Writings, Lectures and Interviews
BOOKS
King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era. Oxford University Press, 1994; paperback, 1995; 2nd ed., 2016.
Reflections and Research on Ragtime. Institute for Studies in American Music, 1987. Winner of an ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award.
Ragtime: A Musical and Cultural History. University of California Press, 1980; 1984; Backinprint.Com edition, 2002. Translated as El Ragtime. Ediciones Tres Tiempos, Buenos Aires, 1985.
STAGE SHOW
Ragtime: America's Music. Stage show with Brass Band, Orchestra, Pianist, Singer, Dancers, and Narrator. Performed at the Great American Brass Band Festival, Danville, KY, June 11, 1998.
MUSEUM EXHIBIT
Designed exhibit "Love You Madly"—Manuscripts, photos, and other materials from the estate of Duke Ellington. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, Fall 1979.
ARTICLES
"Treemonisha Transformed! The Volcano/Luminato Production," Syncopated Times, Oct. 2023, 12-13. Online at click here.
"Max Morath: A Personal View," Syncopated Times, March 2022, 13. Online at click here.
"The Unsettled Life and Career of Robert B. Joplin" (co-author Stephanie Caputo), Syncopated Times, Nov. 2021, 10-13. Also online at click here.
"Is the Gus Haenschen-Scott Joplin Connection Significant?" Syncopated Times, May 2021, 36-37. Online at click here.
"Ian Whitcomb: A Remembrance," Syncopated Times, June 2020, 8. Also online at click here.
"Remembering Buck Henry's life in Ragtime: Notes from Larry Melton and Ed Berlin," Syncopated Times, February 2020, 37. Also online at click here.
"The Scott Joplin Memorial Concerts at St. Michael's Cemetery," Syncopated Times, April 2019, 26. Online at click here.
"Eleanor Stark: From Moszkowski To Classic Ragtime," in Music, American Made: Essays in Honor of John Graziano, eds. John Koegel and Jonas Westover (Harmonie Park Press, 2011), 339-358.
"Newspaper Clipping Surfaces Revealing New Details about Joplin's Guest of Honor," Euphony Review, Winter 2008,
6-7.
"Notes on the Program," Playbill. Scott Joplin's Treemonisha, concert performance by The Collegiate Chorale, 9 March 2006, Lincoln Center.
“Dick Cary’s Tuesday Night Friends,” Bulletin of the Society for American Music 27/3 (Fall 2001), 1-2.
“Mark Tucker (1954-2000),” Mississippi Rag (February 2001), 10. Reprinted in The Bulletin for the Society for American Music 27/1 (Spring 2001), 23.
“The Opera Diva and Ragtime,” Mississippi Rag (February 2001), 43.
“On Ragtime: Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha,” CBMR Digest 13/2 (Fall 2000), 18-19.
“Flashback,” American Legacy 5/3 (Fall 1999), 72.
“The Eclectic World of Tom McDermott,” ISAM Newsletter 28/2 (Spring 1999), 9.
“Reflections on the Ben Harney Mystery,” Mississippi Rag (Sept. 1997),17-18.
“Spinning 78s,” ISAM Newsletter 26/1 (Fall 1996), 7.
“On Ragtime: Dan and Will McCabe,” CBMR Digest 9/2 (Fall 1996), 6-7.
“Ragging in Hungary,” Sonneck Society Bulletin 21/3 (Fall 1995), 8-9.
“The Bunk Johnson Memorial Hospital in Sweden,” Mississippi Rag (April 1995), 12.
“On Ragtime: That International Rag,” CBMR Digest 7/2 (Fall 1994), 3-4.
"On Ragtime: Ragtime and Musical Comedy,” CBMR Digest 5/1 (Spring 1992), 6-7.
“Scott Joplin's Treemonisha Years,” American Music 9/3 (Fall 1991), 260-276.
“On Ragtime: Ragtime and the Church,” CBMR Digest 4/2 (Fall 1991), 6-7.
