Compiling B.M.G. banjo solos

[Ethan Schwartz]

It occured to me: Wouldn't it be nice to take all the banjo solos printed in early issues of B.M.G. and compile them into a single document and/or directory? I enjoy collections/folios at least, and it can be an interesting way to see how things shifted stylistically over time. Well, I started messing around with that today, and I ran into some interesting problems. The first is obviously that many issues pre-1924 are missing from the John Field B.M.G. Library. The second is that there appear to be a significant number of pieces that aren't in the Ning music library. The third is that some number of available issues have their sheet music pages removed; no surprise there either. The fourth (and most speculative) is that there are potentially pieces in the Ning music library that originally appeared in B.M.G., but it would be impossible to verify this without seeing at least the cover page of those missing issues and/or going through every single piece in the library in search of Clifford Essex publications with the month/year printed at the top (any volunteers?). I don't imagine anyone here is sitting on that information, but if so, please speak up! 

I worked through the first ten years (1903-1912), and this is what it looks like so far.

MISSING NOTATION = B.M.G. issue available but notation pages missing; substitute does not exist in Ning library

NOT IN LIBRARY = B.M.G. issue available with notation pages; piece does not yet exist in Ning library

1903/01-10 MISSING ISSUE

1903/11 "The Favorite" by Vess Ossman; NOT IN LIBRARY (this is a different piece than the Joplin arrangement)

1903/12 MISSING ISSUE

1904/01 "Rastus on Parade" by Mills/Essex; MISSING NOTATION (the version in the library is from Turner's Dance Album no. 16 and does not credit Essex; unknown how these two versions differ)

1904/02 MISSING ISSUE

1904/03 "Tyro Mazurka by Brooks/Denton; MISSING NOTATION (the version in the library was published 1923)

1904/04 "Riverside Gavotte" by Joe Morley; NOT IN LIBRARY (not entirely clear if this is the entire 1st banjo part or an excerpt)

1904/05-08 MISSING ISSUE

1904/09 "The Dusky Dandy" by Emile Grimshaw; IN LIBRARY

1904/10 "Sweet Clover Polka" by Alfred West; NOT IN LIBRARY

1904/11-12 MISSING ISSUE

1905/01-12 MISSING ISSUE

1906/01-04 MISSING ISSUE

1906/05 "Zealandia March" by Joseph Wright; NOT IN LIBRARY

1906/06-12 MISSING ISSUE

1907/01-12 MISSING ISSUE

1908/01-12 MISSING ISSUE

1909/01-12 MISSING ISSUE

1910/01-11 MISSING ISSUE

1910/12 "Kentucky Memories" by Emile Grimshaw; IN LIBRARY

1911/01 MISSING ISSUE

1911/02 "Butterfly Waltz" by W. Andreef; MISSING NOTATION (the version in the library arranged by Grimshaw appears to be a later publication, as it is plectrum-optional; unknown how these two versions differ)

1911/03-09 MISSING ISSUE

1911/10 "Scotland" medley by Ernest Rolf; NOT IN LIBRARY

1911/11 "A Celtic Morn" by Emile Grimshaw; NOT IN LIBRARY

1911/12 "Winsome Willie" by Thomas J Armstrong; NOT IN LIBRARY

1912/01 "The College Rag by William Hunter; IN LIBRARY

1912/02 "Valse Sympathie" by Emile Grimshaw; IN LIBRARY

1912/03 "Patrol Comique" by Vess Ossman; IN LIBRARY

1912/04 "The Mississippi Bubble by Chauncy Haines; MISSING NOTATION (how is this version different from the "simplified version" arr. Morley in the library?)

1912/05 "Pearl of the Harem" arranged by Essex; ??? (different than Steve Harrison's arrangement in libary?)

1912/06 "Felicita" by Joe Morley; IN LIBRARY (non-B.M.G. publication but same dots)

1912/07 MISSING ISSUE

1912/08 "Alabama Blossom" arranged by Essex; MISSING NOTATION (different than Steve Harrison's arrangement in libary?)

