Scott Joplin's Ragtime Classics

SKU: PR.140401310

ISBN 9781491134153. UPC: 680160684250. 9 x 12 inches. Key: G major.

NORA’S DANCE is a jazz-influenced rag from 1921, and among the only surviving compositions by Nora Douglas Holt. A charming and exciting work rejuvenated by Lara Downes’ 2021 recording for the Rising Sun label, the rag is both a fun 2 minutes for pianists and audiences, and also a fascinating time capsule. Composed several years after Scott Joplin’s death, and several years before the Charleston pervaded popular music, NORA’S DANCE blossoms with the energy and jazz harmony starting to emerge as The Roaring 20’s, using ragtime and stride as the seed for pianistic style.
My own life in music has been driven by a quest to find strong female role models, trails to follow, shoulders to stand on. In Nora Douglas Holt, I find an inspiring example of creativity, independence, and resilience – with a dash of troublemaking. She was a free spirit, a force of nature, and she lived a fascinating and eventful life on her own terms. She reinvented herself through five marriages and at least as many careers. From her beginnings at the piano at age four, she explored many avenues of musical expression – performing, composing, music journalism, broadcasting, teaching – all with inventiveness, style, and zeal.She made the most of the Roaring ’20s, as an artist, socialite, jetsetter, muse, and patroness of the Harlem Renaissance. In 1921 she started an independent arts journal called “Music and Poetry,” where the charming piano solo Nora’s Dance was first published. I think the piece captures beautifully, in a little under 2 minutes, the energy and excitement of those heady years.In 1926, Nora left New York to travel the world, performing in nightclubs throughout Europe and Asia. She put her belongings in storage before she left, and when she came back she discovered that many of her things had been stolen, including more than 200 of her musical compositions. She never composed again.When the Depression hit, she moved out to Los Angeles, where she studied music education at USC, taught music in the LA public schools, and opened her own beauty salon. She returned to New York in the ’40s and worked as a music critic for several major newspapers, then launched yet another career, this time in broadcasting. Her popular radio concert series “Nora Holt’s Concert Showcase” broadcast to New York’s classical music audience, with a focus on Black composers and performers.Ahead of her time, larger than life, full of ideas…. I am so pleased to introduce you to the feisty and free spirited Nora Douglas Holt!

SKU: SP.ME1032

ISBN 9781585607440.

The Masterpiece Edition series, published exclusively by Santorella Publications, is a collection of original piano works, as well as challenging arrangements and transcriptions designed for the experienced to advanced pianist. The series is meticulously engraved and printed on heavy cover stock and quality paper to last for generations. With original works from the great masters, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and alike, as well as arrangements and transcriptions from some of the greatest works of all time, these Masterpiece Editions are sure to be popular favorites while enhancing the repertoire of most any serious pianist. In this case, we are extremely proud to release the original, unedited, Masterpiece Edition of Joplin's Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag as a 2 in 1 sheet in its purest form. Our ultimate goal is to emphasize the necessity of exceptional quality in printed sheet music. Time has heard the strains of a myriad of musical styles. Some styles liven with age while others fade. The same is true of the composers themselves; some are regarded as brilliant masters from the beginning of their lives while others are praised only posthumously. Endurance is the ultimate test. Scott Joplin endured great injustices and criticism, yet he remains the King of Ragtime. We remember the genius of Scott Joplin by publishing The Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag in this 2 in 1 original edition. Joplin's most popular rag, The Entertainer reached high acclaim in 1973 as a recognizable theme from the film classic, The Sting. This Academy Award-Winning film was solely responsible for the resurgence of ragtime in general, but more specifically brought renewed interest in the works of Scott Joplin. The Maple Leaf Rag, unlike so many others, became quite popular during Joplin's lifetime, so much so that it was the first sheet of music to sell over one million copies. We are pleased to combine these two rags in one as a special part of our Masterpiece Ragtime Selections. This newly engraved edition is clean, sharp, distinct, and accurate. An absolute pleasure to read as each crisp note seems to pop off the page.

SKU: HL.14010419

UPC: 884088487188. 9.0x12.0x0.02 inches.

A Simplified Piano version of Scott Joplin's popular and instantly recognisable ragtime classic.

SKU: VD.ED13855

ISBN 9790202028551. 12 x 9 inches.