The Harlem Rag

Description

The Harlem Rag is known as the first rag published by an African-American composer. Its author, Tom Turpin, was a St. Louis saloon keeper as well as a pianist and composer who helped shape early ragtime. The piece counts among the starting points of the genre.

It is in C major and 2/4. As is typical of ragtime, the left hand takes an accompaniment that alternates bass notes and chords, while the right hand plays a syncopated melody. Several strains take turns through the piece, unfolding 1,545 notes over about 3 minutes 12 seconds. The range runs from G1 in the bass to F6 at the top, 59 keys, but no octave shift fits it on the C2 to C7 of a 61-key keyboard, so 76 keys or more are needed.

It is an advanced piece that needs the independence to keep the left-hand leaps accurate while placing the right-hand syncopations against the beat. Lower the playback speed and use the hand colours to check where the left-hand bass notes and chords lie. Finish each strain separately with the A-B loop and then join them up, and you will be able to hold a steady rhythm across the whole piece.

Ragtime pieces centered on Scott Joplin's syncopated rhythms — a lively American genre that helped pave the way for jazz.