"On the Pike" with the
Rags of James Scott
Featuring Frog Legs Rag (1906) and Other
Piano Rags by James Scott
By Ted Tjaden
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Recordings available on this page
(see below): |
Frog Legs Rag,
Ophelia Rag and Honey Moon Rag
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Sheet music available on this page: |
See below to download
or view
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Recommended reading: |
Scott DeVeaux and William H. 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 (free) links
to all of his published ragtime compositions.
1) Life of James Scott
2)
Sheet Music of James Scott
3)
My .MP3 Recordings of Selected James Scott Compositions
4)
Commercial Recordings of James Scott Compositions
5)
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 and continued right
through to the most recent work being Jasen and Jones
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).
 |
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, NY: 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, NY: 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, NY:
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, NY:
Stark Music Co., 1909).
[view sheet music]
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James Scott.
Sweetheart Time (words
by Charles R. 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]
|
 |
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, NY: 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]
|
 |
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".
It is a fun piece
to play; I recommend you purchase Bill Edward's version.
3) My .MP3 Recordings of Selected James Scott Compositions
[top]
Set out below I hope to add "live" .MP3 recordings
by me of the following compositions by James Scott, along with links to the sheet music for
those compositions:
4) 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]
- 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:
5) 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 A. Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History. Berkeley, CA:
University of Los Angeles Press, 1980.
- Blesh, Rudi and Harriet Grossman Janis.
1966. They All Played Ragtime. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: Oak
Publications.
- DeVeaux, Scott and William H. 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 and T. J. Tichenor.
Rags and Ragtime:
A Musical History
(New York, NY: Dover, 1989).
- Jasen, David A. and Gene
Jones. 2000 That
American Rag: The Story of Ragtime from Coast to Coast. New York:
Schirmer Books, 1989.
- Kenney, William H. "James Scott and the Culture of Classic
Ragtime" (Summer 1991) 9(2) American Music 149-182.
- Morgan, Ray. "James Scott Marker
Completed" (November 1980) 14 Rag Times 1. Reprinted from
the Kansas City (Missouri) Times, 2 October 1980.
- Schafer, William J. "Grace and
Beauty: The Case of James Scott." (August 1975) 2 Mississippi
Rag 7-8.
-
VanGilder, Marvin L. "James Scott" in J.E. Hasse, ed.
Ragtime: Its History, Composers, and Music. New York, NY:
Schirmer Books, 1985.
- Wright, Bob and Trebor Tichenor.
"James Scott and C.L. Johnson: An Unlikely Musical Kinship."
(January 1966) 5 Ragtime Review 7-8. Reprinted in
(September 1972) 6 Rag Times 4.
[top]
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.