What started the 1970 Area
By Mark Lutton, forwarded by Terry Smythe
From: mlutton@world.std.com To: ALL
Subj: Re: What started the 1970 Area: 1-rec.music.ragti Date: 04/19/95
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shults@netcom.com (Thomas P. Shults) writes:
>Was there a particular event or person principly responsible for
>the 1970's [ragtime] revival? Or, is it hard to pin down exactly how the
>renewed interest was generated?
>Thanks,
>Tom Shults
A brief (moderately accurate) chronology:
1950's - 1960's Max Morath and others continue to keep ragtime alive but are ignored more and more by the general public.
1970 Joshua Rifkin (classical pianist, arranger and conductor, and A&R man, I think, for Electra/Nonesuch) records 8 Joplin rags for Nonesuch. New York Public Library publishes "Scott Joplin: Collected Piano Works." This brings ragtime to the attention of classical musicians and classical music lovers.
1971 (or 1972?) Gunther Schuller forms the New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble and records "The Red Back Book" (contemporary arrangements of Joplin rags, some by Joplin himself I think) for Angel/EMI. More classical musicians notice it.
1973 George Roy Hill, directing "The Sting", needs music; hears Schuller's record; decides that this is EXACTLY the music he needs (not knowing or not caring that at the time the movie is set, nobody but moldy figs had played ragtime for more than 10 years -- imagine scoring "Bonfire of the Vanities" with 70's disco music!). Calls Schuller, insists that Schuller drop everything and fly out to Hollywood. Schuller is in the middle of Fromm Week at Tanglewood and can't spare the time. Hill hires Marvin Hamlisch to arrange and conduct the music. Movie is released, big hit, Hamlisch wins Oscar, and now EVERYONE is aware of ragtime music. "The Entertainer" gets overexposed and has not yet recovered.
1980's Icecream trucks are programmed to play "The Entertainer" on their electronic bells. "The Entertainer" second only to "Fur Elise" in renditions on little automatic electronic devices such as watches and doorbells.
1993 Reverend Lovejoy fails in his attempt to play "The Entertainer" on his church pipe organ.
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Mark Lutton mlutton@world.std.com |
(Message sent Thu 20 Apr 1995, 00:27:13 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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