The First Recordings of Fifteen Classical Music Pieces (1896-1939) The Ragtime Chronicle 2026-09-23 | The First Recordings of Fifteen Classical Music Pieces (1896-1939)
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (1950) - Geraint Jones 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-10-02 | Spooky Month is underway, so to start with, I'm going to go with an unheard recording of the anthem of Halloween, Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Toccata and Fugue in D Minor', published in 1833, and written sometime between 1704-1740. Ghost pencil sketch credit:commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ghost_sketch_creepy_pencil_sketch.jpgFirst Recording of this song (J.J. McClellan):youtu.be/KwEaK_h6n44?si=5v6Lc0Tpmgulit-I
Dizzy Fingers (1922) by Zez Confrey [PIANO SOLO by Max Darewski] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-09-24 | Max Darewski, composer of Monkey Blues, covers Zez Confrey's famous and difficult novelty, Dizzy Fingers. This song reminds me of an episode from July 28, 2022, in which I ventured to Mackinac Island, Michigan, and biked the entire 8-mile perimeter of the island. Zez Confrey was the King of the Novelty Piano Genre, the composer of 'Kitten on the Keys,' 'Nickel in the Slot', and 'Coaxing the Piano'. His fast-paced novelties are only half of the picture of his range: his melancholic and refined jazz overtures 'Mighty Lackawanna', 'Moods of a New Yorker: Suite', and 'Motif du Concert' show a different side of his works that may merit more musicological attention. Listen to Eteri Andjaparidze's interpretations of Confrey's works to hear from both.More Zez Confrey: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGAQvbfY3Z3LYc7c4w3vXDAe8q3y26m8&si=0w-RDNaPZImyfrooZez Confrey Piano Recordings (1921-1924): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoMxRkQv7sQvNa1rWtUdrzrF&si=dvoTjpdnI7QfAKXy
Shoulder Straps (1906) by Egbert Van Alstyne [Played by Princes Military Band, 1907] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-09-24 | The record label is only half correct for this one. While this is the correct title and band, this recording is from Columbia cylinder 9166, which is 45 seconds shorter than the 78 rpm record shown here. But I put this record here because cylinders aren't interesting to look at. Egbert Van Alstyne (1878-1951) was the composer of such works as "Navajo" and "Honey Rag." He was more famous for his songs, including, "Memories" and the 1931 hit, "Beautiful Love."More Egbert Van Alstyne:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOSO_-O9H33hG3-lON2gvvL&si=7th8bNUYRDAEnso3
Only You (1915) by Clarence M. Jones [Played by Pathé Dance Orchestra] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-09-23 | Only You can support this channel by liking and subscribing. Clarence M. Jones was one of those ragtime composers who was able to switch forms from classical ragtime, to one-steps, to fox-trots, to novelty, and then to jazz. His versatility is what makes him stand out today. More Clarence M. Jones: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoMn8cfxw9ZsWxtbfNnxyb0G&si=R55K29b4coGOuGvc
Shades of Night (1916) by Malvin M. Franklin [Sung by Elizabeth Spencer & Walter Van Brunt] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-09-19 | Malvin M. Franklin & Russian-born composer Anatol Friedland collaborate on this charming waltzy tone picture. Lyrics by L. Wolfe Gilbert Malvin M. Franklin (1889-1981) was a master of such tangos as 'Rio de Janeiro', but he was also an experienced rag artist. 'Hot Chocolate', and 'Elephant Rag' are some of the said rags.More Malvin Franklin: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoMhpo0YegxJA-Wp7zMPy0l7&si=4oLhTol4InRFYnyw
Calico Rag (1914) by Nat Johnson [Xylophone Solo by Andrew Setaro, 1917] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-09-17 | Calico Rag is in pure classic rag style, and sounds like something James Scott or Charles L. Johnson would have wrote. But it was actually Nat Johnson, a relatively obscure figure in the ragtime community to write it. More ragtime songs about cats: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoNTqY2NJRt0g1HwOKnFvnzO&si=rJxMZZ0GTMSQEaiP
Pollyanna (1916) by Malvin M. Franklin [Sung by Henry Pinckney, 1917] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-09-16 | A short tune for tenor solo, accompanied by violin, cello, and piano. I'm pretty sure the piano is played by the composer, Malvin M. Franklin, but I can't be sure. I do know that a few other Emerson records of this era would sometimes include him as the pianist, and his composer credit is listed without the lyricist credit for Thomas Gray, so it's likely. Malvin M. Franklin (1889-1981) was a master of such tangos as 'Rio de Janeiro', but he was also an experienced rag artist. 'Hot Chocolate', and 'Elephant Rag' are some of the said rags.More Malvin Franklin: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoMhpo0YegxJA-Wp7zMPy0l7&si=4oLhTol4InRFYnyw
Sweet California (1923) - Vic Lauria 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-09-13 | REQUESTED BY @Mitchyboi A ukelele and vocal solo of an almost forgotten song by Vic Lauria. But here at the Ragtime Chronicle, we will remember it so you don't have to..wait no, that line's already been taken. Nevertheless, no matter how obscure, we will try to find it for our archive.Do you have an obscure song you'd like to see made into a Ragtime Chronicle video? You can make a request in a comment section under any of my videos, and as long as it is not on YouTube already, and I can find it online, I will make it!More Ragtime and Novelty Played by the Composer:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoNc3Iavg0O7Lm9il5yqkdBl&si=-MGCDaU2q3czeC4m
