The Washington herald., 1907-05-05
THE PASSING OF RAG TIME
INTERESTING DISCUSSION ON THE GROWTH
OF POPULAR MELODIES AND
THEIR DEATH.

DEATH.
attract attention. Miss Irwin was clever
enough TO understand that the public
clamored for more OF the same sort ana
she took advantage Of her good judgment,
She was laughed at in the start, but IL
was not long before all the comedians
and comeuiennes of musical shows in the
country were emulating her example
With hundreds of rivals. however. it was
unanimously decided that Miss Irwin was
inimitable.
The demand for coon songs soon became
so enormous that the best writers had
more orders than they could fl Every
song could not be guaranteed success.
and the result was that poorer writers
also entered the field. Persons who hardly
knew one note from another also en-
deavored 20 show what they could do.
The coiored people then took up the mat
ter. and later on, when the craze was well
started. some of the catchiest and most
popular compositions We're written by
negroes. Cole and Johnson furnished
some beautiful songs which possessed real
melody. while Williams and Walker
formed an excellent rival combination
Dunbar. the negro poet, turned his pen 20
supplying verses for several compositions
Matthews and Bulger thought rag-time
sufficiently profitable TO take out a rag
time medley, which they advertised ex-
tensively.
It has been some years since Hello. Ma
Baby swept the country. "Ai Coons
Look Alike to Me, You're the Warmest
Gal In Town, when the Parsou Makes
Miss Mandy Johnson Mine" MY Gals a
High-bOTn Lady" I Don't Care If You
Never Come Back. Don't You Go 10
.Gettin' Gay Now. Mr.. Johnson, 20 My Sus-
quehanna Sue - Il Love Nobody But You
Babe" " Ma Sugar Coated Honey" IF /
Only Had q job - and a few others were
titles once 10 conjure with, but now are
little more than memories. Some Of these
were founded on famous originals which
were never tainted with a dusky flavor
until an enterprising composer, looking
for excellent material. decided to make
them useful again. Il Don't Like No
Cheap Man" was certainly merely n varia-
tion of the Beautiful Blue Danube
waltzes, while May Irwin's famous
Bully" song was a generous slice from
Maid Of Athens.
Rag time must not be confounded with
coon songs, for the two are related, but
not the same. The former was the ont
growth OF the coon song. A proper defini-
tion of rag time was one Of the exciting
I incidents at the time of its greatest favor.
One teacher of rag time in this city felt
called upon 10 publish his views on this
subject. A paragraph from his pamphlet
/ initiative steps from Spanish music. OF
/ rather from Mexico. where IL is known
under the heads of Habanara SeguidIla,
/ sc, being nothing but consecutive music,
either in the treble or bass followed by
| regular time in one hand. In common
/ time the quarter note Of the bass Pre-
cedes the melody"
Another well-known musician declares
+ that rag time is merely species Of syn
c0pation. and In order 20 explain his
meaning, read the following from his
musical dictionary; "Syncopation-An in
terrUption in order of the regular meas
ure; an inversion of the order of notes:
a prolonging of a note begun on the un-
accented part of the next bar; term
used when a note Of one part at the be-
ginning of a measure or balf-measufe
/ ends i'm the middle of "a note OF another
/ part, and is followed by two or more
/ longer notes before another short note
I occurs OF equal length with the first note
I TO make the number even"
/ PaderewsH and Rosenthal and their
/ confreres are doubtless able to decipher
/ with ease tie meaning OF syucopatiou.
/ but, alasi fer the general public.
! a correspondent of the leading musical
! Journal expresses il as his opinion that
/ ordinary music being played by ear by
/ the negro bands down South He saws
/ that these bands are usually volunteer
I affairs and play almost entirely from a
natural love of music, without even
/ knowing the notes consequently some of
/ the players made mistakes. which We're
/ AT once followed by the rest Of the band
! this style of rendition giving the peculiar
choppy effect known as rag time.
Tho same writer says that the ununl-
( formed bands in the South are called
rag bands" and the music is known as
rag music" All of this is a novel
theory and one which doubtless has
never been heard By the Southern people
/ OF all the ragtime music. Kerry Mills
/ Georgia Camp Meeting" was the most
stirring. As ii cake walk accompaniment
it had no rival although it followed a
very attractive predecessor. "Rastus on
/ Parade. Ben Hdrncy. composer OF
'Mr. Johnson, Turn Ne Loose gave his
attention TO ragtme when he grew tired
/ IF coon songs. He became so enthus-
iastic that he played everything in rag
time; ballads, hymns-everything was
treated in syncopatiou
George Rosey. who set the world march
ing To- the tune of his Honeymoon
/ March" and waltzing 10 the air Of
'Espanita Waltzes." also succumbed TO
the fever, and published "A Rag Time
/ Skeedaddle, which, however, never be-
came very popular.
Strange 10 say. most of the coon
song and ragtlme writer's came from the
North The Southern composers did not
/ succumb so readily to the fever perhaps
for the reason that they have always been
accustomed to the real negro melodies,
which are rather more pathetic in their
/ tenor than are the frivolous products of
other parts of the country. One Of the
most beautiful Of all the coon" songs
was written by an Englishman. II was
/ one of the first. also, and was sung in
London in The Shop Girl which had
| such a long run at the Gaiety Theater,
where little is known about real ''c0ons. 20
! At any RATE esIfa Gf1I.4rffs stF o14isiara