“On Ragtime: A Different Perspective on Tin Pan Alley,” CBMR Digest 4/1 (Spring 1991), 4-5.
“On Ragtime: Understanding the Language,” CBMR Digest 3/3 (Fall 1990), 6-7.
“On the Trail of A Guest of Honor: In Search of Scott Joplin's Lost Opera.” Pages 51-65 of A Celebration of American Music: Words and Music in Honor of H. Wiley Hitchcock. University of Michigan Press, 1990.
“On Ragtime: Scott Joplin the Educator,” CBMR Digest 3/1 (Spring 1990), 3-4.
“Scott Joplin and the Jefferson Davis Monument Fund,” ISAM Newsletter 19/1 (Nov. 1989), 8.
“On Ragtime: Echoes from the Past,” CBMR Digest 2/2 (Fall 1989), 6-7.
“Scott Joplin in Sedalia, New Perspectives,” Black Music Research Journal 9/2 (Fall 1989), 205-223.
“More on R. A. Higdon,” Rag Times 23/3 (September 1989), 6-7.
“On Ragtime: The Musical Spillers,” CBMR Digest 2/1 (Sp. 1989), 8-9.
“On Ragtime,” CBMR Digest 1/2 (Winter 1989), 4-5.
“On Ragtime” [Ragtime Operas]. CBMR Digest 1/1 (Summer 1988), 7-8.
“Scott Joplin's First Two Publishers,” Rag Times 22/2 (July 1988), 6-7.
“On Ragtime: The Ragtime Clubs,” Black Music Research Newsletter 9 (Fall 1987), 13-15.
“On Ragtime,” Black Music Research Newsletter 9 (Spring 1987), 10-11.
“Ragtime Songs,” a chapter in Ragtime: Its History, Composers, and Music, edited by John E. Hasse. Schirmer, 1985.
“Cole and Johnson Brothers' The Evolution of 'Ragtime',” Current Musicology 36 (1983), 21-29.
“Ragtime in Old New York,” NYC Jazz 3 (June 1980), 22.
“Ragtime and Improvised Piano: Another View,” Journal of Jazz Studies 4 (Spring 1977), 4-10.
LINER NOTES
Scott Joplin. The Complete Rags, Marches, Waltzes & Songs. Recorded by Guido Nielsen. Basta 30-91262, 2003.
Thatsum Rag! The New Columbian Brass Band. Dorian DOR-93165, 1999.
The Flowering of Vocal Music in America, vol. 1 (the American Moravians and A. P. Heinrich), New World Records, NW 230.
The Wind Demon, additions to notes for (mid-19th century American piano music), New World Records, NW 257.
Gene Autry: Back in the Saddle Again. Columbia Encore Series P14380.
REVIEWS
Paragon Ragtime Orchestra. Deuces Wild. cd, Rialto Records 6006. Syncopated Times (April 2023), 26. Online at click here.
The 2nd Annual Glenn Jenks Ragtime Revue, 2022. Rockport Opera House, Rockport, Maine, Oct. 23, 2022. Syncopated Times (Feb. 2023), 5. Online at click here.
Lara Downes, Reflections: Scott Joplin Reconsidered. cd, Rising Sun Music. Syncopated Times (May 2022), 12-13. Online at click here.
Marilyn Nonken, Syncopated Musings. cd, Divine Art Recordings Group (DDA 25220) (divineartrecords.com). Syncopated Times (May 2022), 12-13. Online at click here.
King of Ragtime. The Story of Scott Joplin (children's book), by Stephen Costanza. Syncopated Times (November 2021), 26. Online at click here.
12 Jazz Violin Duos composed by Ittzés Tamás. Syncopated Times (March 2021), 26. Online at click here.
Glenn Jenks. The Complete Ragtime Works for Piano. Syncopated Times (August 2020), 26. Online at click here.
Lerner & Loewe. Dick Hyman & Ken Peplowski, in duet. Arbors Records (arborsrecords.com) Syncopated Times (April 2020), 22. Online at click here.
