The Royal Rag..1899..Tom North

[Steve Harrison]

This is a very good early example of ragtime. It's the only known composition by Tom North. All that is known about him is that he was born in Middle Town, Ohio in 1875, he married in 1896 and both he and his wife were pianists. He made a living as a jobbing musician playing mainly ragtime music.

The piano score was written in F/Dmin/Ab but I have arranged it in D/Bmin/F as it better fits the banjo. The unconventional change of key from D to F in the trio gives the tune a nice lift...Steve.