Popularity of ragtime sheets and 88 note rolls. Informal poll
of 200 older folk.

Since a long hospitalization has ended, I have resumed being the piano
and organist for a great number of seasoned citizen centers, and have
watched my own collection of sheet music grow and grow.  The titles
should have been up on a web site for our MMD subscribers, but much of
it ended up on eBay and other sites.  The only problem in getting it up
on the site is that it is in a Works database format, and is missing
about 10,000 entries.  We had put up for auction through MMD about 2500
titles, rolls and things whereby a subscriber could have bid or
purchased a title.  The information was only in hard copy and 35 pages
long.

Anyways, getting back to the original topic, which might be of
interest to some ragtime, coon, cakewalk enthusiasts, excluding World
War 1, jazz and blues at this time.  For the past few months I have
played many many many titles for the old folks, and the staffs of these
institutions.  Today we did a final tally of the top ten pieces, (my
interpretation), probably internationally known pieces, and thought I
would list them, before my fingers give out.  I am listing these in
order of "Gee, I like that!.  Gee, I Remember That!" and so on.  I am
omitting any E. T. Paull titles because even though I have most of them,
the top ten might consist of the Paull, Harry Lincoln and others.

So here for a start, in order of greatness, with results that surprised
me, are the top ten of this year.  In most cases I have a file copy or
an original of these in sheet music format.

 1.  Oh! I Wish I Were Tarzan, Tarzan of the Apes (1921)
 2.  You'll Have to Show It To Mother Before You Give It To Me.
 3.  Dill Pickles (1906)
 4.  They're Wearing Higher in Hawaii (1916)
 5.  Down in Bom-Bom Bay (1915)
 6.  Kitten on the Keys
 7.  Wild Cherries (1908)
 8.  Temptation Rag (1909) - This one in on eBay now- (the auction at
       http://cayman.ebay.com/aw/
 9.  Yiddle on Your Fiddle, Play Some Ragtime - This in on eBay now
10.  Who Let The Cows Out ? (1910) played without the "moos"
        in the middle)

With all due respect to Tom Lehrer of the 1950's and Songs that
Never Made the Hymnal,

11.  When Ragtime Rosie Ragged the Rosary (1911).

Most of these 200 or so old timers love to hear these regularly.  I am
sure Robbie will admit that running through these, and others like this,
does tire out the fingers a bit.

I have lately ascertained that since the real organ piece, the Toccata
and Finale from the 5th Symphony by Widor can be done like "Tea for
Two" (with a straight face), you should sometime speed up the first
movement of the "Mondschein" (Moonlight Sonata) and syncopate it just
a bit, and viola', you see where Berlin got his "Puttin' On The Ritz".

Contact me, if you are into sheet music you can't find, or titles you
must have, or ideas you want to share.  It's good to be back with all
of you again, and fun to bring you up to date.  Anyone want to cut a
ragtime 88-note "dinner" roll?

My sincerest apologies for omitting two other great favorites on
my daily runs, and those are "Barney Google" and "Whistling Rufus".
The latter is popular as Vitaphone films cue sheet indicates its usage
in the teenage fight scenes of the young ruffians throwing rocks at
Mary Pickford.  A copy of this note is going to some of best sheet
music, ragtime, cakewalk and silent movie lovers.

I can make no comments on "Barney Google" -- every auction has it,
every piano bench has it up in this area, and old "Sparkpolug" the
windup toy, is coming back (at $600 a jump).

Bill Ryan
thebackroom@earthlink.net     or
The Backroom Piano (which is out for repairs right now)
Box 1, Castleton, New York 12033-0001

 [ Two-thirds of the songs on your list of Hits are performed regularly
 [ in a Santa Monica CA club by Rosie McHargue, now 96 years young!
 [ He's called 'Rosie' from singing, "When Rosie Riccola Do the
 [ Hula Ma Boola!"  -- Robbie