Superstride: A Biography and Discography of Johnny Guarnieri, by Derek Coller. The Syncopated Times (September 2019) 23. Online at click here.
Tom McDermott Meets Scott Joplin. cd, Arbor Records ARCD 19469. The Syncopated Times (July 23, 2019), 23. Online at click here.
The Product of Our Souls: Ragtime, Race, and the Birth of the Manhattan Musical Marketplace, by David Gilbert. Journal of the Society for American Music 11/4 (Nov. 2017), 514-517.
Max Morath, Complete Ragtime Works for Piano. American Music Review 45/2 (Spring 2016), 10.
Joseph F. Lamb: A Passion for Ragtime, by Carol J. Binkowski. American Music Review 42/2 (Spring 2013).
Tin Pan Opera. Operatic Novelty Songs in the Ragtime Era, by Larry Hamberlin. American Music, 30/4 (Winter 2012), 519-521.
Merit, Not Sympathy, Wins: The Life and Times of Blind Boone and W. C. Handy’s Blues, An Anthology. Complete Words and Music of 70 Great Songs and Instrumentals. American Music Review 42/1 (Fall 2012).
Treemonisha, by Scott Joplin. Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and Singers, New World Records 80729-2 (2CDs). Journal of the Society for American Music 7/1 (Feb. 2013), 112-115.
The Story of Boogie-Woogie. A Left Hand Like God, by Peter Silvester. Notes (Dec. 2010), 309-311.
Scott Joplin and the Age of Ragtime, by Ray Argyle. Journal of the Society for American Music 4/2 (May 2010), 251-254.
Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1891-1922, 2-CD set of vintage recordings. Journal of the Society for American Music 1/4 (November 2007), 539-540.
John William "Blind" Boone: "Merit, Not Sympathy Wins", CD of original piano rolls. Mississippi Rag (Aug. 2006), 33.
Cakewalks, Rags and Novelties: The International Ragtime Discography (1894-1930), by Allan Sutton. ARSC Journal 36/1 (Spring 2005), 89-90.
The Songwriter Goes to War. The Story of Irving Berlin’s World War II All-Army Production of This Is the Army, by Alan Anderson. Mississippi Rag (July 2005), 37.
Brent Watkins. The Heroes of Parlor Town, Vol. 1. Mississippi Rag (June 2005), 42.
The Wizard of Oz: Vintage Recordings from the 1903 Broadway Musical (Hungry Tiger Press). Mississippi Rag (January 2004), 42-43.
Brun Campbell: Joplin’s Disciple (CD; Delmark Records 753). Mississippi Rag (May 2002), 40.
That American Rag: The Story of Ragtime from Coast to Coast, by David A. Jasen & Gene Jones. American Music 19/4 (Winter 2001), 474-476.
Spreadin’ Rhythm Around: Black Popular Songwriters, 1880-1930, by David A. Jasen & Gene Jones. ISAM Newsletter 29/2 (Spring 2000), 6.
“On Ragtime: Review of The Rag-Time Ephemeralist,” CBMR Digest 13/1 (Spring 2000), 8.
Shake That Thing! Waldo’s Ragtime Revue, stage production. In Mississippi Rag (March 1999), 43.
Fables in Slang: A Ragtime Review, stage production. In Mississippi Rag (July 1999), 35.
Brass Knuckles: An Excursion into Contemporary Ragtime Composition (CD; Albany Records, Troy 253), performed by Tony Caramia. American Music 16/3 (Fall 1998), 371-373.
Grace and Beauty. Ragtime Classics Played by Scott Kirby (CD; Viridiana VRD2007). Mississippi Rag (Sept. 1998), 28.
“Gershwin on Disc,” ISAM Newsletter 28/1 (Fall 1998), 5-6.
Bohém Ragtime Jazzband: Early Hungarian Jazz (Pannon Jazz PJ1023). Mississippi Rag (Jan. 1998), 40.
