page_title: Blues, Rags and Stomps
section_title: Eubie’s Blues
hierarchical_section_title: Blues, Rags and Stomps / Book II / Eubie’s Blues
caption_attribution_description: English: Eubie’s Blues by Robert Boury.
context_page_description: Blues, Rags and Stomps, Op. 1, was composed by Robert Boury between 1970-1973. It consists two books, three movements each. Boury composed mostly during his graduate study at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The first set was nicknamed “Varsity Rags”, which Eubie Blake admired and told the audience, “Now that’s ragtime”, after he heard Boury’s performance at the 1971 Toronto ragtime Festival. Book I and II consist of three movements each: I. A Tristan Two-Step, II. Alice Walking, and III. The Rocket’s Red Glare. Book II: I. Eubie’s Blues, II. Stroller in Air, III. I Left My Heart. Boury comments that “A Tristan Two-step” represents his breakaway from modern music and was a way to be accepted as a tonal composer.
context_section_description: In 1969 Columbia Records issued a two-LP set called The Eighty-Six Years of Eubie Blake. He was an American composer and pianist of ragtime and jazz. The LP set shows Blake’s marvelous talent as a pianist and composer. The mix of music, such as ragtime and tango, was included. Boury immediately composed his own rags. He performed his rags in Toronto Ragtime Festival in 1971, and his rags were admired by Eubie Blake.
  This classic rag piece is a hybrid of rags and blues. It is in a slow, march-like tempo with some quicker harmonic rhythm. It has strong rhythmic counterpoint of accents and sophisticated melodic figuration. The countermelodies crop up in both treble and bass. Boury’s tempo indication “wilted” at the beginning specified that Eubie Blake’s career had passed its peak. In addition, the other tempo indication such as “slow & sadly” and “wind down to the end” support the blues mood. The form of this piece is A (mm1–18) – B(mm.19–45) – A(mm. 46–62) –coda(63–72). The syncopated rhythms with wider ranged chords in both hands require practicing. The bigger chords can be rolled on the beat. The pianist must keep in mind that the ragtime piece should never be played in a very fast tempo, or it would ruin the style of this piece
caption: Eubie’s Blues
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