Scott Joplin - Sugar Cane Rag

[rollerderbymike]

Only the arpregio going up is similar to maple leaf. Rose leaf rag, gladious rag and leola where similar to maple leaf. Joplin was a musical genious. He remains my fav composer. Notice how in many of his rags he uses counterpoint technique with diminished chords. Kinda brahms and schuman cimbined.

[toniekid]

this reminds me a lot of maple leaf rag

[Desdemona1202]

@toniekid i agree! this is what i thought as well, when i listened to this piece.

[Justice9397]

what form is this song played in?

[Fensterrud]

I have at least played through lots of Joplin rags. And yes, the first themes of the Sugar Cane and Gladiolus rags do have the same structure as the first theme of the Maple Leaf Rag. But, they are in different keys and have some very interesting changes. Besides, these particular rags have 4 themes, and only the 1st one is similar. In addition, the character of each rag is different.

[44bagman]

I'm wondering what intsrument this was played on because the upper register has kind of a "clangy" tone-which actually works on the this piece.

[RingoSmartboy]

One of my favorites. BUT..... The first part of this ( 0:00 - 0:45 ), looks exactly like 'Maple leaf rag'. Really! Listen to the structure....

A very good song though ;)

[cludRobot]

@RingoSmartboy Yeah exactly what I thought :P

[beavismaxim]

very good

[imhavnablast]

Thank You for Posting. Beautiful music and what Beautiful Ice Carvings.

[JonnyboyCalippo]

i love the part that starts at 1:53 .

[aardvaark069]

Jeeez! what an awful, crass piano. That top end is utterly intolerable. Nice tempo for this rag though.

[54jorgen]

¡EXCELENTE MUSICA,MARAVILLOSO VIDEO! GRACIAS

[Coryashire]

this song seems melodicly similer to maple leaf rag. there are parts that feel familer even though it is the first time I have heard it, with others fresh and new.

[starletdempsy]

This song reminds me of children

[mesatweenie]

why are there pictures of ice-sculptures on it ?

[MrPiere123]

What kind of piano is that??

[AxiomOfAwesomeness]

Lol! this should be renamed. Scott Joplin finally has to make a parody of his own song, "Maple Leaf Rag"

[Ragtime95]

@AxiomOfAwesomeness I totally agree !

[BlackAntitoon]

I have no clue, but listen to both and you'll see that yourself: it's almost a transposed version of Maple Leaf.

Maybe he just needed money and had no musical ideas in that moment... :-P

[mesatweenie]

@BlackAntitoon they are sort of the same

[MrPiere123]

Sometimes the piano in this recording sounds just like the "ice" setting on my keyboards

[MrPiere123]

Has anyone else noticed this is the same song as the maple leaf rag?? Just diff key mostly?....other then that I stil love this song and i think it's better then the maple leaf

[mesatweenie]

@MrPiere123 yes, but i like them both

[bbwsusan55]

Nice ice sculptures - or are they sugar cane?

[GuinnevereB]

Hmmm. Everyone seems to think he (or she) knows the "correct" tempo for Mr. Joplin's music. He is widely quoted as having said that ragtime should not be played fast. Yet the only recordings he made with his own hands (piano-rolls) are usually played back faster than this. The tempo for this recording of "Sugar Cane Rag" feels right to me, and what feels right is the only standard anyone can hold for music. So to those who like it faster, by all means listen to the faster recordings!

[Watersmith53]

Ice sculptures and Scott Joplin! I never would have dreamed of the combination, but this was delightful!

[ATubaPerson]

Ragtime is my second favorite type of music - after marches.

I want to learn how to play piano - mostly becase I want to teach music, but also because I want to be able to play such great works as this.

Gottschalk is another very swell piano player that I adore. He's up there with Joplin, but does he pass him? It's hard to choose, so I'll simply choose both.

[robert78229]

where were those ice sculptures done and do they do it every year. please let me know.

[lilataubenei]

to gmajorr:

... ? sorry, i don´t get this message, could you explain please?

[gmajorrr]

did you read the massages before me?

dont you think the discussion about the connection between sexual preferences nd music is supid?

[gmajorrr]

i appreciate his music, i play it, but i dont really like it, & i'm gay.

what a stupid discussion.

