Terminology and Meanings (Continued)
Many of the piano "rags" published in the late 1890s and the first decade of the twentieth century had subtitles such as "cakewalk," "march," "two-step," and "slow drag." These labels suggest multiple relationships and meanings. They also underscore the repertory's connection with nineteenth-century duple-meter dances and their corresponding music. After Krell's published rag of 1897, the first published rag by an African American composer, " Harlem Rag," by Tom Turpin (1871-1922), followed in December 1897. According to Harer, this work:
is another example within the genre that depicts the transition from oral tradition to printed music; in this case, however, ragtime refers to Turpin's particular playing style rather than to pre-existing melodic material of the folk tradition. Because Turpin's composition was derived from actual performance, the musical practice, to some degree, became visible in the printed medium and could be adopted by others. In addition to defining the playing technique, Turpin revealed the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic structures of ragtime within an overall musical form. For this reason, "Harlem Rag" can be accurately labeled as a ragtime composition.
(Harer 2015, 102)
To say that the first documented ragtime appeared in December 1897 would be misleading. If one accepts that ragtime moved from an oral folk tradition to a printed one, then many Blacks were playing ragtime "before Krell's Orchestra added ragtime to its repertoire" (Harer 2015, 102). What complicates this issue is that African American pianists were not immediately concerned in putting their composition into print but were more involved in making a living wage by playing in local entertainment establishments. Publishing a rag and getting royaltiesPayment made by a music publisher to a composer based on the number of printed or recorded copies sold. Also, payments made by record labels to artists, and song publishers based on the number of records sold from the publishing industry was extremely difficult for African Americans. Louis Chauvin (1882-1908) and others "chose not to publish their composition, because they had established a reputation as performers rather than composers" (Harer 2015, 102-103). Five known published rags during Tom Turpin's lifetime are listed below:
- Harlem Rag 1897 (Structure: AABBCCDDAA)
- Ragtime Nightingale 1903 (Structure: Intro ABCC'B)
- St. Louis Rag 1904
- Buffalo Rag ,c. 1909 (Structure: Intro AABBCD Coda)
- Pan-Am Rag 1917