Then Ill Stop Loving You (1913) by Al Piantadosi [Sung by Henry Burr & Edgar Stoddard] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-09-11 | A companion piece to the song, 'That's How I Need You', by the same composer, with lyrics once again by Joseph McCarthy and Joe Goodwin. Al Piantadosi was an author of sentimental ballads and pop songs who had a long, successful career stretching from 1906 to 1955. His most stand out hits are 'Cowbells', 'That Italian Rag', and 'I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier.'More Al Piantadosi: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoMGzVFvNMALZ09sW0aTWHoV&si=YoiF4cng3nxeaSJf
Mean Blues (1925) - Art Gillham 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-09-07 | REQUESTED BY @Mitchyboi Art Gillham, the Whispering Pianist performs a somehow forgotten blues piece of his own creation, co-authored by Billy Smythe.Do you have an obscure song you'd like to see made into a Ragtime Chronicle video? You can make a request in a comment section under any of my videos, and as long as it is not on YouTube already, and I can find it online, I will make it!More Ragtime and Novelty Played by the Composer:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoNc3Iavg0O7Lm9il5yqkdBl&si=-MGCDaU2q3czeC4m
The Sounds of World War II - A Collection of Speeches and Songs 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-09-02 | Today, September 2, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, when the delegates of the United Nations and the Empire of Japan met to formally sign the articles of Japanese surrender, September 2, 1945. To commemorate this momentous milestone, I present another collection of fifteen speeches and fifteen songs, which together, weave a tapestry of courage, heroism, life, death, defeat, victory, and remembrance. #worldwar2 #vintagemusic #1940s #history #vjday #veday Recognition must be given to the YouTube channels that brought some of these sounds to light. Audio courtesy of the following channels:@worcesterjonny @RomanStyran @timgracyk @4TheRecord @ChuckOwl @warholsoup100 @literallynothinghere9089 @zenoobi @JLStanton1968 @arpakeun579 @BlondieJohnsonMusic @orions34ss @AlliedWorldWar2Archive @newaj_@Croonr1 @brians78s94 @britishpathe Many of these sound recordings are subject to copyright. All rights are reserved to their respective owners. These recordings are presented here for educational and historical purposes, as a collection of primary sources of the deadliest war in human experience. Full speeches can be found on the following playlist:youtube.com/playlist?list=PL49s0OKRAivzSTQQmcRMeZU5oIk-fFgBa&si=vgWTtZFOZ2mylT58My World War I version of this video:youtu.be/vaL3rodjCQo?si=ZocOOTW09sMUyN-aMore Music From the Second World War:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoPw8wS-nAPvB521n0G-dCAT&si=N2-26ZrwsJ90llGa
Hes Coming Back (1911) by Ted Snyder [Sung by Blossom Seeley] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-08-31 | Blossom Seeley, a famous vaudeville performer whose career spanned from the 19-aughts to the 1970s, covers an obscure Ted Snyder song.Ted Snyder, famous for writing 'Wild Cherries Rag' and 'The Sheik of Araby', and for collaborating with a young Irving Berlin, wrote this pop tune early into his career. Lyrics by Bert Kalmar.More Ted Snyder:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoONJBZmq6FnxD2tNzV5Y5a2&si=XirlHGr8zkmaHKy9
Say a Prayer for Palestine (1929) - Irving Kaufman 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-08-23 | On this day in history, August 23, 1929, violent riots broke out in Palestine, at the time under the control of a League of Nations Mandate of the United Kingdom, between the Arab Palestinians and Jewish settlers. It is said that the riots broke out over access of the holy site known as the Wailing Wall, after Zionist leaders refused to accept a British offer to share representation in the mandate that the Arab Palestinian leaders had agreed upon. Historian Avraham Sela described this riot as "unprecedented in the history of the Arab-Jewish conflict in Palestine, in duration, geographical scope and direct damage to life and property." 133 Jewish people were killed, and 116 Arab people were killed. It must be noted that 'Palestine' refers to the region, not the present-day country, the State of Palestine, which wasn't founded until 1988. Irving Kaufman, born to Russian-Jewish immigrants, favored the Zionist cause when he chose to sing this song. Words and music were written by Howard Johnson. Unfortunately, the violence of the era continues to this day, especially since the current war in the region that began in 2023. I thought it significant that this song is as true then as it is now. More on the 1929 Palestine Riots: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_Palestine_riots
The Silhouettes (1912) by William H. Tyers [Played by the Domino Band] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-08-22 | A paschal piece by William Henry Tyers, recorded in 1916 or 1917. The Domino Band didn't have many recordings, but it seems they preferred salon waltzes like this one. Erroneously, his name is spelled 'Tyers'.Will H. Tyers (1870-1924) was a famous arranger who gained prominence for his intermezzos and pacific island dances ('Maori'), ('Panama') , as well as his arrangements of famous tunes such as Scott Joplin's 'The Sycamore' and Tom Turpin's 'Harlem Rag.'More William H. Tyers:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoP3OAeUKV-4nW-Pbm_fWZLJ&si=FbTUrFY4OdzxWuFi
Aunt Jane (1905) by Egbert Van Alstyne [Played by the Victor Orchestra] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-08-21 | A march/two step, which is also entitled as 'Bolo Bolo'.Egbert Van Alstyne (1878-1951) was the composer of such works as "Navajo" and "Honey Rag." He was more famous for his songs, including, "Memories" and the 1931 hit, "Beautiful Love."More Egbert Van Alstyne:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOSO_-O9H33hG3-lON2gvvL&si=7th8bNUYRDAEnso3