Titanic: Music As Heard On the Fateful Voyage.(CD; Rhino R2 72821). Mississippi Rag (Oct. 1997), 28.
Gems of Texas Ragtime (music folio). In Mississippi Rag (April 1997), 31.
Total Joplin (CD-ROM), Sunhawk Corp. Mississippi Rag (Feb. 1997), 33.
Rhythmic Movements, performed by Joseph Smith (Premier Recordings PRCD 1028) and Space Shuffle and Other Rags, performed by Matthew Davidson (StompOff Records CD 1252). American Music 13/2 (Summer 1995), 249-251.
The Music of James Scott. In Notes (Sept. 1994), 418-419.
Pickles and Peppers and other Rags by Women (LP), Virginia Eskin. American Music 6/4 (Winter 1988), 474-475.
101 Rare Rags. In Rag Times 22/1 (May 1988), 9.
Jazz A-Z. In Sonneck Society Bulletin 14/1 (Spring 1988), 41-42.
“An Old Sound Renewed,” ISAM Newsletter 16/2 (May 1987), 13.
Cripple Creek. A Ragtime Suite for Piano, by Max Morath. ISAM Newsletter 16/1 (Nov. 1986), 14.
Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton: The Collected Piano Music, and Zez Confrey: Ragtime, Novelty & Jazz Piano Solos. In American Music 4 (Spring 1986), 112-14.
Scott Joplin. The Complete Works, 2nd ed. Notes 40 (Sept. 1983), 147-49.
“Three Views from Berlin,” ISAM Newsletter 11 (May 1982), 4.
Rags and Ragtime, by David A. Jasen and Trebor Jay Tichenor, and Scott Joplin, by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson. Notes 35 (March 1979), 616-619.
This Is Ragtime, by Terry Waldo. Notes 33 (June 1977), 838-340.
Scott Joplin and the Ragtime Era, by Peter Gammond. Journal of Research in Music Education 24 (Fall 1976), 155-156.
The Art of Ragtime, by William J. Schafer and Johannes Riedel. Black Perspective in Music 3 (Spring 1975), 105-107.
Classic Piano Rags, ed. Rudi Blesh. Black Perspective in Music 2 (Fall 1974), 218-219.
The Operatic Style of Marc Blitzstein in the American “Agit-Prop” Era, by Robert J. Dietz. Current Musicology 18 (1974), 120-126.
Harlem Suite, by Arthur Cunningham. Black Perspective in Music 1 (Fall 1973), 188-189.
ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLES
The New Grove Dictionary of American Music. Oxford, 2013. Entries on Scott Joplin, Kerry Mills, Max Morath, Ragtime, Joseph Stern, Willis Woodward.
African American National Biography. Oxford, 2008. A Subject Editor; author of entries on Louis Chauvin, Ben Harney.
Encyclopedia of the Great Black Migration. Greenwood Press, 2006. Scott Joplin.
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Macmillan, 2001. Ragtime; Scott Joplin.
American National Biography. Oxford University Press, 1999. Scott Joplin; John Stark.
The International Dictionary of Black Composers, 1999. Scott Joplin.
Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History. Macmillan, 1996. Ragtime; Scott Joplin.
The Encyclopedia of New York City. Yale University Press, 1995. Eubie Blake; James Reese Europe; Scott Joplin; Ragtime.
The New Grove Dictionary of American Music. Macmillan, 1986. A Principal Adviser (Ragtime); author of the following entries: Ragtime; Scott Joplin; James Weldon Johnson; Max Morath; Kerry Mills; Theodore Metz; Ragtime section of the New York City article.
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 6th ed. Schirmer, 1978. Edited entire dictionary; wrote dozens of original, unsigned entries and supplemented and revised hundreds of others -- among them: Adam de la Halle; Emanuel Bay; Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de St.-Georges; John Jenkins; James Weldon Johnson; Sissieretta Jones; Scott Joplin; David Moritz Michael; James Pierpont; Kerry Mills; Charlie Parker.
