261 300
A FABULOUS RAGTIME COLLECTION
460
●
(RAGTIME.) JOPLIN, SCOTT, ET AL.
Small but exceptional archive of
Ragtime related material from the personal collection of music historian Rudi
Blesh, including his definitive “They All Played Ragtime.”
Original manuscripts
for the Lily Queen Two Step, Silver Rocket Rag, the Century Prize March and Two Step,
Missouri Romp, Slow Drag Two Step; a number of original photographs, three pieces of
Scott Joplin’s personal stationary, a first edition of Joplin’s School of Ragtime, Exercises for
Piano (1908) one copy known, a first edition of Joplin’s Tremonisha, and more.
MUST BE
SEEN
.
CA 1900-1910’S
[7,500/10,000]
AN EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION
;
MANY OF THE ITEMS
,
THE ONLY KNOWN COPIES
.
Scott Joplin (1868-1917) and Arthur Marshall (1881-1968) are probably the best-known
player/composers of “Ragtime” music. Marshall was 15 in 1897 when he met Joplin, who came to live
with the Marshall family and tutored Arthur as well as several other up and coming ragtime players
While Joplin with his definitive “Maple Leaf Rag” was considered to be the “King” of Ragtime,
Arthur Marshall was definitely among the successors to the throne.
This collection includes a manuscript copy of The Lily Queen Rag, a collaboration between Marshall
and Joplin, as well as three other manuscripts: the Silver Rocket (sic) Rag,—- later copyrighted as the
Silver Arrow Rag, The Century Prize March, and the Missouri Romp, Slow Drag Two-Step.
Joplin, who died at the age of 49, wrote 44 Rags, a ballet, and two operas. Only Tremonisha survives,
a defective copy of which is included here. Also included is one of only two known copies of Joplin’s
School of Ragtime, Exercises for Piano (Cincinnati, 1908).
The collection also includes a number of rare photographs of key Ragtime figures, including two pho-
tographs of Joplin protégé Sam Patterson with his group the “ Five Musical Spillers” the only known
photographs of Arthur Marshall, the piano legend and bar owner Thomas “Tom” Million Turpin
(signed by him), Ragtime composer James Scott, Ragtime composer Artie Matthews, the only 2known
photographs of John Stark, Joplin’s publisher.
Lastly, an 1888 cabinet card of Ragtime banjo player W.P. Dabney, posed with his banjos. Dabney
who studied at Oberlin, was one of the most prominent musicians in 1890’s Richmond.