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"On
the Pike" with the Rags of James Scott
Featuring
Frog Legs Rag (1906) and
Other Piano Rags by James Scott
By Ted Tjaden
(originally
published June 2006 and updated periodically)
Recommended
reading:
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Scott DeVeaux
& William Kenney, eds, The Music
of James Scott (Washington, DC:
Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992).
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James Scott is rightfully
regarded as one of the "Big Three" in classic
ragtime piano, along with Scott
Joplin and Joseph Lamb.
His piano rags, the majority of which were published
with Joseph Stark, have stood the test of time in
their musicality, harmonies and playability. He is
known for his expansive use of the keyboard and a
"call and response" style melody (where he repeats
one or two bars of the melody one octave higher).
Set out below on this page is more information on
James Scott, including links to all of his published
ragtime compositions (for free).
1) Life of
James Scott
2) Sheet Music of James Scott
3) Commercial Recordings of
James Scott Compositions
4) Bibliography
1) Life
of James Scott
(February 12, 1885 — August 30, 1938) [top]
James Scott's life has been
well-documented in the various bibliographic sources
below, starting initially with
Blesh and Janis in They All
Played Ragtime, then DeVeaux and Kenney
in The Music of James Scott,
through to Jasen and Jones in That
American Rag. As such, set out below is
only a brief overview of the significant events in
his life (with most of the citations attributed to VanGilder, although much of
this information is repeated throughout many of the
sources below):
- James Sylvester Scott was
born February 12, 1885, in Neosho, Missouri,
to parents who were former slaves. He had an older
sister (Lena) and was an older brother to each of
Douglas, Howard, Bessie and Oliver, all of whom
were also born in Neosho.
- VanGilder
(1985:137-38) describes Neosho in the 1880's as a
"rustic village" in the process of emerging from
frontier status with tree-lined, unpaved streets
(the city is located in the southwestern corner of
Missouri). The town also had several hotel bars
and saloons where one of the black entertainers –
John Coleman – performed and later gave piano
lessons to young "Jimmy" Scott. VanGilder (1985:138)
describes this training as "thirty formal lessons
in classical piano technique with application to
the developing idiom to be known as ragtime."
Apparently, Scott had perfect pitch where he could
"hear full chords and repeat them at will" (VanGilder 1985:138).
- James Scott also learned
music from his mother who played all types of folk
and African-American music without the benefit of
formal training. The family initially did not have
their own piano, so the young Scott practiced on
neighbours' pianos: Blesh and
Janis (1966:113).
- The Scott family moved to Ottawa,
Kansas, circa 1899, to join relatives for a
brief period of time, where Scott had access to a
reed pump organ that he used to write his first
composition. When the family moved to Carthage,
Missouri, circa 1901, they brought the organ
with them. Later, Scott's father bought a used
upright piano for the family.
- As a youth, Scott was known
to attend at the Lakeside Amusement Park in Webb
City, where he would "sit in" between dance sets
at the pavilion and be cheered by older performers
(VanGilder 1985:139).
- To earn income, Scott worked
for a while as a shoeshine boy for a Carthage
barber; he also played for tips at several
Carthage saloons (VanGilder
1985:139):
Scott was described as
sitting at the keyboard with his left leg
wrapped around a leg of the stool or bench and
bouncing up and down with the beat as he
played, his short, square-tipped fingers
literally flying over the keys as he attempted
to squeeze the greatest number of tones into
the space of each beat. When thus occupied, he
was lost to the world and the sordid
atmosphere around him ....
- In 1902, Charles Dumars of
the Dumars Music Company hired Scott as a general
helper, but when Dumars heard Scott playing piano
in the back room, Scott was re-assigned to being a
song plugger, which, according to VanGilder (1985:140),
resulted in increased sales and people flocking to
the store to hear Scott play. Scott also performed
at the Delphus Theater and Lakeside Park in
addition to performing in a trio (VanGilder 1985:140).
- Dumars published Scott's
first three rags: A Summer Breeze: March
and Two-Step (March 14, 1903) (below), The Fascinator:
March and Two Step (September 23,
1903) (below), and
On the Pike (April 13, 1904) (below).
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Photograph
of James Scott, circa 1904.
This is
one of the few photographs of James
Scott as a young man used in a number of
sources in the bibliography below, with
the source of the photo originally
attributed to one being in the
possession of Rudi Blesh.
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- In 1906, James
Scott met Scott Joplin in St Louis, a meeting that
has caused some scholars to reasonably speculate
that Joplin played a mentoring role in influencing
the young James Scott due to the fact that James
Scott's compositions grew slightly more complex
after 1906: VanGilder (1985:140).
Scott Joplin's primary publisher, John Stark, also
became a publisher of James Scott's compositions,
publishing the successful Frog Legs Rag
(below) in 1906.
- VanGilder
(1985:140) describes the young James Scott as
"small in stature and emotionally introverted" but
a celebrity nonetheless who maintained his small
town roots.
- As mentioned by VanGilder (1985:141), 1909
was a banner year for James Scott (age 24) with
the publication of 7 compositions, including Grace
and Beauty (below)
and Great Scott Rag (below).