Blue Goose Rag (1916) by Raymond Birch [Played by Rogers Band] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-08-20 | One of Charles L. Johnson's most popular rags, which he published under the pseudonym Raymond Birch, as recorded by a band of the era. Charles L. Johnson (1875-1950) is known for being prolific, as seen here. The author of "Dill Pickles Rag", "Porcupine Rag", "Crazy Bone Rag", and "Iola," he is one of the most well-known rag composers.More Charles L. Johnson:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOpJMsjIn_ov-Au5C4GSK7J&si=TesU6snS2J_H0f6z
Tell Me Pretty Maiden (1899) by Leslie Stuart [CORNET SOLO by Emil Keneke, 1901] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-08-16 | Emil Keneke, pioneer cornet soloist recording artist, plays the smash hit song from the 1899 musical, 'Florodora', later to become the #1 hit song of 1902. Harry Macdonough & Grace Spencer 1902 Version:youtu.be/uChBk8_VgQs?si=QlB4-DWxWvqobCKJ
Young Benjamin Franklin (1942) - Milton Cross 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-08-14 | A children's record from c. 1942, narrated by Milton Cross, with lyrics by Madge Tucker, and music by Molly Donaldson, a pseudonym for Muriel Pollock. It tells the story of Benjamin Franklin, the American founding father and scientist who held many offices in British North America and the fledgling United States in the 18th century, including President of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Postmaster General of the USA, Foreign Minister to Sweden and of France, President of the University of Pennsylvania, etc. Milton Cross also made a few other children’s records, namely, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, ‘Little Black Sambo’, ‘Christmas Eve in a Toy Shop’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Puss and Boots’, and ‘The Gingerbread Man’.Muriel Pollock, most well known today for 'Rooster Rag' (1917), is perhaps the most underrated female ragtime composer. While Charlotte Blake and May Aufderheide are much more remembered, Pollock trumps them both with her prolific list of songs, dozens of recordings (many of which she was pianist), and career spanning the ragtime, novelty, and jazz eras. Most female composers composed only about a dozen songs in the 1910s and then retired, without a 78 rpm recording to their name. More Muriel Pollock:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoPvKAa27pgiw4GD3u9q9mgd&si=y2jpSJlKjzLU_0kb
Hosanna (1905) by Egbert Van Alstyne [CORNET SOLO by Emil Keneke] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-08-13 | A cornet solo by Emil Keneke, a pioneer recording artist. Egbert Van Alstyne (1878-1951) was the composer of such works as "Navajo" and "Honey Rag." He was more famous for his songs, including, "Memories" and the 1931 hit, "Beautiful Love."More Egbert Van Alstyne:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOSO_-O9H33hG3-lON2gvvL&si=7th8bNUYRDAEnso3
A Soldiers Message Home (1943) - Mitchel A. Blecharczyk 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-08-01 | In 1943, Corporal Mitchel A. Blecharczyk sent these two voice messages home to his wife as he served as an army medic in the Pacific Theater of World War II. This was a common practice at the time, even companies like Pepsi-Cola got onboard to sponsor the creation of these records. This one was sponsored by the Seattle Serviceman's Club. Blecharczyk lived a long and happy life after the war ended, and died in 2010 at the age of 92. #worldwar2 #1940s #veterans Here is a training manual he wrote while stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana: archive.org/details/usarmymedictrain00mitc/mode/2upThis is the source I found for his gravestone. I am 99% positive this is the same person: findagrave.com/memorial/62385971/mitchel_anthony-blecharczyk
Nantucket (1910) by Kerry Mills [Played by the New York Military Band] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-31 | By the composer of 'At a Georgia Campmeeting', here's a 4-minute Edison Amberol Record playing one of his lesser known later works for military band. Mills, with the aforementioned hit, and others like ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’, ‘Rastus on Parade’, and ‘Happy Days in Dixie’, was an accomplished composer of the 1890s and early 1900s. Though his career continued into the 1910s and 20s, those songs are mysteriously underrepresented on YouTube. More Kerry Mills:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGAQvbfY3Z3EyNHtLw2oc7kl0sRbzo1n&si=FRnUoiOSf596c3IA
Aframerican Hymn (1916) by W.C. Handy [Sung by Handys Sacred Singers, 1929] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-30 | A departure from his usual blues-centric output, here is an obscure hymn from the 'Father of the Blues.' In 1919, it was dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in North America.#blues #78rpm #blackhistory They didn't call him Father of the Blues for nothing. William Christopher Handy's contributions to the blues genre singlehandedly crafted it into what it is today. His 'Memphis Blues', 'Saint Louis Blues', 'Beale Street Blues', 'Ole Miss Rag', and 'Yellow Dog Rag' are jazz standards and in the case of 'St. Louis', it has come to name a National Hockey League team and became the second most popular song of the first half of the 20th century (the first being White Christmas). Handy's music also has sentimental value for myself. When I was 12 years old, the coronavirus syndemic broke out and isolated me to the void of online schooling for 3 months. I made ragtime playlists to pass the time, and one of the composers I discovered was Handy. As my first exposure to 12 bar blues, I instantly found relatability- the dismal sympathy was common at the time. Further information on the beginning of the slave trade in North America in 1619, courtesy of Colonial National Historical Park: nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/african-americans-at-jamestown.htmMore W.C. Handy:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOO4o3aIp_47P3ok4f61FEW&si=-sr8JqfjELd4ueWz
