The Cascades (1904) - Scott Joplin (With Score / Sheet Music)

Details

Description

Although Ragtime for the most part was not overtly encouraged on the main grounds of the 1904 World's Fair, leading to most participating pianists of the genre to be employed in venues on the amusement oriented Pike, some exceptions were made with Joplin's "Cascades" becoming the most notable of these. As for the World Fair, it had become one of the first times since World Expositions specifically constructed venues dedicated to the liberal arts, including the enormous Festival Hall, seen in most surviving pictures of the fair. Seating 3,500 people with a stage that could accommodate well over 100 performers at one time, it would be out back of the hall where the actual Cascades originated, a beautifully constructed water tier that was colorfully lit at night.

Alongside Joplin, several other noted musicians were given ample opportunity to perform during the yearlong event, including John Philip Sousa and his band, with many smaller groups & individuals performing both at and around The Cascades during this time. Despite the beautiful garden actually being put up for sale during the time, it is reported to have never attracted a buyer and instead had drug masses of the 19 million attendees to it's grounds each day, with the original gardens being demolished & dismantled at the fair's close, the same fate of Festival Hall & a number of attractions. Why of course, as grand as the hall may have been, it was merely a temporary construct for the 7 month fair, mainly constructed of pine & staff. (The material.)

Back to Joplin's dedicated work, the A section of this piece has a lovely flowing melody that is interrupted by arpeggios, following the same A section structure of his Maple Leaf Rag. The B and C sections contain patterns that could be compared to a cascade or cataract of sorts with the transition from the B section, in the key of C, and the trio, in the key of Bb, done in a clever way to ease the unusual modulation. Speaking of the trio, it had made itself proudly known as one of the most challenging in all of ragtime, with its grand moving octave bass patterns, alternating with similar patterns in the right hand. Alas, coming to it's concluding D section, the work introduces a relatively sedate ending that makes a nice bookend to what can truly be considered as one of Joplin's greatest masterpieces.
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"The Cascades (A Rag)" - Classic Piano Rag - Pattern: Intro A A B B Int Trio Trio D D
Music by Scott Joplin, Published by John Stark & Son in 1904
Cover Artist: Unknown

Music description provided & written by Bill Edwards, learn more about it here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220308214107/http://ragpiano.com/pbmusic_joplin1.shtml

Music performed by Guido Nielsen with his album "Scott Joplin: The Complete Works (Rags, Marches, Waltzes & Songs)"

℗ 2000 Basta Audio-Visuals
Producer: Piet Schreuders
Music Publisher: Basta Music
Performer: Guido Nielsen