[MercuryWinds]

Why play music you don't like? x]

[gmajorrr]

@MercuryWinds as a musician, i find it interesting to try all kinds of stuff

even things that dont suit my taste

[BrandosGirl560]

Scott Joplins Music Would CERTINLY NOT make you gay his music is classic n it makes ppl happy.

people should be able to listen to what ever they like and fuck the rest of the world and what they think i think the man was a genius!

[MercuryWinds]

Amen brother/sister!

[steinwurf64]

@BrandosGirl560

[FOGang]

@BrandosGirl560 What makes a person gay is laying down with another man. I advocate pussy!!! Every man should man some pussy in his lifetime!!!

[smclark206]

why would loving scott joplin music make you gay?

[Lennythewinner]

Superbly lyrical performance and I myself rather like the more bouncy tempo :-)

[kimbillro]

These look like the famous ice sculptures in Hokkaido, Japan. Anyone care to bet me that they are not?

[sohnes]

they look very nice

[kimbillro]

I love Scott Joplin and I'm a white man and I'm not gay. Too bad this epic genius died at 49 of syphillus. If he had been born later, then he like Mozart, they would have been billionairs.

[cbdesade]

Au contraire.  In this musically illiterate age, the era of Lady GaGa, geniuses like Mozart and lesser geniuses like Joplin would be more despised than ever. At best they'd be teaching Music 101 at some cow college.

[SashaFunkenstein]

funny how u mentioned lady gaga , she played maple leaf rag on tv yesterday

[ZingZee123456789]

Excuse me?

"Lesser genius"? You better better check yo' self.... you racist fool.

White people will never fail to disparage prominent black figures and denegrade thier achievements. They've done it for centuries. They did to Scott during his life and it apparently continues after his death.

Scott Joplin was *brilliant*. He was of the same musical caliber as Mozart.

[cbdesade]

@ZingZee123456789 @ZingZee123456789 As music is an art, it's open to aesthetic judgments only. Your libtard political values are misplaced--and ridiculous. Even in putting Joplin on the same page as Mozart, one gives the former excessive importance. Your assertion that they're "of the same musical caliber" is therefore hilarious: it upturns every valid standard of music, in favor of the wishful thinking and Affirmative Action posturing. Get over it.

[ZingZee123456789]

@cbdesade

Lol, make up your mind. First you say that since music is an art its open to aesthetic judgements ONLY and than you go on to judge Joplin's musical capacity by " valid standards of music". Way to contradict yourself, smart one.

And by the way, tell me WTF is a "valid standard of music"? Im curious......

[ZingZee123456789]

@cbdesade

Lol, Joplin is of "excessive importance". He is one of the most famous composers in history. His music synthesized both African and European musical styles and he practically gave birth to entire genre of music that is uniquely American. He single handedly put rag time (which is the foundation of jazz) on the map with "Maple Leaf".

[ZingZee123456789]

@cbdesade

Lol,you can relagate Scott Joplin to the ranks of musical misfits in your puney mind but he was a genius and his talent equals and in some cases surpasses that of Mozart. He did not gain such noteriety simply because he was black, as you seem to beleive. It is his music has gianed him recognition and respect!

[nenasworld22]

Not true because good music is not appreciated until the artist is dead. Mozart and Joplin may come back and they will be kicked to the curb like Jackson's Butterfly album did in 2001 because people do not appreciate good music. We live in the days of Lady Gaga with a beat that matches her name, her music sounds more like ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga. So this tells you the art of music has died.

[joshuaning]

this is like the maple leaf rag!

its sooo cool!

^_^

[Jonehz0r]

Amazing how well people can carve ice

[ragtimest]

it says slow march tempo .... this is rather fast, but its ok

[sigmo75]

That first ice sculpture, the carriage, is AWESOME! I love S. Joplin. Proud to be from St. Louis!

[4u2b1ib12]

Outstanding ice sculptures. Thanks for the music.

[lagier8]

I have notes(sheets) for sugar cane ,,who wants??

[djskarlett]

do you know where i can get the sheet music for this?

[madgamer23]

try IMSLP, there's a few pieces by Joplin on there,

[lagier8]

Do somebody have sheets for tis?

