Hap' Li'l Mose, Descriptive Intermezzo (T.A. Duggan, 1903); orchestrated by Michael Chisholm

Описание: Full disclosure: I have no idea if this is actually playable by the instrumentation scored in this arrangement because I don't play most of them. I just write what I think sounds good. 🤷🏻‍♂️

If it weren't for Pepper Rae telling me to hear Tom Brier and Elliott Adams perform on two pianos at the first Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival I attended, I never would've heard this gem of a rag. I was instantly captivated and had chills head to toe the entire performance. This rag solidified my interest in ragtime and giving these seldom heard rags I collect and perform a chance in the spotlight. I can safely say this is my favorite rag ever written; probably my favorite piece of music.

Composer Timothy A. Duggan of New Orleans, Louisiana was an eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist for fun, and a composer/band leader by profession. With two other rags ("Tain't No Use" and "I'll Be There On Time") and a handful of marches and waltzes to his credit, "Hap' Li'l Mose" stands out as the best of his compositions. It's believed this was written as a band piece, later condensed into a solo piano edition (which features an incredible amount of countermelodies and inner harmonies for a piano solo). We're unsure of when Duggan wrote "Hap' Li'l Mose" as mention of it in news articles dating back to 1900 have been found by Kevin Gunia. In 1903 after being persuaded by fellow band leader Thomas Preston Brooke, Duggan published "Hap' Li'l Mose" through Chicago firm Lyon and Healy.

"Hap' Li'l Mose", subtitled a "descriptive intermezzo", is a musical depiction of life in New Orleans. Inside the original music, the introduction is labeled "People gathering at evening on the New Orleans levee". Once it picks up into a recognizable ragtime style, it's labeled "The pranks of Hap' Li'l Mose". No further descriptions are given; it's up to you to decide what's happening.

The moment I had a photocopy of the music, this became a staple in my repertoire. I've bored audiences to death with it over the years having performed it solo, with Elliott Adams, Tom Brier, Kevin Gunia, and just about anyone else unfortunate enough to sit at a second piano opposite me. I cannot put into words what I felt the first time I heard this incredible rag. The warmth and tingling I felt was truly religious. Or I had a stroke...

About 10 years ago, Elliott mentioned in passing he wondered what an orchestrated version would sound like. It's taken me that long to learn all the wrong things to do to effectively do them. I present to you my orchestral arrangement of Dr. T.A. Duggan's "Hap' Li'l Mose". I have admittedly not spent much time in Louisiana, though I am from the Gulf Coast. I tried to capture that Louisiana sound to accompany the image of a mischievous child getting into trouble and having fun. Since New Orleans had early ragtime, Latin music, and Caribbean music cooking at the same time (all of which I love), I tried to emulate them throughout the arrangement.

This is dedicated with as much love and respect as he deserves to my esteemed ragtime colleague, mentor, and friend, Dr. Elliott L. Adams. 'Ya know... He claims to be a doctor, but if you look at his diploma the "E" in his first name is backwards. And written in crayon...

(Elliott and I have been great friends for over a decade and have a very Jack Benny/George Burns type of friendship. We rib each other every chance we can. All jokes are made out of love...I think.)