The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-05-09
RAGTIME AS OLD AS MAN
WAS VENERABLE BEFORE THE IN
vENTlON OF THE ToM.ToM
IF You Strip tho Modern Rastime of Its
Melodies You VIII Have the Music
That Has Reen In Vogue since Time
kseean-Whx Street Songs Please.

Began-why Street Songs Please.
..Cau it what you will. and 'ragtime
lis as good as any other name says
Thomas Preston Brooke. This rag
time, existed centuries before our time,
and it will go on for centuries TO
come after we have been forgotten.
"Ragtime.'' its origin. its status, us
merits and dement's. and its chances
for perpetuation. have been worrying
musicians with long hair and the pupllc
having long purses ever since popular
song writer a few years ago claimed
to have Invented its rhythm
When discriminating public for
public effect had jumped upon ragtllne
and its popularity with the hoi polloi.
some one high in the musical world
came forward in its defense. saying
| that some of the worlds famous com.
posers had used it in classic music.
that technically it was syncOpatlCn.
and under that name was worthy OF
| place in any composition. Yet still the
| long haired musician and his fellow
ers are not reconciled In the Chicago
| Federation of Musicians there is pros
| pect of u split III the organization
| leaving the players of the classic on
one side and the ragtlme champions on
| the other The long haired men are re-
| fusing to associate with the ragtime
| men, and the situation is becoming
| acute In Denver last June the Amer
| lean Federation of Musicians at its an
nual convention passed resolution
| condemning ragtime, and recommend
| ing that its members cease playing 1t.
! In like measure the Dancing Teachers
| Association of America and the Nation
| al Music Teachers Association are de
clared against it and pledged to dis
courage the use of ragtir1e in every
manner possible.
But against all of this Brooke's Chi
cago Marine Band at the Cincinnati
Geological Gardens least season gave
.ragtime concerts every "Wednesday
| evening, and in spite of Cincinnatfs
| reputation as musical city, these CON
| certs drew from 1900 to 10000 people
! to them every evening. AT these CON
certS the best elements of CincinnatTs
population We're there, doubling the at
tendances at Wagner and symphony
concerts At the Buffalo Exposition,
and in every other city in the United
States and Canada where Brooke 5
band has played ninety per cent. OF tie
requests for music have been for the
ragtime selections.
Il Mr.. Brookes standing as composer
of popular music has given him voice
to be heard on the subject Especially
: is his opinion valuable when it is con
L Sidered that not one bar of raGtime
/ music occurs in his compositions. ant
that while he does not defend it. ht
O makes it plain that ragtime music il
e with the people for all time. Mrs
e James L. Blair. society leader Of st
e Louis declared in q public address
Is last spring that the Missouri metrCpo
10 lis was 'ragtime'' city. and in tn
IS following talk the bandmaStcr agree
u with her as to all cities being in tn
10 category.
~ "RaEtime." said Mr.. Brooke lis nov
ie the most generally mooted of a
al themes among musicians, but why sue
~ a subject should threaten to disrul
the Chicago Federation of Musician
is rather difficult to understand whe
I considered from an intelligent and III
81 prejudiced standpoint During the las
-, year there have bee published coun
IA less articles on ragtime. written b
prominent musicians. teachers IN
~ critics, many of whom had somethin
to say about who discovered or Il
Z" vented it. Ragtime was not disco
= cred or invented by any one. DarwI
- SAYS music was known and underSLoC
E before words We're spoken AID l b
-" lieve that ruGtime existed il the love-
animals long before the advent of ma
va 1t is simply rhythm or intensive
on rhythm. and ! Lave frequently o
~. served animals keeping time to mus
- having Il strong. marked rhythm.
'e Rhythm is the skeleton on whi'
- all music is hung, and if you will str
3 the so-called modern raStime of its ~
t-l odies you will have the music that II
'"' been in vogue since the beginning
'o9 time and that is still the only mus
,nS of many of the heather races 1t is /
~ 'juber,' buck and wing dance OF I
~ old plantation hand. and no more
~ spring ragtime was ever played u
that which he patted with his hah'
shuffied with his feet, or plunkeu
Oh his rudely constructed banjo. All I
us old-time 'tiddlers' Were ragtime p
no formers The backwoodS player W
Ses sat perched on II barrel in a corner
eX- a corn husk.ng bee who held his hd
'igs a+ elbov and his bow at half ma
Ign PLAYED the .ArkanSaw Traveller.
ent Up Duck Creek in Il style that wo'
ner put to shame many of the fellows W
For claim to have originated what they
oth pleased to call 'raGtime.
lual .'DrummerS have played nothing
h.A i'm NJ