Igor Stravinsky - Ragtime for piano solo (audio + sheet music)

Ragtime, Piano-Rag-Music, and A Soldier&Tale all date from roughly the same time (1918-1919), and all prefigure Stravinsky&interest in jazz. Ragtime is a piece that grew directly out of the earlier ballet A Soldier&Tale, and the Piano-Rag for solo piano appeared less than a year after Ragtime. Stravinsky&Ragtime is scored for a small chamber orchestra of 11 instruments: flute, clarinet, two horns, trombone, bass drum, snare drum, side drum, cymbals, cimbalom, two violins, viola, and double bass. Ragtime is an extension of the "Ragtime" section in A Soldier&Tale; it is twice the length, with a larger orchestra, but retains some of the same essential features. The pervasive syncopations of ragtime music are set against an unwavering, regular 4/4 meter. Regular meter is normally an unlikely occurrence in most of Stravinsky&music, but in this piece the regularity clearly throws the syncopations into relief. Stravinsky became aware of the cimbalom in 1915 and sought to use it whenever possible. It assumes a prominent, almost soloistic role in Ragtime, much like in his chamber ballet Renard. As with numerous other Stravinsky works, Ragtime became a dance piece. It was choreographed in 1922 and 1960, first as a divertissement, and later as a duet. Stravinsky also created a piano arrangement of the work. (AllMusic) Please take note that the audio AND sheet music ARE NOT mine. Change the quality to a minimum of 480p if the video is blurry. (Performance by: Noël Lee)