Phoebe Thompsons Cake Walk (1899) by Sadie Koninsky [1900 Cylinder Recording, Metropolitan Band] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-29 | An exceedingly scarce cylinder recording of a rag from the cakewalk craze. And what's more, it was written by a woman, Sadie Koninsky. She was one of the most notable female composers of the era, and one of the first to use her birth name rather than a male-sounding pseuydonym. 'Eli Green's Cake Walk' (1898) is her other famous work, but she continued to compose until 1918. The cover art is outdated and derogatory. It is presented in its original form for historical purposes. More Sadie Koninsky: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOsErnA0BuoqIRx6DDgIqg3&si=v6pNR9Xvz6lH9dkv
Old Folks Rag (1914) by Wilbur Sweatman [Played by the Van Eps Trio] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-28 | The legendary Felix Arndt plays Wilbur Sweatman's ragtime hit, 'Old Folks Rag' for piano. He is accompanied by Fred Van Eps at the banjo and Edward King at the drums. Fred Van Eps was a very famous banjoist, who recorded from the 1890s to the 1950s. His son, George Van Eps, was also famous in his own right. Felix Arndt, a relative to French Emperor Napoleon III, was the father of novelty piano. His song 'Nola' from 1915 is regarded as the very example of this genre. But aside from that, he was no stranger to one steps, fox trots, waltzes, and popular songs. 'Clover Club', 'Toots', and 'Marionette' are examples of these. But you can't forget his ragtime arrangements of classical medleys, 'Desecration Rag' and 'Operatic Nightmare.' Unlike most ragtime composers of the era, he recorded piano solos of most of his songs and others, as well as piano rolls. I find these to be very valuable to the ragtime community.Felix Arndt died young before the novelty era formally arrived, at the height of his career. He contracted the infamous Spanish Influenza and died in 1918 at the age of 29. More Felix Arndt: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoMGlLb94xnPjmcULthr04AI&si=gXyys7p0BddriV0gMore Felix Arndt piano and celeste recordings:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGAQvbfY3Z2evd3Ws5JDn_CrgrohpzDQ&si=6CIyJp5Mqs_cRabz
Axel and the Ducks (1927) - Axel Christensen 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-25 | Axel Christensen, the Czar of Ragtime, gives one of his famous vaudeville monologues, and this time, he actually sings! I haven't heard one like that before. A rare recording of Axel Christensen's voice. This is a surviving remnant of his typical vaudeville routine, which consisted of the following, according to a 1927 promotional brochure:'For vaudeville, where his time is naturally limited to not more than 20 minutes, his routine is usually as follows:1. Novelty Piano Solo.2. Pianologue – A Reminder of Bert Williams, in colored dialect.3. Monologue – Skandinavian atmosphere in dialect and full of laughs.4. Piano Solo – Medley of popular tunes, played in his own style, with plenty of breaks, fills and embellishments to delight the modern music lover.5. Encore: His impression of a tobacco chewing old soldier telling a duck story.For club entertainments this routine is lengthened out to about 30 minutes by adding a character monologue in English dialect, such as:6. The Honorable Bassington- Bassington talks on Physiology.7 . Monologue – Mrs. Gilhooly's experience with the bottles, in Irish dialect.8. Piano Solo – A syncophonic version of the Overture "Poet and Peasant," or "An Alpine Storm."For full evening programs he delves deeper into his repertoire and gives serious pianologue readings such as James Whitcomb Riley's "An Old Sweetheart of Mine" and "The River Smile." This is followed by selected piano solos, interspersed with pianologues, monologues, stories, etc., etc.Anyway, when the evening is over you'll say you've been ENTERTAINED.'Brochure excerpt courtesy Ted Tjaden.More Axel Christensen:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGAQvbfY3Z2W89jwdwoQm3BlqRl0dlvE&si=PiULqgwK9kSHIbtR
Are You Lonesome To-Night? (1926) by Roy Turk & Lou Handman [Performed by Little Jack Little, 1927] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-21 | REQUESTED BY @Mitchyboi A sentimental ballad sung by 'Radio's Biggest Star', Little Jack Little. In this record, he imitates the famous singer, 'Whispering Jack' Smith, who sung all his lyrics at a low register set to a quiet piano accompaniment. This 'crooning' style of singing was made possible by the advent of electronic recording technology- acoustic recording technology could not pick up voices that quiet very clearly. The reverse side of this record: youtu.be/1Ffpta8Neyo?si=CdVDeiimTHsM0bp2(Pretty Pol', a novelty piano solo)Do you have an obscure song you'd like to see made into a Ragtime Chronicle video? You can make a request in a comment section under any of my videos, and as long as it is not on YouTube already, and I can find it online, I will make it!More Ragtime and Novelty Played by the Composer:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoNc3Iavg0O7Lm9il5yqkdBl&si=-MGCDaU2q3czeC4m
