Originally written as a piano duet. The solo version most likely is either by the composer or by Alexander Siloti to whom the work is dedicated.
D Minor

Structure: INTRO AA BB A CC

Named after a popular hotel in the St. Louis sporting belt, this is a beautiful, melodic rag of the end of St. Louis ragtime and one of Stark's last publications.

Reinhold Glière (1875 - 1956) was a composer in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union of German and Polish descent.

Andante

Nr.4 La Gita in Gondola - Soirées Musicales -Rossini / Liszt Transcription

In 'La Gita in Gondola' ("A Gondola Excursion" - G Major) Liszt only used one of the two original Rossini strophes.
The simple melody and typically italianate piano accompaniment was only slightly embellished by Liszt.

'Voli l'agile barchetta, voga, voga a marinar, or qu'Elvira mia diletta a me in braccio sfida il mar'

Nr.6 La Pastorella dell'Alpi - Soirées Musicales - Rossini / Liszt transcription

La Pastorella dell'Alpi ("The Shepherdess of the Alps" - C Major) was the focus of Liszt's second grand fantasy. However, in this more restraint transcription, he did little to alter Rossini's piece which is a stylized musical setting of the Tyrolean yodel.

Son bella pastorella,
Che scende ogni mattino
Ed offre un cestellino
Di fresche frutta e fior.

Nr.3 L'invito : Soirées Musicales - Rossini / Liszt transcription.

L'invito ("The invitation" - A minor) is a BOLERO in rondo form. In Liszt's hands the final return of the theme turns into an authentic polonaise.
The piece has a sweet, almost sensual character with an enticing smile from beginning to end.

It is not clear why Liszt chose to re-order Rossini's twelve pieces (songs) when publishing his transcriptions.Only the first, sixth and last pieces are in their original order (L'invito is originally nr. 5).

"Vieni, o Ruggiero, la tua Eloisa, da te divisa non può restar:
alle mi lacrime, già rispondevi, vieni, ricevi il mio pregar."

Seguidilla from 'Carmen' : Près des remparts de Séville - Georges Bizet - Soloversion in D flat with adjusted supporting "altviolins" at : 'Mon pauvre coeur, très consolable, mon coeur est libre comme l'air" ...
Although beginning in F, the key is (predominantly) D flat major (Original key: D Major)
Georges Bizet 1838 - 1875

Près des remparts de Séville, chez mon ami, Lillas Pastia
J'irai danser la Séguedille, et boire du Manzanilla.
J'irai chez mon ami Lillas Pastia.
Oui, mais toute seule on s'ennuie, et les vrais plaisirs sont à deux;
Donc, pour me tenir compagnie, j'emmènerai mon amoureux !
Mon amoureux, il est au diable, je l'ai mis à la porte hier !
Mon pauvre coeur très consolable, mon coeur est libre comme l'air !
J'ai les galants à la douzaine, mais ils ne sont pas à mon gré.
Voici la fin de la semaine; qui veut m'aimer? Je l'aimerai !
Qui veut mon âme? elle est à prendre, vous arrivez au bon moment !
Je n'ai guère le temps d'attendre, car avec mon nouvel amant,
Près des remparts de Séville, chez mon ami, Lillas Pastia !

Little bird, singing its repetitive song on a frond

Giacomo Puccini 1858 - 1924

E l'uccelino, canta sulla fronda: dormi tranquillo, boccucia d'amore :
Piegala giù quella testina bionda, della tua mamma posala sul cuore

Seguidilla from 'Carmen' : Près des remparts de Séville - Georges Bizet - Soloversion
Although beginning in F sharp, the key is (predominantly) D major
Georges Bizet 1838 - 1875

Près des remparts de Séville, chez mon ami, Lillas Pastia
J'irai danser la Séguedille, et boire du Manzanilla.
J'irai chez mon ami Lillas Pastia.
Oui, mais toute seule on s'ennuie, et les vrais plaisirs sont à deux;
Donc, pour me tenir compagnie, j'emmènerai mon amoureux !
Mon amoureux, il est au diable, je l'ai mis à la porte hier !
Mon pauvre coeur très consolable, mon coeur est libre comme l'air !
J'ai les galants à la douzaine, mais ils ne sont pas à mon gré.
Voici la fin de la semaine; qui veut m'aimer? Je l'aimerai !
Qui veut mon âme? elle est à prendre, vous arrivez au bon moment !
Je n'ai guère le temps d'attendre, car avec mon nouvel amant,
Près des remparts de Séville, chez mon ami, Lillas Pastia !

