The Morris Museum is pleased to announce the opening of its latest
exhibition, "Rags, Those Beautiful Rags: Ragtime Music from the
Guinness Collection", which runs June 20th, 2013 through November
10th, 2013.  This exhibit celebrates the ragtime origins and its
difficulty overcoming the established societal 'norms' of the day,
through to the successful popularization of Ragtime music.

The exhibition includes two dozen examples of rare period sheet
music featuring eye-catching "Tin Pan Alley" artwork, plus numerous
ragtime-playing mechanical musical instruments from the Murtogh D.
Guinness Collection, some rarely seen by the public in-person.  In
addition, there are multiple audio kiosk stations where visitors can
listen to those actual instruments, performing those period, syncopated
melodies, the earliest being an 1852 cylinder musical box performance
of Louis Moreau Gottschalk's "Bamboula, Danse des Negres".  The latest
being a Seeburg "L" (Lilliputian) coin piano from the late 1920s, made
by J.P. Seeburg Piano Company, Chicago, IL.

Besides all the fabulous illustrated artwork that is displayed, other
exhibition highlights include a Regina Hexaphone (style 103) from 1917
made by the Regina (Music Box) Company of Rahway, New Jersey which
plays "The Music Box Rag" by Julius Lenzberg and "The International
Rag" by Irving Berlin.  Also featured is a Wurlitzer Automatic Harp
(style A), from about 1905- 1907, made by J.W. Whitlock & Co. (sold by
Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.), of Rising Sun, IN.  This instrument performs
"Harlem Rag" by Tom Turpin, "Gladiolus Rag" by Scott Joplin and other
selections.  In addition, the show includes a rare Banjo Player
Automaton, made by Adolph Müller, Germany, c. 1895-1900.

Even though most the public have some knowledge and appreciation about
the ragtime craze that swept America in the 1890s, few realize the
importance of it having been fortuitously assisted by the availability
of American-made musical boxes, street pianos, street organs,
self-playing pianos, and some of the first published sheet music
originating from "Tin Pan Alley."  It was via these public-venue
entertainment devices that much of the everyday public was introduced
to these new, tantalizing, 'ragged' rhythms.  The timely convergence of
this new musical genre, the piano industry, music publishing, residual
compensation for artists and the wide range of mechanical musical
instruments, made it a unique American product and experience.

We invite all to come visit and enjoy this exhibit during its run here
at the Morris Museum, June 20th, 2013 through Nov. 10th, 2013.  (Note:
the Museum will be closed August 18th through Sept. 2nd.)

Enjoy!

Jere Ryder - Conservator of the Guinness Collection
Morris Museum, Morristown, New Jersey

 [ Ref. http://www.morrismuseum.org/current-exhibitions/  -- Robbie