I Dont Think So (1925) - Wendell Hall 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-16 | REQUESTED BY @Mitchyboi A rare ukelele and novelty song by Wendell Hall and Gayle Grubb. Some content in this record is outdated and could be considered offensive today. It is presented here for its historic significance. Do you have an obscure song you'd like to see made into a Ragtime Chronicle video? You can make a request in a comment section under any of my videos, and as long as it is not on YouTube already, and I can find it online, I will make it!More Ragtime and Novelty Played by the Composer:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoNc3Iavg0O7Lm9il5yqkdBl&si=-MGCDaU2q3czeC4m
Pretty Pol (1927) - Little Jack Little 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-14 | REQUESTED BY @Mitchyboi A superb novelty piano solo played and composed by 'Radio's Biggest Star', Little Jack Little. Reverse side of this record:youtu.be/F35nJBQvPUg(Are You Lonesome Tonight, sentimental ballad)Do you have an obscure song you'd like to see made into a Ragtime Chronicle video? You can make a request in a comment section under any of my videos, and as long as it is not on YouTube already, and I can find it online, I will make it!More Ragtime and Novelty Played by the Composer:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoNc3Iavg0O7Lm9il5yqkdBl&si=-MGCDaU2q3czeC4m
Aunt Jemimas Birthday (1931) - Rube Bloom 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-11 | An extremely rare Rube Bloom piano solo of one of his novelty piano compositions, dated December 18, 1934. A-side of this record: youtu.be/nD15uPnCT2c?si=dkouxt4sGQEYpKwtRube Bloom is known for his distinctive novelty style that can be described as more subdued and closer related to smooth jazz. 'Futuristic Rag' (1923), 'Spring Fever' (1926), and 'Serenata' (1928) are evidence of his immense skill in piano-playing and composing. Later, during the 30s, 40s, 50s, and even 60s, he would shift to writing more jazz standards, but never abandoned novelty entirely despite its vogue dying out at the end of the Roaring Twenties. More Rube Bloom: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOaZ1MdQexEivHjj0pvu6Y1&si=C9SqI0zy5ClIRdpS
Sing Ling Ting (1914) by George L. Cobb [Played by the Van Eps Banta Trio in 1918] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-09 | One of George L. Cobb's Cadenza magazine publications, published in July of 1914, the month World War I formally broke out. It is played by the Van Eps Banta Trio, which consisted of banjo legend Fred Van Eps, who recorded songs for 50 years, Frank E. Banta on piano, and Nathan Glantz on saxophone. The name of this record would not fly today, as it was just to give an 'oriental' feel by making up Chinese-sounding nonsense.The flip side of this record is also a very good oriental song, recorded for another studio by the same band (Kirmanshah): youtu.be/jFD6gSH78iw?si=Lq8SlEX-8PDYS6n9George L. Cobb was a renowned ragtime composer, best known for his 'Russian Rag', a syncopated interpolation of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C Sharp Minor. Additionally, he wrote 'Baboon Bounce', 'Peter Gink', 'Rubber Plant Rag', and adapted to the novelty craze with the likes of 'Procrastination Rag', 'Snuggle Pup', 'New Russian Rag', and 'Piano Salad'.More George L. Cobb:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGAQvbfY3Z09IZSF4SMTvw6SduMJOcA1&si=XYPE_qs_HWfW8Kwo
One Finger Joe (1931) - Rube Bloom 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-07 | An extremely rare Rube Bloom piano solo of one of his novelty piano compositions, dated December 18, 1934. B-side of this record: youtu.be/JWyo83qhqEgRube Bloom is known for his distinctive novelty style that can be described as more subdued and closer related to smooth jazz. 'Futuristic Rag' (1923), 'Spring Fever' (1926), and 'Serenata' (1928) are evidence of his immense skill in piano-playing and composing. Later, during the 30s, 40s, 50s, and even 60s, he would shift to writing more jazz standards, but never abandoned novelty entirely despite its vogue dying out at the end of the Roaring Twenties. More Rube Bloom: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOaZ1MdQexEivHjj0pvu6Y1&si=C9SqI0zy5ClIRdpS
🇺🇸My Own United States🇺🇸 (1909) by Julian Edwards [Sung by David Irwin in 1917] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-05 | Happy 249th birthday to the United States of America! Here's a patriotic ditty for the occasion!Lyrics by Stanislaus Stangé#america #78rpm #4thofjuly2025 But don't stop there, here's a compilation of fifteen other vintage patriotic songs that I made last year:youtu.be/pNz7x4xx0SU?si=FGp2qtBbDNBnPvnQ
1892 RECORDING of Geisterfunken by Émile Waldteufel [Played by Frederick Gaisberg] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-03 | Frederick William Gaisberg plays Waldteufel's Opus No. 182 from 1884, all the way back on November 17, 1892! The clarity of the recording is impressive. This is a reupload, as 3 days ago, June 30, 2025, I posted an wavery and distorted version. I thought it was due to the recording technology, but it turns out, it was actually due to me turning on a volume booster on the tab I was playing the mp3 from. Now the recording is much better. The title is usually seen as L'Esprit Française (The French Spirit), but is shown here as a German variant, 'Geisterfunken'. May also be spelled 'Geistesfunken'.1895 Recording of 'My Beautiful Irish Maid': youtu.be/0dPLrYEe4es?si=puKFsDHeZX1e2t9u
Tell Me (1919) by Max Kortlander [Played by Duane Sawyer & Rex Battle] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-03 | A saxophone and piano duet of Max Kortlander's hit song, 'Tell Me', which became famous for its recordings by Arthur Fields, Al Jolson, and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.Max Kortlander was a QRS piano roll legend, alongside his frequent collaborator, Pete Wendling. Together they wrote, 'Whenever You're Lonesome' (1922), 'Scatter Your Smiles' (1926), and 'Felix the Cat' (1928), among others. If you're curious about Kortlander, check out his Wikipedia page...which I wrote!More Max Kortlander:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoN6YlV7OUvLV-nxmZ7rouhB&si=dAA2bVIa1IRtgkKQ