A Two Step and Hotrag Swing in G Major

Structure : INTRO AA BB A CC A....
'Moderato, gracefully and not fast'

Unlike the other Scott rags, this one is written in dotted-rhythm - in the style of the late teens' foxtrots.
The A-section cleverly uses the final section of 'Climax Rag'. In the B-section, which is linked and can be considered a development of A, we can hear what would become in 1950 part of the 'Old Piano Roll Blues'.
A most charming addition to the Scott catalogue.

Original key: C major / Not copyrighted but published in 1918

Structure : AA BB A TRIO - INTERLUDE - TRIO

Original Key : C minor

See also: Southern Rag Medley Nr. 2 [April 21st]

I get a chicken on my back - there's a bulldog on my track
But I'll make it to my shack - 'Fore day
Oh, make me a pallet on a your floor -
Oh, no Babe !
I'm a goin' to tell you the truth - I certainly does love dat yellow man
I'm goin' to buy him all the cigarettes and chewing gum a that I can
I'm a goin' to put him on the stage and dress him up like that minstrel man
Just because I love dat yellow man.
Dat nigger got lucky at last. [Strains From The Alleys]

Key: C Major - 1909 - See also : 'Golliwog's CakeWalk' [april 22nd]

Debussy regularly sought exotic influences. In The Little Nigar (Debussy chose to spell it like this), he alluded to banjo chords and drums, influenced by American minstrel shows. The piece, marked allegro, begins with a first theme presenting "jazzy" syncopes in 2/4 time, in the then popular ragtime style. It is followed by a lyrical passage, marked espressivo and pianissimo (very softly), which leads to a return of the first section. The first theme leans towards pentatonic, and is accompanied by a chromatic sequence of broken minor thirds. [Source: Wiki]

Vladimir Rebikoff (1866 - 1920)

Mignon - Valse in G Major.

Rebikoff is best known by way of his insubstantial music in salon genres.

Book I : Prelude VIII - Gb Major

La fille aux cheveux de lin / The girl with the flaxen hair / Das mädchen mit den Flachshaaren / Het meisje met het vlasblonde haar

KAWAI CA 800 Digital Piano offers three demos:

1. Jazz Demo - - [June 15th]
2. Chopin's Polonaise in A (abridged)
3. Debussy's Arabesque in E (abridged)

Structure : INTRO AA B CC D

Section-A is in the key of C major. Section-B begins abrupt in the key of A flat, and repeats 8 measures.
Section-C contains the usual 16 measures, also in A flat, and is somewhat reminiscent of 'Possum and Taters' [available].
Section-D is a 32-measure march-like section in D flat.

Charles Hunter (1876-1906) attended the School for the Blind in Nashville where he was taught the trade of piano tuning.He contracted tuberculosis and died before reaching thirthy.

Structure : INTRO AA BB CC INTRO-2 AA ///

The most fascinating of all St. Louis rags published by small firms. Section-A is the first scored 12-bar blues found to date.
B and C melodically and harmonically have an air of Joplin which isn't surprising as both Joplin and Stark were known to Chapman.
This rag was kept alive by its co-composer, Leroy Smit, who is listed as having performed it at a birthday party, as chronicled in the may 25, 1907 issue of the St. Louis Palladium.

Structure : INTRO - AA BB A TRIO B [Eb]

Key : Bb

Structure : INTRO A B C B C

The A-section is spiced with a chromatic run, a bit of Turpin's dramatic pianistics, and one that Classic rag composer James Scott would use ten years later in the same context (Ophelia Rag), C is the busy single-note line here, a tradition that harks back to virtuoso fiddle and banjo playing.

Composer of the famous Bowery Buck [available]

Structure: INTRO AA BB A TRIO-INTRO CC [D]D

This first Scott work is greatly influenced by Scott Joplin's work. While the format is identical, the first three sections indicate a general appreciation of Joplin's ideas, but the D-section is an outright steal (!) from the B-section of 'Elite Syncopations' [available].
Nevertheless, there is an indication of originality, especialy in the trio, which has a brassy but artistic use of parallelism.

1903

Structure : INTRO AA BB A TRIO-INTRO [C]C [B]B

Undoubtedly a Stark title (Publisher, he was known to have disliked Jazz). Ironically, the rag uses many devices which would become common in the twenties jazz band performances.

Structure : INTRO AA BB CC INTRO [B]B

The trio uses the same harmonic progression found in such later popular songs as 'Birth of the Blues' and 'Tip Toe Through the Tulips'.

Structure : INTRO AA BB A CC [D]D

Scott's cleverness is clearly illustrated in this rag. His long elegantly flowing melody is amply demonstrated in the B-section, heralding beautiful melodies to come. The C-section takes a Joplinesque turn : in tune with the heavy influence of the 1901-1902 Joplin rags, he modulates at the trio from A flat to C, copying the same idea in Joplin's 'Breeze from Alabama'.
The D-section has ideas incorporated from the 'Peacherine Rag' trio by Joplin.

1903