The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1902-05-24
RAGTIME AS OLD ASIMAN
MAS VENERABLE BEFORE THE IN
vENTloN OF THE ToM1ToM

Melodies You VIII Have the Music |
That Has Been In Vogue Since Tune
Began-why Street Songs Please.
"Call it what you will, and ragtime'
Is as good as any other Name" says
Thomas Preston Brooke. This rag
time existed centuries before ourtime,
and 1t will go on for centuries to
come after we have BEEN forgotten"
.Ragtfme,' its origin, its status, its
merits and demerits, ana it's chances
for perpetuation, have heen worrying
musicians with long hair and the public
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 ragtime
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 conf
posers had used it in classic music,
that technically it fwas syncopation,
and under that name was worthy OF
place in any composition. Yet still the
long haired musician and his follow
ers are not reconeiled. In the Chicago
Federation of Musicians there Is pros
pect of split in the organization,
leaving the players of the classic on
one side and the ragtime champions on
the other. The long-haired men are re-
fusing to associate with the ragtime
men, apd the situation is becoming
acute. In Denver last June the Amer
lean Federation of Musicians at its an
nual convention passed a resolution
condemning ragtime, and recommend
ing that It's members cease playing it.
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 ragtime 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 Cincinnati's
reputation as musical city, these con-
certs drew from $1,000 to $1,000 people
to them every evening. At these con-
certs the best elements Of Cincinnati's
population were there, doubling the at
tendances at Wagner and Symphony
concerts. At the Buffalo Exposition
and in e3ery other city in the United
States ald Canada where Brooke's
band has played ninety per cent. of the
requests for music have been for the
ragtime selections.
Mr. Brooke's 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
sidered that not one bar of ragtimt
music occurs in his compositions, and
that while he does not defend 1t, ht
makes it plain that ragtime music II
IwI1 the people for all time. Mrs
JaAes L. Blair, society leader of st
Louis, declared in a public address
last spring that the Missouri metropo
lis was a "ragtime" city, and in ths
following talk the bandmaste1 agree
with her as>to all cities being in tn
category.
"Ragtime," said Mr.. Brooke. sis nov
the most generally mooted of al
themes among musicians, but why sucl
a subject should threaten to disrup
the Chicago Federation of Musician
is rather difficult to understand whel
considered from an intelligent and I'm
prejudiced standpoint. During the las
year there have been published count
!, less articles ON ragtime, written b.
prominent musicians, teachers an
!. critics, many of whom had somethin
! to say about who discovered or III
. vented it. Ragtime was not discOy
cred or invented by any one. Darwi
says music was known and understoo
!, before words We're spoken and 1 IL
lieve that ragtime existed in the lowe
animals long before the advent of maj
! It is simply rhythm or intensifie
!, rhythm, and 1 have frequently oil
: served animals keeping time to musi
having strong, marked rhythm.
rhythm is the skeleton on whic
. all music is hung, and If you will stri
: the so-called-modern ragtime of its me
odies you will have the music that ha
. been in vogue since the beginning {
! time and that is still the only mus
Z of many Of the heather races. 1t is til
!. .juber,' buck and wing dance of tt
! old plantation hand, and no more ii
spring ragtime was ever played tia
that which he patted with his hand
shuffled with his feet, or plunked G
his rudely constructed banjo. All Il
|. old-time 'fiddlers' were ragtime pc
y formers. The backwoods player wi
!, sat perched on barrel in corner |
. q tcorn-husking bee,' who held his fidd
at elbow and his bow at half-mas
played the 'Arkansaw Traveller or
!. up Duck Creek in style that won
nut to shame many of the fellows wi
], claim to have originated what they a
: pleased to call 'ragtime'
" "Drumners have played nothing +
ragtime since the invention of Il
drum The bass drum is now used on
to punctuate or emphasize the hea'
: beats or pulse of the muSic, tut>in Il
: original 'sheepskin band that has fu
nished martial music for our soldie
!. in times of war for centuries the ba
= drummer used stick in each hal
and helped out the ragtime rhythm
= the snare drum.
~ mr., n x,rrphSf1u
watching passing parade, and 20
! ticel how YEARLY the lien in III
!. plodded along to the monotone
of the bass drum? But VIII
: the snare drums broke into their mer
= ragtime beats of TAFT tat-a-tat' nc
the marchers Immediately braced
! and walked with buoyant elasi
= step! According to good authority t
= sense Of rhythm is greater by ninei