When Other Hearts Have Closed Their Doors (1909) by Ted Snyder [Sung by the Columbia Quartette] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-07-01 | Ted Snyder, famous for writing 'Wild Cherries Rag' and 'The Sheik of Araby', and for collaborating with a young Irving Berlin, wrote this pop tune early into his career. Lyrics by Benjamin F. BarnettMore Ted Snyder:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoONJBZmq6FnxD2tNzV5Y5a2&si=XirlHGr8zkmaHKy9
Kentucky Days (1912) by Percy Wenrich [Sung by Gene Greene and Played by Charley Straight, 1913] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-06-27 | Another self-proclaimed Ragtime King, Gene Greene, sings a Percy Wenrich rag, accompanied by a piano solo by famous pianist Charley Straight, who would go on to become a piano roll legend in the late 1910s and 1920s for his fast-paced novelties. Gene Greene is also known for being the first recorded scat singer, in a recording dating back to 1909, 'King of the Bungaloos', which just so happened to be a song written by Charley Straight.Lyrics by Jack MahoneyPercy Wenrich was the composer of 'The Smiler', 'Peaches and Cream', and 'That Skeleton Rag', and he was married to popular singer Dolly Connolly. They were quite the successful duo. I only wish I could find the rare test recordings of them singing together in 1922. More Percy Wenrich: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOaucZ7Yk5xUsF6eFtuL7sw&si=fzRY6VGEb0AeWjoWMore Charley Straight: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoNoSwCvRiQ2LbxVkLBQKglE&si=Oa99L4c577T3eCUW
In All Dreams, I Dream of You (1910) by Al Piantadosi [Sung by Frank Coombs & William H. Thompson] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-06-26 | A 1911 recording of your typical 1910s ballad. Lyrics by Joseph McCartneyAl Piantadosi was an author of sentimental ballads and pop songs who had a long, successful career stretching from 1906 to 1955. His most stand out hits are 'Cowbells', 'That Italian Rag', and 'I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier.'More Al Piantadosi: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoMGzVFvNMALZ09sW0aTWHoV&si=YoiF4cng3nxeaSJf
That Aint Right (1947) - Sonny Williams & Eddie Barefield & His Quintette 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-06-25 | 'That Ain't Right (To Boogie on Sunday)' is a forgotten late-career song by the blues legend and proto rock and roll pioneer, Charles 'Cow Cow' Davenport. It was written in 1946 or 1947, as a collaboration with Enoch Williams (who is the vocalist in this record under the name Sonny Williams) and Cow Cow's wife, Peggy Davenport.Cow Cow Davenport began his career strong with a composing credit for 1924's 'You Might P'izen Me' alongside the great Clarence Williams. After that, he distinguished himself with his namesake hit, 'Cow Cow Blues' in 1928, a early boogie woogie piano solo that could also be described as early rock and roll. Though most records were slow blues from then on out, he would still release a fast-paced boogie woogie song every now and then. These included, 'State Street Jive' (1929) and 'Atlanta Rag' (inspired by Carey Morgan's 1915 ragtime classic, 'Trilby Rag') (1929). After 1930, Cow Cow faded into obscurity, due to the Great Depression leading to a slowing down of record sales and a paralysis in his right hand. But starting in 1940, enough musicologists began to show an interest in him for him to return to the recording studio for a few more songs. He would periodically write and record songs until his premature death of artery failure in 1955 at the age of 61. More Cow Cow Davenport:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoPCN7KhUHpoA1v9yKcarB_B
Ramblin Sam (1905) by Jean Schwartz [Sung by Bob Roberts] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-06-24 | A song from the 1905 musical, 'The Athletic Girl'. DISCLAIMER: The sheet music cover and record label present outdated racial stereotypes and a slang term that would not fly today. This song is presented for its historical value. Lyrics by Harry WilliamsAlong with Irving Berlin and the Von Tilzers, Jean Schwartz was one of the most successful 'ragtime song' writers. He is well-known for his 'Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody', 'The White Wash Man', 'Trust in Me', and 'The Franco-American Rag'. More Jean Schwartz:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoPJvyTxIXj73BrRmlntjV-x&si=dYOnhgdWU7sV09kW
Sweet Georgia Brown (1925) by Ben Bernie & Maceo Pinkard [Played by EUBIE BLAKE AND HIS ORCHESTRA] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-06-23 | I am very pleased to revive another Eubie Blake recording from 1931, one of which he plays alongside the orchestra bearing his name and is backed by vocalist Dick Robertson. He is accompanied by George Rickson on a second piano. In this record, they play the No. 1 hit from 1925, Sweet Georgia Brown, a well-known jazz standard.Lyrics by Kenneth CaseyThough we get only get his piano skills in the background of this recording, the legendary Eubie Blake has many others, ranging from the 1910s to the 1980s. With his first song in 1903, 'Charleston Rag', James Hubert 'Eubie' Blake began a rise to stardom unlike any other. He was a leading composer of East Coast ragtime in the 1910s, writing 'Chevy Chase', 'Fizz Water', and 'Bugle Call Rag', before going into show business in the 20s. His musical, 'Shuffle Along' became the first African-American musical on Broadway, and was a smashing success. 