Collier's Encyclopedia. (1997 ed.) Scott Joplin; Ragtime.
The Encyclopedia of American Biography, 2nd ed., HarperCollins, 1996. Scott Joplin.
Grolier Encyclopedia, 1985 and later; hardback,CDROM. and online. Edited music articles; wrote the following entries, some signed: Scott Joplin; Mannheim School; March; Mason Family; Minstrels, Troubadours, and Minnesingers; Mode; Music Box; Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Porgy and Bess; Ragtime; Rock Music; Ned Rorem; Salsa; Gunther Schuller; John Philip Sousa; The Star-Spangled Banner; Leopold Stokowski; Tin Pan Alley.
LECTURES
Glenn Jenks Ragtime Revue, Rockland, ME, October 22, 2022. "The Life and Afterlife of Scott Joplin."
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 14, 2022. Music director; introductory comments on the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.
Jane Austen Discussion Group of LI (Zoom presentation), May 21, 2021. "What Music and Robin Adair Reveal in Emma."
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 18, 2019. Music director and MC for concert; pre-concert lecture: "Ragtime to Jazz: The Transition."
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, May 30-June 2, 2018, Sedalia, MO. Narrated two bus tours: "Scott Joplin's Sedalia."
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 19, 2018. Music director and MC for concert; pre-concert lecture: "Scott Joplin in Films".
Daughters of the American Revolution, Feb. 8, 2018, New York, NY. "The Spread of Jazz in Europe during World War I."
West Coast Ragtime Festival, Nov. 17-19, 2017, Sacramento, CA. "Who Was the Man Behind the Music? An Investigation of the Character, Personality, and Values of Scott Joplin."
Jane Austen Discussion Group of LI, Nov. 4, 2017, Bethpage Public Library, NY. "Perceptions of the Waltz in Jane Austen's Period."
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, May 31-June 4, 2017, Sedalia, MO: "Who Was the Man Behind the Music? An Investigation of the Character, Personality, and Values of Scott Joplin"; participated in panel discussion on past festivals; Narrated two bus tours: "Scott Joplin's Sedalia."
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 27, 2017: music director and MC for concert Pre-concert lecture: "Scott Joplin's Death and Funeral"; dedication of the Scott Joplin Memorial Bench.
Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, collaboration with Confluence Chamber Orchestra in Scott Joplin program with narration, March 19, 2017.
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 21, 2016. Music director and MC for concert. Pre-concert lecture: "Scott Joplin’s Personality: Characteristics and Contradictions"
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 16, 2015. Music director and MC for concert. PowerPoint presentation on history of ragtime
College Music Society, St. Louis, October 31, 2014. "St. Louis and the Inception of Scott Joplin's Operas"
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 24, 2014. Music director and MC for concert. PowerPoint presentation on Scott Joplin.
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 25, 2013. Music director and MC for concert. PowerPoint presentation on Scott Joplin.
Society for American Music, Little Rock, AR, March 7, 2013. "Little Rock Sources in Scott Joplin's Treemonisha"
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 19, 2012. Music director and MC for concert. PowerPoint presentation on Scott Joplin.
Opening of John Arpin Studio and Archive, York University, Toronto, Oct. 2, 2011. "Hanging Out with John Arpin"
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 14, 2011. Music director and MC for concert; PowerPoint presentation on Scott Joplin.
University of Wisconsin-Superior, April 27, 2010. Jews and Ragtime, presented with pianist Alex Sandor and vocalist Daniel Singer.
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 16, 2009. "Scott Joplin: An Illustrated History"; music director and MC for concert.