- Apparently, James Scott
submitted his compositions to John Stark untitled:
Blesh and Janis (1966:117).
- In the mid 1910's, James
Scott continued to successfully publish a number
of interesting rags with John Stark. He also
started teaching. By around 1920, James Scott, and
his wife Nora Johnson, moved to Kansas City,
Kansas, where he set up a private teaching studio
and installed a new grand piano, described as his
most cherished possession in his life: VanGilder (1985:142). He
became to be known as the "Little Professor."
- As mentioned by Blesh and Janis (1966:119),
James Scott lived in Kansas City from 1914 to
1938, as did white ragtime composer Charles L Johnson, but
the two men apparently never met.
- James Scott was a cousin to Ada
Brown, a famous vaudeville performer from
Kansas City, Kansas.
- In the early 1920's, James
Scott worked as a pianist in a Kansas City movie
house and later joined a seven-piece orchestra
that provided music for movies and touring
vaudeville companies: VanGilder
(1985:143).
- Unfortunately, the 1930's
appeared to bring tough times for James Scott.
Talking moving pictures and the passing of the
ragtime era left fewer opportunities for Scott,
save for playing in an orchestra for various
dances. The passing of his wife was also hard on
him (they had no children). VanGilder
(1985:143) documents that Scott changed residences
4 times in the last eight years of his life.
- James Scott died on August
30, 1938, in Kansas City, Kansas, at the age of
52. VanGilder (1985:143)
documents that the graves of James Scott and his
wife went unmarked and abandoned for more than 40
years until a local group raised funds and
dedicated a headstone marking the graves in 1981.
- Jasen and
Tichenor (1989:112) sum up the impact of the
music of James Scott in these terms:
Whereas Joplin synthesized
nineteenth-century European classicism with
Mississippi Valle Afro-American folk roots,
Scott synthesized the folk tradition with his
professional career in popular and jazz music.
This resulted in a developmental feeling in
his rags, a spirit more characteristic of
twentieth-century music to come, and one step
further away from the oldest concept of
ragtime, that of a patchwork of various
different musical ideas. He was undoubtedly
the best keyboard man of the Classic
ragtimers, and loved to punctuate his lyrical
melodies with short, abrupt phrases. Toward
the end of his published writing career, his
rags became more thickly textured with much
varied bass work. Scott, much more than
Joplin, was concerned with exploring the form
pianistically more than emotionally.
2) Sheet Music
of James Scott Compositions [top]
Set out below in chronological
order is a complete list of known compositions by
James Scott. All compositions and sheet music covers
are in the public domain.
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James Scott, A
Summer Breeze (Carthage, MO:
Dumars Music, 1903).
[view
sheet music]
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James Scott, The
Fascinator: March and Two Step
(Carthage, MO: Dumars Music, 1903).
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
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James Scott, On The Pike (Carthage,
MO: Dumars, 1904).
[view
sheet music]
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James Scott, Frog Legs Rag
(New York: John Stark & Son, 1906).
[view
sheet music]
Source: Indiana
University Sheet Music Collections
[top]
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James Scott, Kansas
City Rag (New York: Stark Music
Co, 1907).
[view
sheet music]
Source: Indiana
University Sheet Music Collections
[top]
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James Scott, She's
My Girl From Anaconda (words by
Charles R Dumar) (Carthage, MO: The Dumars
Gammon Music Co, 1909).
[view sheet
music]
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James
Scott, Grace And Beauty (St
Louis, MO: Stark Music Co, 1909).
[view
sheet music]
Source: Indiana
University Sheet Music Collections
[top]
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James
Scott, Great Scott Rag
(Columbia, MO: Allen Music, 1909).
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
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James Scott, Valse
Venice (St Louis, MO: Stark
Music Co, 1909).
[view
sheet music]
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James Scott, The
Ragtime "Betty" (New York: Stark
Music Co, 1909).
[view
sheet music]
Source:
University of Colorado Digital Sheet
Music Collection [top]
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James Scott, Sunburst
Rag (New York: Stark Music Co,
1909).
[view sheet
music]
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James Scott, Sweetheart
Time (words by Charles Dumar)
(Carthage, MO: The Dumars Gammon Music Co,
1909).
[view
sheet music]
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James Scott, Hilarity
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1910).
[view sheet
music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
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James Scott, Ophelia
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1910).
[view sheet
music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
|
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James Scott, Hearts
Longing: Waltzes (St Louis,
MO: Stark Music Company, 1910).
[view
sheet music]
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James Scott, The
Princess Rag (St Louis, MO:
Stark Music Company, 1911).
[view sheet
music]
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James Scott, Quality
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1911).
[view
sheet music]
Source: University
of Colorado Digital Sheet Music
Collection [top]
|
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James
Scott, Ragtime Oriole (St
Louis, MO: Stark Music Company, 1911).
[view sheet
music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
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James Scott, The
Suffragette Waltz (St Louis,
MO: Stark Music Company, 1914).
[view
sheet music]
|
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James Scott, Climax
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1914).