'Bandana Days', 'I'm Just Wild About Harry', and 'Love Will Find A Way' became standards. He also took up recording, his first recordings being with the Eubie Blake Trio in 1917. But once he teamed up with singer Noble Sissle, it was clear this was a match made in heaven. He made numerous blues, jazz, and show tune piano recordings accompanied by Sissle, earning him even more fame on vaudeville. After Blake stopped recording after 1931, he faded a bit into obscurity. While still composing, he was mostly a background character for many years. But the ragtime revivals of the 1950s and 70s brought him back into the limelight in a big way. As one of the last ragtimists left alive by the 70s, he grew many accolades from not just the ragtime community, but also the more casual jazz fans and even the cultural elites. He was given so many awards that I'm not going to list them all; go look them up on Wikipedia. But the most notable was the Presidential Medal of Freedom given to him in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan. Yes, he played for the POTUS. Eubie Blake died on February 12, 1983. He was 96 (100 if you still subscribe to the debunked 1883 birthdate). He now has a high school named after him in Maryland. This record is not yet public domain; all rights reserved to the copyright owner. Obviously, these videos are not posted for financial gain.More Eubie Blake:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGAQvbfY3Z0sa9XJJAH9gxYaafJq7hny&si=77IpptDF0s4saAErMore Eubie Blake 78rpm Recordings (1917-1931):youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoPWgADRDRsB_AiB8bcX82F_&si=eQQvG4H-hKdLGgFJ
Love Me (1911) by Albert Gumble [Sung by Frederick V. Bowers] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-06-01 | An obscure Tin Pan Alley song from the prolific and famed pop composer Albert Gumble.Lyrics by Edward MaddenAlbert Gumble was a popular song artist foremost, with hits such as 'Are You Sincere?' (1908), 'Winter', (1910), and 'Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm' (1914), but he also wrote several ragtime classics, such as 'The Georgia Rag' (1910), 'The Bolo Rag' (1908), and 'Tackin' 'Em Down' (1918).More Albert Gumble: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoNbf88GBoBFzlwWCtaWpD58&si=jww3XmdQWpsidkLS
Three English Kings: Their Britannic Majesties (1939) 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-05-29 | A compilation of four speeches by three Kings of the United Kingdom, narrated by D.G. Rowse:-Empire Day Messages To The Boys and Girls of The British Empire (1923) *King George V (r. 1910-1936)*-Sportmanship (1924)*King Edward VIII (r. 1936)*-Farewell Address of King Edward VIII*King Edward VIII (r. 1936)*-The King to His People, 3rd of September, 1939*King George VI (r. 1936-1952)*(The record label and narrator say the wrong dates for some reason).#uk #monarchy #history #78rpm
We Will Trust You As Our Leader (1911) by Scott Joplin [1976 SMOOTH JAZZ SOLO] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-05-28 | Mike Wofford plays a famed Treemonisha opera segment, the penultimate song, where Treemonisha is elected as leader of her community in the aftermath of her kidnapping. This is one of my favorite songs, not just in the opera, but in general. It reminds me of the last day of school back in 8th Grade, when we spent the day in the town park, one of the last times we were completely free of responsibility.#ragtime #scottjoplin #smoothjazz ©1976 Flying Dutchman Productions, Ltd. More Scott Joplin: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGAQvbfY3Z3FDwU5UdnwCnkd7zkbX4mS&si=dlDrjm5EjRfaaUKtFull album of this song:youtu.be/BL_43JExzVY?si=vnv4U-eSJCvV5Rxh
Memorial Day Address (1947) - President Manuel Roxas of the Philippines 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-05-26 | Manuel Roxas, President of the Republic of the Philippines from its independence in 1946 to 1948, gives a speech on May 30, 1947 stressing solidarity with the United States of America and its commitment to honoring those lost in the recently concluded Second World War. He goes on to speak about the need for the prevention of future conflicts, and the need for American hegemony to secure world peace. #history #philippines #1940s Throughout the video is a slideshow showing scenes of the invasion of the Philippines in World War II, United Nations pamphlets and posters, and photos of the upcoming Korean War to illustrate the points President Roxas speaks about. I wish you a solemn and impactful Memorial Day 2025, for those of us in the United States, and across the world.
🎓Pomp and Circumstance🎓 (1920 RECORDING by the Gino Marinuzzi Symphony Orchestra) 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-05-23 | Today, I graduate from high school. From May 28, 2021 to May 23, 2025, this epoch of my life has been an eventful one. I could never have imagined what I would accomplish in that time. Namely, a ragtime and classical music channel of 312 subscribers, an expedition to Paris, Monaco, Nice, Milan, and Vaduz, the unification of my friend groups, 34 credit hours of academic study, a steady relationship of six months, and a successful career in golf and tennis, among others. I am grateful for the 312 of you who have supported my endeavors along the way. I am now to pursue a career in political science and law at the University of Akron. Thank you for your continued subscription during this busy senior year. -The Ragtime ChronicleTo celebrate, I bring to you a 1920 recording of the 1904 song by Sir Edward Elgar, Pomp and Circumstance: March No. 1, by Italian composer Gino Marinuzzi (not to be confused with his son of the same name, who went on to become an esteemed film composer).
I Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down (1908) by Fleta Jan Brown [Sung by the Rambler Minstrel Company] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-05-15 | A 1909 record by a minstrel company, once a popular form of entertainment in America. The opening chorus is 'My Wild Deer' (1908) with lyrics by Alfred Bryan and music by Ted Snyder.Fleta Jan Brown, wife of composer Herbert Spencer, was the composer of 'Tanglefoot Rag' and 'Funny Face.'
Deacon Arch Jones Experience (c. 1927) by Axel Christensen 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-05-10 | Axel Christensen, the Czar of Ragtime, gives one of his famous vaudeville monologues, date unknown, but probably around 1927.Written by J.B. Bluford.A rare recording of Axel Christensen's voice. This is a surviving remnant of his typical vaudeville routine, which consisted of the following, according to a 1927 promotional brochure:'For vaudeville, where his time is naturally limited to not more than 20 minutes, his routine is usually as follows:1. Novelty Piano Solo.2. Pianologue – A Reminder of Bert Williams, in colored dialect.3. Monologue – Skandinavian atmosphere in dialect and full of laughs.4. Piano Solo – Medley of popular tunes, played in his own style, with plenty of breaks, fills and embellishments to delight the modern music lover.5. Encore: His impression of a tobacco chewing old soldier telling a duck story.For club entertainments this routine is lengthened out to about 30 minutes by adding a character monologue in English dialect, such as:6. The Honorable Bassington- Bassington talks on Physiology.7 . Monologue – Mrs. Gilhooly's experience with the bottles, in Irish dialect.8. Piano Solo – A syncophonic version of the Overture "Poet and Peasant," or "An Alpine Storm."For full evening programs he delves deeper into his repertoire and gives serious pianologue readings such as James Whitcomb Riley's "An Old Sweetheart of Mine" and "The River Smile." This is followed by selected piano solos, interspersed with pianologues, monologues, stories, etc., etc.Anyway, when the evening is over you'll say you've been ENTERTAINED.'Brochure excerpt courtesy Ted Tjaden.More Axel Christensen:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGAQvbfY3Z2W89jwdwoQm3BlqRl0dlvE&si=PiULqgwK9kSHIbtR
Youre the One (1930) by Vincent Youmans [Played by the Leo Reisman Orchestra, Sung by Lew Conrad] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-05-09 | An unreleased recording made for the 1930 film, 'What a Widow!', starring Gloria Swanson, and produced by the father of JFK, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. Lyrics by J. Russel Robinson and George WaggnerVincent Youmans was a Broadway composer best known for his musical, 'No, No, Nanette,' in which featured the enduring classic, 'Tea for Two' (1924). J. Russel Robinson was a famed composer who had a 50 year career from 1909-1959. Starting off as a composer of classic ragtime at John Stark and Sons, he later became a piano roll artist and joined the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. He composed popular songs such as 'Sapho Rag', 'Dynamite Rag', 'Margie', 'Go Wash and Elephant' and 'A Portrait of Jennie', among many more.More J. Russel Robinson:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGAQvbfY3Z3NJyvwL5g1ZwPrTJgr101R&si=zut00qV50wysde3o
A Birthday (1909) by R. Huntington Woodman [Christina Rosetti Poem Sung by Alma Peterson in 1927] 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-05-04 | 1913 Florence Hinkle Version: youtu.be/LHGSnPTwypw?si=NYm4NhUwqMM7tlmkToday is my 18th birthday, so I found a 1927 electronically-recorded version of last years' birthday upload, which was sung by Florence Hinkle in 1913. They sound remarkably similar for the incredibly different musical eras. The 1927 Alma Peterson version is longer, with an instrumental in the middle. The lyrics are from a Christina Rosetti poem from 1857:My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;My heart is like an apple-tree Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;My heart is like a rainbow shell That paddles in a halcyon sea;My heart is gladder than all these Because my love is come to me.Raise me a dais of silk and down; Hang it with vair and purple dyes;Carve it in doves and pomegranates, And peacocks with a hundred eyes;Work it in gold and silver grapes, In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;Because the birthday of my life Is come, my love is come to me.Music was added by Raymond Huntington Woodman in 1909.
Torellis Concerto in D (1938) - Hermann Diener and His Music College 🎃The Ragtime Chronicle🎃 2025-05-01 | B-side (First recording of Pachelbel's Canon in D): youtu.be/KFz9fpqinNU?si=0f6iyACRYY5LXRceBefore August 2024, Pachelbel's Canon's first recording was said by Wikipedia to be the 1940 version by Arthur Fiedler. But then I discovered a version from 1938. Though this B-side is now more historically significant, the A-side was the side the band prioritized (B-sides are practically bonus content a lot of the time). The said A-side was Torelli's Concerto in D, Opus 6, No. 10. Still a famous piece, but by no means close to the Canon's fame by modern standards. It was written around 1698 by Giuseppe Torelli, but wasn't published until 1931. This recording was recorded in the German Reich on September 15, 1938. The German label, 'Kleines Konzert in D-Moll', translates to 'Little Concerto in D Minor'.The First Recordings of Various Classical Music Pieces: youtu.be/MiwMv6hE1sE?si=1aD71sOEXteoBiZK
