Nov 28, 2018 ben harney, on the other hand, claimed that he was the inventor of ragtime. The following year, ben harney 18721938 published a popular ragtime piano solo, youve been a good old wagon but you done broke down, and so begins the flood of rags into middle america. Ben harney originates ragtime at tony pastors vaudeville house in new york the white vaudeville performer ben harney sang songs and piano music based on african american music he had heard in the midwest. Southern and white, ben harney was credited as the originator of ragtime. According to his marriage license, harney was born onboard a steamer, which might account for the fact that his birthplace is variously mentioned as louisville, nashville, and middlesboro. Oct 22, 1975 edward pierson, another experienced opera hand, made a rousing appearance as parson alltalk, and ben harney could not have been more unrepentant and devilish as the conjurer zodzetrick. Tony pastor, who was the founding force behind vaudeville, ben harney who was named ragtime s father in 1938. Ragtime music its composers and influence, free piano rags to. Ben harneys ragtime instructor by ben harney 1897, ragtime.
He is exceptionally talented, and black musicians unsuccessfully try to assert that the style belongs to them. Interviewed in 1897, kentuckyborn pianist ben harney 18711938 theorized that the origins of ragtime music lay in this shortened fifth string. Treemonisha, the legend arrives the new york times. Scott joplins school of ragtime is pretty much the easiest real ragtime youre. In an appreciation that appeared in time magazine on march 14, 1938, a week after his death, he was described as ragtime s father. Sheet music collection, the john hay library, brown university library.
I first presented this material on brahms and ragtime at the symposium of the. He also organized and directed a variety show called ragtime reception. The name ben harvey, at the start of this video, is the producers blooper. At tony pastors vaudeville house in new york the white vaudeville performer ben harney sang songs and piano music based on african american music he had heard in the midwest. Temptation rag tells the story of ragtime in new york. Ben harney, on the other hand, claimed that he was the inventor of ragtime. This tension is a significant element of my story though within the broader context of the emotional journeys of the characters, some of them white and some african american, as they search. There are names in this book you might or might not recognize. The style has its origins in africanamerican communities in cities such as st. Ben harney wins 1982 tony award for best actor in a musical.
Cake walk in the sky by ben harney 1899, ragtime piano. Like stephen foster, who, a little earlier, had absorbed the vital rhythms and earthy folk melodies of the negroes in covington on the ohio river to the north, ben harney felt their influence as a boy in this cradle of ragtime, an area roughly 700 miles east to west and 400 miles north to south, which includes kentucky, tennessee, and. His 1896 composition youve been a good old wagon but you done broke down is regarded as one of the early published ragtime songs. Then in 1896, vaudevillian ben harney associated rag and time. Ben harney wins the 1982 tony award for best actor in a musical for his performance as curtis taylor jr. In 1897, he published ben harneys ragtime instructor, the first publication to spell out how to rag existing music.
Take a listen to this unaccompanied version of him singing it. In 1897 publisher sol bloom issued the first ragtime piano instruction manual. Complementing the efforts of performers was blesh and janiss book th. Many black musicians refused to believe that he was white, because his performances of this song, in. Sugar cane cover 1908 cover art helped sell sheet music by suggesting a seductive lifestyle library of congress. Born in louisville, kentucky, in 1871, harneys racial origins.
Ben harney s good old wagon is thought to be the first published ragtime song. She is a pianist, historian, collector, artist, and a contributing writer to the syncopated times. Ben harney, from cover of 1896 sheet music benjamin robertson ben harney march 6, 1872 march 2, 1938 was an american songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime music. Born in louisville, kentucky, in 1871, harney s racial origins have long been debated. In 1895, a white piano playercomposer named ben harney claims to be. Benjamin robertson harney was the first person to publish a notated ragtime musical composition. Dec 03, 2018 southern and white, ben harney was credited as the originator of ragtime. In their 1978 book rags and ragtime jasen and tichenor seemed to. I think of him kind of like the bob dylan of the ragtime era. Rag time or negro dance time takes its initiative steps from. Ben harney, sometimes called the father of ragtime, was one of the first entertainers to put ragtime on the stage in legitimate theater and vaudeville. Mar 06, 2018 in 1897, he published ben harneys ragtime instructor, the first publication to spell out how to rag existing music. Ben harney, 1895 youve been a good old wagon first ragtime. This tension is a significant element of my story though within the broader context of the emotional journeys of the characters, some of them white and some african american, as they search for love, fame, and the true meaning of success.
They wrote that a young kentuckian named ben harney, playing and singing a ragtime song in a gotham vaudeville. Youve been a good old wagon but youve done broke down ben harney 1895 5. Harney and miss edyth murray, 1 jan 1897 streator, illinois. May is a 17 year old society girl in new york city.
Because those original ragtime artists didnt read or write music, the style remained unknown outside local circles until the africanamerican composer ben harney of louisville put the first ragtime on paper and published the song, according to musgrove. Ben harney, 1895 youve been a good old wagon first. Temptation rag imagines what their relationship might have been like frenemies to the extreme. Harney was one of the first practitioners to bring ragtime to the vaudeville shows in new. But as his professional rivalry with the selfproclaimed originator of ragtime, ben harney, escalates into obsession, he sinks deeper into a life of selfindulgence and moral depravity. The colored performer, harney explained, strumming in his own cajoling way, likes to throw in a note at random, and his thumb ranges over this for effect.