1912/09 "Lancashire Clogs" by Emile Grimshaw; IN LIBRARY

1912/10 "Out West" by Emile Grimshaw; IN LIBRARY

1912/11 "Ragtime Medley" by Vess Ossman; IN LIBRARY

1912/12 "Dream Dance" by Joe Morley; IN LIBRARY

[Jody Stecher]

 Is there some place that Ossman's recording may be heard? 

Shawn McSweeny said:

Here is "Shufflin' Pete". I believe I posted this some years back but it didn't find its way to the library.

Shufflin%20Pete%20Solo-%20Pno%20Acc-TAB.pdf

This is one of several compositions where the UK publisher, usually CE, wrongly attributes the composition to Ossman. It was composed by Edwin F. Kendall in 1899. I have corrected the attached scores. Kendall also composed "A Gay Gossoon" which CE wrongly attributed to Ossman.

Other published Ossman misattibutions to be aware of : 

Cocoanut Dance -  Andrew Herman 1891

The Favorite/Bay State Quickstep - Ike Browne 1886

Honolulu Cakewalk - J. W. Lerman 1899

The Hottest Ever - Chas. B. Brown 1898

Patrol Comique - Thos. Hindley 1886

A Warm Reception - Bert R. Anthony 1899

White Hussars March/White Rats March - Arthur Pryor

[Shawn McSweeny]

 Re : Is there some place that Ossman's recording may be heard? 

Not that I'm aware of. It's one of quite a few that are so rare they are't found in any of the on-line collections.  

[Jody Stecher]

I see!  So your tab is a map of a likely way to play the piece rather than a transcription of a recording. Have I got that right?

Shawn McSweeny said:

 Re : Is there some place that Ossman's recording may be heard? 

Not that I'm aware of. It's one of quite a few that are so rare they are't found in any of the on-line collections.  

[Shawn McSweeny]

Correct. No recording available for transcription, hence no opportunity to compare a recorded performance to the CE score.

[Richard William Ineson]

Alabama Blossom

[Richard William Ineson]

Alabama Blossom page 2

[Richard William Ineson]

Shufflin' Pete

Jody Stecher said:

 Is there some place that Ossman's recording may be heard? 

Shawn McSweeny said:

Here is "Shufflin' Pete". I believe I posted this some years back but it didn't find its way to the library.

Shufflin%20Pete%20Solo-%20Pno%20Acc-TAB.pdf

This is one of several compositions where the UK publisher, usually CE, wrongly attributes the composition to Ossman. It was composed by Edwin F. Kendall in 1899. I have corrected the attached scores. Kendall also composed "A Gay Gossoon" which CE wrongly attributed to Ossman.

Other published Ossman misattibutions to be aware of : 

Cocoanut Dance -  Andrew Herman 1891

The Favorite/Bay State Quickstep - Ike Browne 1886

Honolulu Cakewalk - J. W. Lerman 1899

The Hottest Ever - Chas. B. Brown 1898

Patrol Comique - Thos. Hindley 1886

A Warm Reception - Bert R. Anthony 1899

White Hussars March/White Rats March - Arthur Pryor

[Richard William Ineson]

SP page 2

Richard William Ineson said:

Shufflin' Pete

Jody Stecher said:

 Is there some place that Ossman's recording may be heard? 

Shawn McSweeny said:

Here is "Shufflin' Pete". I believe I posted this some years back but it didn't find its way to the library.

Shufflin%20Pete%20Solo-%20Pno%20Acc-TAB.pdf

This is one of several compositions where the UK publisher, usually CE, wrongly attributes the composition to Ossman. It was composed by Edwin F. Kendall in 1899. I have corrected the attached scores. Kendall also composed "A Gay Gossoon" which CE wrongly attributed to Ossman.

Other published Ossman misattibutions to be aware of : 

Cocoanut Dance -  Andrew Herman 1891

The Favorite/Bay State Quickstep - Ike Browne 1886

Honolulu Cakewalk - J. W. Lerman 1899

The Hottest Ever - Chas. B. Brown 1898

Patrol Comique - Thos. Hindley 1886

A Warm Reception - Bert R. Anthony 1899

White Hussars March/White Rats March - Arthur Pryor

[Richard William Ineson]

[Richard William Ineson]

[Trapdoor2]

"Zealandia" is a fun little March. Thanks for posting it!