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