More of my search for humanist Americana, Ballad for Americans in American songs
Charles ^^^^ Alexander's Ragtime Band For the film of this name, see Alexander's Ragtime Band (film). Cover, 1911 sheet music"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is the name of a song by Irving Berlin. It was his first major hit, in 1911. There is some evidence, although inconclusive, that Irving Berlin borrowed the melody from a draft composition submitted by Scott Joplin that had been submitted to a publisher.[1] "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is not itself an example of the ragtime musical idiom; apart from some mild syncopation, it has almost none of ragtime's characteristic features. Nonetheless, the lyrics clearly refer to the arrival of African-American musicians on the popular scene with their then-new idea of playing standard songs in a more exciting up-tempo style. The first lines establish the African-American context: Oh ma honey . . . ain't you goin' to the leaderman, the ragged meter man References to "jazzing up" popular music include: They can play a bugle call like you never heard before So natural that you want to go to war That's just the bestest band what am, honey lamb and: If you care to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime The new style included new ways of playing traditional instruments as well: There's a fiddle with notes that screeches Like a chicken And the clarinet is a colored pet This song was played on the decks of the Titanic by the ship's band, as the ship sank beneath the waters on April 15, 1912. The song has been recorded by many artists, including Al Jolson, Billy Murray, Louis Armstrong, George Formby, Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ray Charles. A 1938 film of the same name was loosely based on the song. A version of the song set to a disco beat was recorded by Ethel Merman for her infamous Ethel Merman Disco Album in 1979. The song was used in Tennessee politics by Lamar Alexander, a trained pianist, Governor of Tennessee and U.S. Senator, who performed the song for campaign events, including during his 1996 run for the Republican presidential nomination. [edit] Notes ^ King of Ragtime, E.A. Berlin, Oxford University Press, 1994, p. 210. [edit] External links Alexander's Ragtime Band performed by Billy Murray (Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project) Original Sheet Music edition from Historic American Sheet Music: 1910-1920 - The Digital Scriptorium Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander%27s_Ragtime_Band"; This message has been scanned for malware by SurfControl plc. www.surfcontrol.com _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