West Coast Ragtime Festival, Sacramento, CA, November 22, 2008. “The Scott Joplin Biography: Recent Discoveries and Stories I Was Afraid to Tell”
Scott Joplin House, St. Louis, MO, September 13, 2008:
Roundtable discussion with Dick Zimmerman, Trebor Tichenor, and David Reffkin: “The Future of Ragtime Research”
September 14, 2008: “The Scott Joplin Biography: Recent Discoveries and Stories I Was Afraid to Tell”
Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, New York, NY, November 17, 2007. Jews and Ragtime, presented with pianist Alex Sandor and vocalist Cantor Dan Singer.
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 12, 2007. "Scott Joplin and Opera"; music director and MC for concert.
Society for American Music, Pittsburgh, PA, 2 March 2007. "Eleanor Stark: From Moszkowski to Classic Ragtime"
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 13, 2006.
"Scott Joplin 101: The Basics"; music director and MC for concert.
Elebash Lecture, Graduate Center, City University of New York, October 6, 2005.
“Ragtime New York, 1896-1917: The Places, People, and Sounds”
Rockaway Music & Arts Council Picnic Concert, Fort Tilden, NY, August 21, 2005.
“The What, Where, When, and Who of Ragtime”;
MC for concert.
Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival, Boulder, CO, July 2005. “Echoes of Ragtime”
Scott Joplin Memorial Concert, St. Michael's Cemetery, East Elmhurst, NY, May 21, 2005.
"Scott Joplin's Life and Career"; Music director and MC for concert.
Music in Gotham Conference, Graduate Center, City University of New York, November 17-19, 2004: “Not in Kansas Anymore: The Wizard of Oz on Broadway, 1903"
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, Sedalia, MO, June 7, 2002: “Brahms, Grainger, Ives, and the Ragtime Connection”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, Sedalia, MO, June 2001: “Finding the Clues: Newspapers and the Chronicling of Ragtime”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, Sedalia, MO, June 2000: “A Scott Joplin Update” MC for two concerts.
W. C. Handy and American Music Conference, City University of New York, March 31, 2000. Chaired morning symposium session.
Society for American Music, Historiography Interest Group, Charleston, SC, March 2, 2000.
“Understanding Language in Its Historical Context”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, Sedalia, MO, June 1999:
“The Maple Leaf, from the Roots Up”
“The Ragtime Dance: The Other Centennial”
Introductory remarks to a performance of The Ragtime Dance, with orchestra, dancers, and singer
Introductions for The Legacy of Scott Joplin concert.
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, June 1998:
“Barbershop Quartets and Ragtimers”
“The Maple Leaf Club's Centennial.”
Great American Brass Band Festival, Danville, KY, June 11-13, 1998:
“The Ragtime Years” (Elderhostel session)
“The Queen City Cornet Band: A Town Band in Scott Joplin's Sedalia”
“Ragtime: America's Music.” Stage show with brass band, orchestra, pianist, singer, dancers, and narrator.
West Coast Ragtime Festival, Sacramento, CA., Nov. 1997.
“Ragtime's Centennial.”
“Eleanor Stark: Unsung Muse of Classic Ragtime.”
Great American Brass Band Festival, Danville, KY, June 13, 1997: “Ragtime and Band Music.”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, June 6, 1997:
“Ragtime's Centennial”
“Eleanor Stark: Unsung Muse of Classic Ragtime.”
Harvard Club of New York City, Jan. 23, 1997. Pre-recital comments on Scott Joplin and his music.
New York Sheet Music Society, Jan. 4, 1997. “Sheet Music Clues in the Scott Joplin Biography.”
West Coast Ragtime Festival, Nov. 1996, Fresno, CA:
“Writing about Ragtime”
“Barbershop Quartets in the Ragtime Years”
“The Crush Collision and Other Happenings of 1896”
“The Effect of Ragtime on Other Music of the Period” (panel discussion).
Sonneck Society Annual Conference, Biography Interest Group, Washington, D.C., March 24, 1996: “Music as a Biographical Tool.”
West Coast Ragtime Festival, Nov. 1995, Fresno, CA:
“Scott Joplin's Ragtime Dance” (lecture and performance);
“The Centennial of Scott Joplin's First Publications.”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, June 1995, Sedalia, MO:
“A Scholarly Confab on Scott Joplin” (with Susan Curtis)
“The McCabe Minstrels and Sedalia” (with Celeste Beatty).
