Scott Joplin

[RAc]

In my ongoning exploration of early 20th century American music, I added a rendition of Joplin's Rosebud March to my SC collection:

 

Played on my Wheatstone 55 button Crane.

 

Thanks for listening!

 

Edited August 23, 2020 by RAc

[Geoff Wooff]

Well done  RAc   ,  sounding  very  like  Tommy  Williams  there.

[David Barnert]

New one on me. I’ve never heard a Joplin tune before that wasn’t in “ragged time” (syncopated). Thanks.

[RAc]

On 8/23/2020 at 12:32 PM, Geoff Wooff said:

Well done  RAc   ,  sounding  very  like  Tommy  Williams  there.

 

Well, Geoff, apologies for not having responded so far - but (I'm almost ashamed to admit) the name Tommy Williams wasn't familiar, so I ordered his CD, my curiosity roused by your remark. The record arrived today, and I gave it a first listen.

 

What can I say? Being likened to someone of his calibre is about the most flattering compliment imaginable. Thank you so much. Naturally, he was several leagues above what I can ever hope to accomplish musically, so reading those kind and encouraging words made all the long hours of working on the instrument worthwhile.

 

There are a number of his pieces that may be doable for me, although very likely not as his level of technical ability, so once I've given the record some more thourough listening, I'd love to tackle transcribing and learning a few.

 

Thanks again for pointing out his name to me, the record "Springtime in Battersea" should be very interesting to every duet player. Coincidentally, the record I got is a double CD featuring Gordon Cutty (EC) as the other artist. It's a lucky coincidence that there is one piece both players recorded (Woodland Flowers) and thus can be found twice on the record. I find it very instructional and enlightining to compare the EC and duet players' respective takes of the same piece!
 

Edited August 26, 2020 by RAc

[RAc]

On 8/25/2020 at 3:53 AM, David Barnert said:

New one on me. I’ve never heard a Joplin tune before that wasn’t in “ragged time” (syncopated). Thanks.

 

You're welcome! I'm by no means a Joplin expert, but I suspect there's even more. I'm planning on digging a bit deeper into that musical period, believing there are more treasures to be unearthed!

 

[Geoff Wooff]

I  was lucky to  have  met  Tommy  Williams,  in my  youth, if  only  briefly,   at  an ICA meeting  in London.   It was quite  amazing to  watch  this  tiny   and wizened  old  man  play  his  large  duet  standing up, swinging it  around  in the air.  Indeed the  recordings of  Tommy  and Gordon Cutty on that  CD  are  quite  an eye opener  to  the  repertoire  and  abilities of  that  generation.  Woodland Flowers  is one of the more popular    pieces   with  concertina  players of  the  early  20th  century  and there is  a grand  version  recorded  by  Alexander Prince  that  is  available  on Wes Williams  website.   www.concertinas.org.uk/PrinceAudio.htm  

 

When listening to  those  Alexander Prince  recordings  I  am  struck  by  his  phrasing and  his  incredible contrasts  between legato and a  stacato  that  is  truly  crisp. 

 

Edited August 26, 2020 by Geoff Wooff

[Alan Day]

I too was lucky enough to meet Tommy Williams at an ICA meeting and of course you Geoff years ago at the Black Horse Nuthurst.

I spent most of my early years on the border of Clapham and Battersea and Tommy's House was a small turning that joined Silverthorn Road with Queenstown Road his little wooden plaque was on the wall. If you walked further down the road opposite Battersea Power Station was Battersea Park a lovely place to go to and adjacent to The River Thames. Tommy was a South Londoner as I was (am). He was a joy to listen to playing that big duet .He suffered badly from arthritis but what lovely playing. Iris Bishop is one of the few modern players that reminds me of his style. If Tommy lived in Battersea in that area during the war He like I (although very young) new the horrors of war . I would certainly think that his tune Springtime in Battersea was influenced by his walks around the park. Thank goodness these old recordings exist of these lovely old players and of course the players of today like this one from RAc well done.

Al

[Lakeman]

Geoff/Alan... I too met Tommy Williams at an ICA meeting in London...might have been the same one as you two.Early seventies... he was an old man then, and as you say a tiny chap. Not just short, but spindly... but massive hands which covered his huge " machine."Harry and Neville Crabb were there too.. Funny enough I was clearing out some stuff yesterday and found some letters/notes/valuations  spares etc from both Harry and Neville ( after his dad had died.).I remember Tommy playing his " hit ", 'Springtime in Battersea" at that gathering.

 

 

[Geoff Wooff]

It  could  have  been  1973  or  74  but I think it  was 1975  when  I  went to  an  ICA meeting,  memory  says  it  was somewhere  near  the Albert  Hall.  I  recall      Alf Edwards  was also  there, though  he  did  not  play  due  to  illness  which  was  a  great shame.  At that time I  was  not  terribly interested  by  the  repertoire  chosen  by  the older  performers.

 

I  too am  a  south Londoner  Alan,  hailing from  Lewisham ...  I  emigrated to  Australia  early in 1976  and  rarely  returned.  I  still have  very fond memories of   The Black Horse  at  Nuthurst,  the  music and the beer.....  and of  yourself  of  course.

 

Springtime in Battersea ,as  most of  us  should know, is  not  a composition  by  Tommy  Williams  but  a melody ( Schneewalser  by  Peter Alexander)  he   most likely picked up  in the trenches  during the first world war.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Geoff Wooff

[John Wild]

Interesting attribution. I was sent a notation for Schneewalzer attributed to Thomas Koschat, 1845-1914.

It carries the subtitle Waltz No.1 of the "Walzer idyll" Ein Sonntag auf der alm op.71.

I do not have any more detail than that.

[Geoff Wooff]

38 minutes ago, John Wild said:

Interesting attribution. I was sent a notation for Schneewalzer attributed to Thomas Koschat, 1845-1914.

It carries the subtitle Waltz No.1 of the "Walzer idyll" Ein Sonntag auf der alm op.71.

I do not have any more detail than that.

Could   it be  a  half dozen  people  claim  authorship  of  something so popular  ?

[Alan Day]

5 hours ago, Geoff Wooff said:

It  could  have  been  1973  or  74  but I think it  was 1975  when  I  went to  an  ICA meeting,  memory  says  it  was somewhere  near  the Albert  Hall.  I  recall      Alf Edwards  was also  there, though  he  did  not  play  due  to  illness  which  was  a  great shame.  At that time I  was  not  terribly interested  by  the  repertoire  chosen  by  the older  performers.

 

I  too am  a  south Londoner  Alan,  hailing from  Lewisham ...  I  emigrated to  Australia  early in 1976  and  rarely  returned.  I  still have  very fond memories of   The Black Horse  at  Nuthurst,  the  music and the beer.....  and of  yourself  of  course.

 

Springtime in Battersea ,as  most of  us  should know, is  not  a composition  by  Tommy  Williams  but  a melody ( Schneewalser  by  Peter Alexander)  he   most likely picked up  in the trenches  during the first world war.

I was not aware that you were a South Londoner Geoff. I remember clearly you going to Australia ,greatly missed at the Black Horse. What great evenings there .Smoking bans were not in force then and if you remember it was difficult to see across the room from one end to the other. I remember now about the Waltz not being Tommy's but the exchange of tunes heard in one place and played from memory in another has been going on for years. When i started to play Traditional French Music many times I heard an A music with a different B or visa versa. .

Al