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norman lebrecht
October 06, 2022
The Scott Joplin State Historic Site in St Louis, Missouri, has been left extensively damaged after a break in by a local criminal, who was arrested soon after.
Joplin, known as the King of Ragtime, lived on 2658 Delmar Boulevard from 1901 to 1903.
He was the first African-American composer to win respect and recognition from a white music industry.
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That’s sad to hear ! But though Joplin lived in the house for a couple of years ,
not a single thing in the house ever
belonged to Joplin ! For a man who
died in 1917 it’s amazing that – besides
his immortal music – almost nothing
of his physical existence on earth still
exists ! We don’t even know where
for sure he was born and on what date
and year he was born ! Edward Berlin
in his biography of Joplin says that
Joplin bought a used Steinway grand
sometime around 1908 and that that
Steinway still exists in a private collection
but the owner refuses to let anyone
see or play it ! That’s also a crime in
my opinion ! Joplin’s Steinway should
be in the Smithsonian or in the National
Museum of African American History in
D.C. … or displayed in the Joplin House .
We have a great new National Museum of African American Music here in Nashville. I’m sure they’d love it!
I visited the apartment a few years ago. It’s a wonderful and simple place, staffed by folks who adore Joplin and his music. There’s a player piano and a bunch of piano rolls Joplin made, so visitors can fill the place with music. But it’s true that nothing in the apartment belonged to Joplin. The neighbourhood was a bit odd. I asked for directions at a restaurant where I had just had lunch and was given explicit instructions which streets to avoid, even though it would save several minutes walking time. “Why?” “Too dangerous.”
i was advised not to visit the louis armstrong park in New Orleans.
too dangerous. this was from the tourist office.
The same with the H. L. Mencken House Museum in Baltimore. It finally reopened in 2019 after being shuttered for several decades. These days it’s only open on Saturdays. When we were in town and called about reservations, we were advised not to visit: “Too dangerous.”
Two keyboard innovators, one key in inventing jazz, Scott Joplin, the other, deeply inspired by jazz together with Indian classical music, Conlon Nancarrow, were both born in Texarkana, Arkansas, while some contend Joplin only moved there when he was 11 or 12.
http://azuremilesrecords.com/rollovernancarrow.html
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