[view
sheet music]
Source: Indiana
University Sheet Music Collections
[top]
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James Scott, Take
Me Out To Lakeside (Carthage,
MO: Ball Music Co, 1914).
[view sheet
music]
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James Scott, Evergreen
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1915).
[view
sheet music]
|
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James
Scott, Honey Moon Rag (St
Louis, MO: Stark Music Company, 1916).
[view
sheet music]
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James Scott, Prosperity
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1916).
[view
sheet music]
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James Scott, Efficiency
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1917).
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
|
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James Scott, Paramount
Rag (New York: Seminary Music,
1917).
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
|
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James Scott, Dixie
Dimples (Kansas City, MO: Will
L Livernash Co, 1918).
[view
sheet music]
|
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James Scott, Rag
Sentimental (St Louis, MO:
Stark Music Company, 1918).
[view sheet
music]
|
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James Scott, Springtime
Of Love (Kansas City, MO: Will
L. Livernash Music Co, 1918).
[view sheet
music]
Source: University
of Missouri Digital Library [top]
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James Scott, New
Era Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark
Music Company, 1919).
[view sheet
music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
|
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James Scott, Peace
And Plenty Rag (St Louis, MO:
Stark Music Company, 1919).
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
|
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James Scott, Troubadour
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1919).
[view
sheet music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
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James Scott, The
Shimmie Shake (St Louis, MO:
Stark Music Co, 1920).
[view sheet
music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
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James Scott, Modesty
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1920).
[view sheet
music]
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James
Scott, Pegasus (St Louis,
MO: Stark Music Company, 1920).
[view sheet
music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
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James Scott, Don't
Jazz Me Rag (I'm Music) (St
Louis, MO: Stark Music Company, 1921).
[view sheet
music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
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James Scott, Victory
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1921).
[view sheet
music]
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James Scott, Broadway
Rag (St Louis, MO: Stark Music
Company, 1922).
[view sheet
music]
Source:
Cover from Library
of Congress, Music Division [top]
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In addition, Jasen
and Tichenor (1978:121) provide some detail
about Calliope Rag, reportedly
discovered by Robert Darch from one of the sisters
of James Scott who told Darch that her brother
played it on the steam calliope at Lakeside Park.
This piece may be copyrighted, but is found in the
third and later editions of They All Played
Ragtime (Blesh and Janis).
In addition, a
copy of the piece is available from Bill Edwards,
who made enhancements on his
copyrighted version of the song and who
provides more
detailed information on Darch's "discovery."
3) Commercial
Recordings of James Scott Compositions [top]
Set out below are several
commercially available CD recordings that contain
the music of James Scott, with Nielsen's CD being
the most complete (it also has excellent liner
notes):
- Scott Kirby, Grace and Beauty: Ragtime
Classics (Virdania) [5 of 16 songs are
by James Scott] [Amazon.com
entry]
- Guido Nielsen, James Scott: The Complete
Works (1903-1922) (Basta Records,
2001) [Amazon.com
entry]
- James Scott, Classic Ragtime from Rare
Piano Rolls (Biograph, 1997) [Amazon.com
entry]
In addition, there are a number of MIDI recordings
of James Scott compositions available on the
Internet, as follows:
4)
Bibliography
[top]
Set out below are some of the
more commonly cited resources on James Scott. The DeVeaux and Kenney book from
the Smithsonian Institution Press is a wonderful and
elegant book but is, unfortunately, out of print and
difficult to obtain (check your local University
library).
- Affeldt, P. "James Scott:
Crown Prince of Ragtime" (Oct 1960) 1 Jazz
Report 7-9.
- Berlin, Edward. Ragtime:
A Musical and Cultural History. Berkeley,
CA: University of Los Angeles Press, 1980.
- Blesh, Rudi & Harriet
Grossman Janis. They All Played Ragtime.
4th ed. New York: Oak Publications, 1996.
- DeVeaux, Scott &
William Kenney, eds. The Music of James Scott.
Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press,
1992.
- "James Scott Memorial Dedication Ceremony" (July
1981) 15 Rag Times 6.
- Jasen, Dave & Trebor
Tichenor. Rags and Ragtime: A Musical History.(New
York: Dover, 1989).
- Jasen, David & Gene Jones.
That American Rag: The Story of Ragtime from
Coast to Coast. New York: Schirmer Books,
2000.
- Kenney, William. "James Scott
and the Culture of Classic Ragtime" (1991) 9:2 American
Music 149-182.
- Morgan, Ray. "James Scott
Marker Completed" (1980) 14 Rag Times 1.
Reprinted from the Kansas City (Missouri)
Times (2 October 1980).
- Schafer, William. "Grace and
Beauty: The Case of James Scott" (1975) 2 Mississippi
Rag 7-8.
- VanGilder,
Marvin. "James Scott" in JE Hasse, ed. Ragtime:
Its History, Composers, and Music. New
York: Schirmer Books, 1985.
- Wright, Bob & Trebor
Tichenor. "James Scott and CL Johnson: An Unlikely
Musical Kinship" (1966) 5 Ragtime Review
7-8. Reprinted in (1972) 6 Rag Times 4.
[top]
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