Ragtime Dances

Description

Flute, Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet in Bb, Trombone, Percussion, Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Double Bass — During the 1890s ragtime established itself as the lingua franca of up-tempo American popular music. Ives took to it enthusiastically, and his works would soon brim with unmistakable references to ragtime style. It seems that his Four Ragtime Dances may have been in place by 1902, although many scholars prefer to situate them in the period of about 1915-16 and they appear to have undergone revision in 1920-21. As with the Country Band March, music from the Ragtime Dances made its way into quite a few of the composer's other works, including his Third Violin Sonata (1913-14). The pieces were to some extent "borrowed" in the first place: all four of the Ragtime Dances incorporate snippets of the hymn "Bringing in the Sheaves," along with a good deal of other preexistent material. "Some have the same themes, strains, etc. but used somewhat differently," explained Ives. "Thus they do not all stand as different pieces." The Ives biographer Jan Swafford has referred to these movements as "cubistic ragtime, enlivened with slapstick.” Ives's tempo marking for Ragtime Dance No.4 is particularly endearing: Allegro, with the additional advice, "This starts at the usual time and gets faster and faster."