Possum And Taters

Description

Charles Hunter (1876-1906) was a ragtime composer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Possum and Taters, published in 1900, is one of his early works, named after a plain Southern dish of opossum and potatoes. It belongs to the years when ragtime was spreading into homes across America through published sheet music.

It is in A-flat major and 4/4. The left hand marks the beat by alternating bass notes and chords, while the right hand plays a syncopated melody above, the classic ragtime texture. A rag strings together several strains of different character in a march-like form, and over roughly three minutes one strain gives way to the next.

It is rated advanced, with 1,229 notes, close to seven every second. The range runs from C-sharp 1 to F6, more than five octaves, and the left hand leaps constantly between the bass and chords in the middle register. If those leaps falter the beat of the whole piece wavers, so lower the playback speed, follow the left hand alone with the hand colours, and secure each strain with A-B looping. The lowest note falls below a 76-key keyboard as written, but an octave shift fits every note on 76 keys.

A broad collection of standalone piano pieces not belonging to any specific set, offering hundreds of varied character pieces to explore and compare.