This Is Ragtime

By Terry Waldo

Book Overview

In This Is Ragtime , Terry Waldo, musician and scholar, explores ragtime in detail, offering music lovers and social historians a unique view of the music from its inception through its colorful evolution. Waldo tells the story of Scott Joplin and his frustrating attempts to elevate his music to the status of the classics, from his first rags to the tragedy surrounding his operatic masterpiece Treemonisha. Waldo also depicts the exciting and often bawdy settings of the music: the earthly minstrel shows, the whorehouses, the cold and commercial publishers of Tin Pin Alley, the traditional jazz emporiums of Dixieland, and finally the prestigious concert halls of the world. Amplifying Waldo's accounts of how and why ragtime continues to fascinate the music world are pithy interviews with most of its enduring personalities: Eubie Blake, Max Morath, Turk Murphy, Lu Watters, Joe "Fingers" Carr, Johnny Maddox, Gunther Schuller, William Bolcom, and Joshua Rifkin. Illustrated with art work and artifacts, This Is Ragtime is an enduring classic for all ragtime and jazz enthusiasts.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306804395
• ISBN13: 9780306804397
• Release Date: March 1991
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Great book by a great musician!

The book is interesting and very well written. Great read for all music lovers.