Not My Victrola: Scott Joplin, The Magnetic Rag

My head was stuck in the 1920's musically, until 1971 when I heard Scott Joplins rags played the way they were meant to be played.  That moved my musical brain back more than a decade.  Joshua Rifkin published his recordings of Joplin's music on Nonesuch records, and they have been unavailable on YouTube until recently.  The albums are available on CD, and probably MP3, too, and I have had the CD's for many years.  The only problem with the CD is that one of the songs had one note noticeably distorted during remastering.  I know it's coming every time and it bugs the heck out of me.

You never know what you are going to find on YouTube, and this player piano recording was made by none other than Scott Joplin himself in 1916 of the Magnetic Rag.  It is one of my favorites, and a very dramatic piece of music.




Not all of Joshua Rifkin's recordings are on YouTube, but you should listen to the ones that are published there, and then go purchase a copy to support the artist.  I have been listening to him for fortyfive years and I am not tired of him yet.