Review

Scott Joplin
Ragtime Suite:

Arranged by Jordan Drumgoole

Trombone quartet: 3 tenor, 1 bass trombone

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2021
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

Scott Joplin, ‘King of Ragtime,’ was born in Texarcana, Texas in 1868, studied music at George Smith College in Sedalia, Missouri, and died in New York in 1917. He was a pioneer of the ragtime style of piano playing and the composer of 83 surviving pieces, including two operas, A Guest of Honor (1902) and Treemonisha, completed in 1911. Amongst at least eight works known to have been lost were a piano concerto and a symphony.

These arrangements are for three tenor and one bass trombone, and are suitable for moderately advanced players. All parts are given in bass clef. The suite is comprised of: 1. Original Rags (1899) B-flat/E-flat, 4:00. It is marked ‘Not too Fast.’ First and second play the melody; third and fourth function in a supporting role. 2. Euphonic Sounds (1909) B-flat/D minor, 3:30. The melodic line is distributed amongst all four parts, as it is also in 3. Pineapple Rag (1908) B-flat, 3:30. 4. March Majestic (1902) G/C major, 3:30. This is in 6/8 meter. All four parts are again engaged in the melodic development. In the B section, the rhythm is dotted quarter + three eighths. The first eighth in some previously available editions was tied to the preceding note. In this arrangement these ties have been omitted, the rhythm thereby subtly altered. First part tops out at c²; bass goes down to BB-flat.

Jordon Drumgoole is currently a student and also staff arranger of Danny Jones Middle School and Lake Ridge High School Bands in Mansfield, Texas. In 2019 at the age of 15 he was a finalist in the Ensemble Class at the National Young Composers Challenge.