee
A daft little ditty by Jack Wells from 1916. Here's a very nice version where
you can hear the bee buzzin' away written into the music (the reiterating lower
notes in the chorus). A most inventive piece of musical arranging!US Music
Rolls Buzzin the Bee - Wells 88-note Lyrics
7. Rig a Jig Rag a slow drag rag
A slightly unconventional rag by Nat D Ayer from 1912. Ayer wrote "Oh You Beautiful
Doll" before moving to England and writing shows such as "The Bing Boys are Here"
and "Baby Bunting" Aeolian UK Universal S4490 Rig-a-Jig Rag - Ayer 88-note
8. Russian Rag
George Linus Cobb wrote "Russian Rag" in 1918. Following a long line of tunes
making light-hearted fun with well-known classical melodies Cobb turned Rachmaninoff's
C# prelude into a merry miniature masterpiece. Some folk do waffle on at this
point theorizing and examining the composition in great detail. Feel free to read
pages of such drivel on the internet at your leisure. My "theory" of the piece
is that, like most music written to entertain, it's intended to be 3 minutes of
pure fun nothing more nothing less. This roll is hand-played by Max Kortlander
and "assisted" i.e. just a few extra harmonies here and there for extra fun. QRS
100870 Russian Rag - Cobb 88-note
9. Petticoat Lane - a kosher medley foxtrot
The East End of London became home to a very large Jewish population in the 19th
and 20th century. This piece of music celebrates the hustle and bustle of the
London Petticoat Lane market in its Jewish heyday. Many very familiar Yiddish
and traditional Jewish melodies are dressed up in snappy 1920s foxtrot finery.
See if you can name them all! The piece was also recorded by the Debroy Somers
Band at the time many of whose recordings featured novelty medleys such as this.Aeolian
Metrostyle 40017S Petticoat Lane - Ash 88-note
10. Down the Bayou - a Creole Serenade
Reginald de Koven and the wonderous lightly syncopated melodic charm of his Creole
serenade "Down the Bayou". This was a song published in 1907.Melographic 4009
Down the Bayou - de Koven 65-note
11. Oh What A Night medley two-step
Another fun medley two-step from their heyday in the early 1910s with music from
the team that wrote "Waitin' for the Robert E. Lee". Still no tin-pot academic
musicological or socialogical contextualization theories offered to accompany
the music here. Enjoy! Themodist T103092 Oh What a Night medley two step -
Muir Gilbert & Abrahams 65-note