James Scott Ragtime Oriole 1910s piano roll pianolized by Artis Wodehouse

Описание: Artis Wodehouse pianolizes a 1910s 88 note piano roll arrangement of James Scott's (1885-1938) classic ragtime, Ragtime Oriole on a 1912 foot-pump player piano.

This 1910s 88 Note piano roll 300643 (an Aeolian product) was created by roll editors who cut in the notes and rhythms of Scott's published sheet music into the paper roll (called a stencil). They layered in additional notes, to create a fuller, more orchestral sound. This was a characteristic approach from the beginning of the piano roll era, and continued, particularly in popular piano roll arrangements.

Wodehouse realizes through varied foot-pumping the dynamics that were printed on the roll as a dotted expression line, ranging from medium loud to loud. Although Scott's printed sheet music admonishes the performer to play the composition "Not fast", roll arrangements of the 1910s were sometimes conceived for a more up-tempo playback. Wodehouse plays the selection at the speed indicated on the roll (tempo 80).

James Sylvester Scott was an American ragtime composer and pianist, one of the three most important composers of classic ragtime, along with Scott Joplin and Joseph Lamb.

Below is a summary of Scott's work written by Chris Morrison:
"Sometimes called the Little Professor, James Scott (1885-1938) is one of the seminal figures in the history of ragtime, bringing to his piano works a virtuosity that influenced many jazz performers. Although his music never reached the kind of audience Scott Joplin's did and was largely ignored in the decades after his death, Scott has since taken his rightful place in the history of American music.

The child of former slaves, Scott learned the rudiments of piano by listening to his mother play and subsequently took lessons from John Coleman, who quickly recognized the young man's talents (and perfect pitch). After a couple of years playing in saloons and at dances, he started working at the Dumars Music Company in 1902, eventually becoming a clerk and song demonstrator. Scott's earliest known compositions, The Fascinator and A Summer Breeze were published by Dumars in 1903. In 1906, Scott traveled to St. Louis and met Scott Joplin, who in turn introduced Scott to publisher John Stark. Later that year, Stark published what became Scott's best-known work, the Frog Legs Rag, and most of his subsequent music was published by the Stark firm."