[madmax21254]

This is absolutely enchanting! There are many "Best of Joplin"......who is the performer? I have a collection performed by Richard Zimmerman, but this selection has a certain superior clarity to it. And the ice sculptures don't hurt. :)

[ragtimest]

beautiful

[animaniac126]

2:33 OMG snow sculpture! I love scott Joplin songs, especially Maple leaf rag!

[PenelopeofIthaca]

Sorry if I offended you. It's really, really good. I'm just a horrible cynic sometimes.

[PenelopeofIthaca]

Did you really play this? Is "The Best of Scott Joplin" a music book or a CD?

[Sunsong23]

No, I didn't play it! Sorry that you were given that impression. This is from a CD: "The Best of Scott Joplin"

[SfalkMD]

You are good! I loved your rendition and the video.

[illidnarg]

Really nice performce of SUGAR CANE---Perfect Tempo

[BlackAntitoon]

This is almost a Maple Leaf Rag clone. He took it, transposed it, shuffled a bit the cards and here's Sugar Cane! He was criticized for this also at that time.

[matthewcastillo45]

But it's still beautiful.

[steinwurf64]

@BlackAntitoon

[ddsharper]

@BlackAntitoon why, since he wrote both?

[Keeper1st]

This particular rag should be a bit quicker to bring it to life, as Aaron pointed out before. "Slow March Tempo" is not "slow"; it is still a march. Think "large Chihuahua" -- may be large for a Chihuahua, but it's still a Chihuahua. Otherwise, the dynamics are nice here.

[Sunsong23]

I appreciate yours and aaron's comments here. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

[Doug19752533]

i disagree with your comment about the tempo. this seems about the right tempo for Sugar Cane Rag. 'Slow March Tempo' in the Joplin rags range from about 70 to 80. 100 is WAY too fast for 'slow march tempo' also note on the sheet music is the famous notice from Joplin about not plaing fast. the faster rags like Maple Leaf, Cascades, SJ's New Rag, should not top any faster then 90. I usually play Sugar Cane ringt in the midde at about 80.

[Keeper1st]

Musicologists, ragtime historians, and period recordings of ragtime all point otherwise. "March tempo" was in the 112-128 range. A "slow march" was in the 94-108 range. A range of 70 to 80 would be used for a Slow Drag -- not a Rag. Maple Leaf, Cascades etc. (Tempo di Marcia) should be well above 90. Think "Stars & Stripes Forever" as a good example of a March Tempo. Ragtime was danced to energetically. Such energetic dancing caused ragtime and its dances to be banned in many cities as immoral.

[Keeper1st]

Remember: Joshua Rifkin was not presenting ragtime in an authentic form. He himself will tell you that (he did quite recently on the Elite Syncopations group). His recordings were an experiment about bringing about some classicism to Joplin rags (which works for some of them). They were by no means intended to portray how ragtime "should" be played, and definitely weren't how it really was played, as mountains of recordings, piano rolls, silent film scores and personal accounts testify.

[supapwn]

Did you notice that this song follows the same pattern as maple leaf rag?

[Keeper1st]

@supapwn I don't think this one ever was a song, but yes. Sugar Cane, Gladiolus and Leola are all rewrites of Maple Leaf. I've even heard people play Sugar Cane and Maple Leaf in the same key at the same time on two pianos.

[aaron12345432]

what gives it says this video is no longer available

[Sunsong23]

hi aaron

I just clicked it and it worked for me. But I have gotten that message on a different music video. I'm honestly not sure what causes it - I'm assuming it has something to do with the streaming. But anyway, I have no plans to remove this song :-)

[aaron12345432]

my only complaint is that it's played quite a bit under the tempo of 100 bpm that it's supposed to be played at.

[Doug19752533]

100 is way too fast for any rag. in all Joplin rags where "slow march tempo" is indicated the speed is usually 70-80 bpm, with the faster rags stating "tempo di marcia" like Maple Leaf and Cascades around 90. SJ's New Rag which is a faster rag says Allegro and still shouldnt top 90.

[JoJuFuCa]

Terrific! ^^

I love this song. It's so smoothy, just like all Joplin's rags! ^^...I play this in my keaboard, I wish I had a piano!

Greetings!

Auf wiedersehen!

[Sunsong23]

Guten Tag! unt danke schoen.

[Johnhoaks]

Awesome job, I loved it

[Sunsong23]

Thanks! I appreciate your comment.