Though now probably more associated with scott joplin, in 1924, the new york times wrote that ben harney. A few years later he had achieved such prominence he appeared on a benefit bill with lillian russell at the metropolitan opera house. Rhythmic elements that were to become associated with ragtime, and which were. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the. He called this music ragtime and billed himself as the originator of ragtime his first ragtime song was called youre a good old wagon but you done broke down. Scott joplin professor oconnells music history blog. Original rags, scott joplins first published rag, the image of a disheveled rag picker and the words picked by scott joplin. The best instrumental ragtime pieces manifested sophisticated musical thought.
Time wrote that the first man to write ragtime down on paper was a slickhaired kentuckian, ben harney. The book also is about ragtime and early african american performers in vaudeville and musical theater. Matheny, ann brown, father of ragtime in back home in kentucky, sepoct 1997, pp. Born in louisville, kentucky, in 1871, harneys racial origins have long been debated. His music was much admired and other composers and songwriters took up his style spreading ragtime across america. Authors of books on ragtime, most appearing over the last 50 years during the resurgent ragtime revival, have. Baker is the daughter of clint baker preserving the fire of early jazz, tst, june 2020 and sister of riley baker swingin in the golden state, tst, september 2020. In 1895, a white piano playercomposer named ben harney claims to be the originator of ragtime. Some people, among them eubie blake, claimed that he was a black man passing as white. Ragtime developed the simple syncopation of the cakewalk into something more complex, the early stages of which can be seen in this 1895 piece by ben harney a white kentuckyborn composer who time magazine called ragtime s father. Folk ragtime, artie matthews, classic rag and more.
The middlesborough years, 189093, in american music, summer 1995. In 1950 rudi blesh and harriet janis, whose groundbreaking book. Bernards resonant novel is about the birth and demise of ragtime and the white players who fought for fame in the genre. Sep 18, 1994 there are, in fact, no contemporary accounts or transcriptions of anything resembling ragtime before 1896, when it was introduced as a musical fad by ben harney in new york. Rudi blesh and harriet janis gave ben harney a place of honor, for example, in their extensive and pioneering book they all. American songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime. He gained fame from his stage performances and his ragtime songs. Louis ben harney, a kentucky native, wrote youve been a good old wagon but you done broke down and helped popularize the style. Ben harney died of a heart attack at the age of 66 in philadelphia, pennsylvania in 1938. Rags looking for a beginner to advanced song list piano world.
Temptation rag tells the story of ragtime in new york magic. The book, simply joplin contains slightly simplified arrangements of. It was a time when americans were expressing themselves in different ways, away from the european classical music, more freedom of expression, busting loose. Ben harney, een inwoner van kentucky, schreef youve been a. Ragtime pianist and entertainer max morath joins martin on stage at the newly renovated coolidge auditorium to consider the music from the dawn of the ragtime era in 1897, the year that library. Ben harney, another ragtime pioneer, was billed in 1896 as the rag time pianist. Harney, playing and singing a ragtime song in a gotham vaudeville theatre, inaugurated a. Recordings of this piece by blake and johnson feature a syncopated, habaneralike bass, which may support ben harney s claim in 1897 that mexico was one source of ragtime. Also, new selections in rag time arranged especially by theo. Mike bernard and ben harney were actual rival ragtime stars in the early 1900s. Harney has been credited as the musician who did the most to introduce ragtime to audiences throughout the world. Harney s piece also uses stop time, which would become a popular ragtime technique see 1. Temptation rag is a historical novel that tells the story of may convery and mike bernard over a number of years. Ben harney wins 1982 tony award for best actor in a.
Jan 01, 2007 inspire a love of reading with amazon book box for kids discover delightful childrens books with amazon book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new amazon book box prime customers receive 15% off your first box. He published his influential ben harney s rag time instructor the following year and his songs youve been a good old wagon, but youve done broke down 1896, mister johnson, turn me loose 1896 and cake walk in the sky 1899. Ben harney project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. For his book, abell reconstructed the interviews from memory. Nov 07, 2019 temptation rag recounts actual ragtime history in a compelling way, and when it comes to what we dont know, elizabeth hutchison bernard fills in the gaps with juicy stuff. One of his important contributions early on was as the editorarranger of ben harneys ragtime instructor, one of the first books available on how to play in a. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled.
Youve been a good old wagon, but youve done broke down. Benjamin robertson ben harney march 6, 1872 march 2, 1938 was an american songwriter, entertainer, and pioneer of ragtime music. People argued for decades about whether ben harney was black or white. Benjamin harney march 6, 1872 march 1, 1938, american. In 1897 harney published his book ben harneys rag time instructor, the first description of how to rag. Important early examples are the bully song see above and ben harneys. Shake yo dusters, or piccaninny rag william henry krell 1898 17. His 1895 composition youve been a good old wagon but you done broke down is regarded as among the earliest, if not the earliest, ragtime composition.
Ben took the sounds he heard and brought them to tony pastors new york city vaudeville house where respectable white audiences soon embraced this new sound. Berlin, author of books on ragtime and articles embracing a variety of musical. In 1897 harney published his book ben harneys rag time instructor, the first. New england conservatory ragtime ensemble the red back book op. Born in louisville, kentucky, in 1871, harney s racial origins.
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