Queens College, April 12, 1995. “The Centennial of Scott Joplin's First Publications.”
Unicum-Bohem Ragtime & Jazz Festival, March 25, 1995, Kecskemet, Hungary; and the Budapest Cultural Center, March 29, 1995, Budapest. “The History and Reception of Ragtime.” (Supported by the U.S. Embassy in Hungary.)
Kodaly School, March 27, 1995, Kecskemet, Hungary; and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, March 28, 1995, Budapest. “Ragtime as a Language for the 1990s.”
Bruno Walter Auditorium, Lincoln Center, New York, Feb. 27, 1995. “The Operas of Scott Joplin” (with performances by members of the After Dinner Opera Co.).
West Coast Ragtime Festival, Nov. 1994, Fresno, CA:
“The Mystery of Scott Joplin: A Detective Story”
“In the Footsteps of the Researcher.”
Festival Ragtime de Montréal, Aug. 1994.:
“What Is Ragtime?”
Introductory remarks before concert performance of Treemonisha.
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, June 1994, Sedalia, MO. “The Mystery of Scott Joplin: A Detective Story.”
Sonneck Society for American Music, April 1994, Worcester, MA. Chaired session: “Racial Interactions in the Nineteenth Century.”
West Coast Ragtime Festival, Nov. 19-21, 1993, Fresno, CA:
“The Maple Leaf Rag: Myths and Legends”
“The Scott Joplin Manuscripts.”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, June 2-6, 1993, Sedalia, MO: Chaired symposium sessions; presented “The Other Sedalia Musicians.”
American Musicological Society, New York City Chapter, April 3, 1993. “The Scott Joplin Manuscripts.”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, June 3-7, 1992, Sedalia, MO: Chaired all seminar sessions; presented “The Maple Leaf and Black 400 Clubs.”
West Coast Ragtime Festival, Fresno, Nov. 22-24, 1991: “Scott Joplin's Un-Birthday.”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, Sedalia, MO, June 6-9, 1991: Chaired all sessions and presented “The Scott Joplin Manuscripts.”
The Sonneck Society for American Music, Annual Conference, April 3-7, 1991, Hampton, Virginia: “Scott Joplin's Treemonisha Years.”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, Sedalia, MO, June 7-10, 1990: Chaired seminars; presented paper “Scott Joplin's Treemonisha Years.”
Sonneck Society for American Music, Annual Conference, April 18-22, 1990, Toronto: Chaired session “Ragtime and Popular Piano.”
College Music Society & Center for Black Music Research (joint conference), Oct. 12-15, 1989, St. Louis: “Scott Joplin in Sedalia.”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, June 1-4, 1989:
Chaired symposium sessions and panel discussions;
presentation “Scott Joplin in Sedalia.”
Sonneck Society, Annual Conference, Nashville, April 6-9, 1989: “On the Trail of A Guest of Honor: In Search of Scott Joplin's Lost Opera.”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, June 2-5, 1988: Chaired seminars; presentation “Scott Joplin: Problems, Contradictions, and Unanswered Questions.”
Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival, June 4-7, 1987.“On the Trail of A Guest of Honor: In Search of Scott Joplin's Lost Opera.”
The International Association for the Study of Popular Music, Dartmouth College, May 14, 1983: Chaired session “Popular Piano Music.”
ISAM Lecture, Brooklyn College, March 9, 1983: “Dance Folios during the Ragtime Era (A Computer-Aided Study).”
ISAM Lecture, CUNY Graduate Center, March 3, 1983: “Ragtime's Unanswered Questions: Problems and Prospects in Ragtime Research.”
RADIO AND TV INTERVIEWS
Scott Joplin Didn't Die of Opera Failure, Artist Propulsion Lab, WQXR, Sept. 29, 2022. Online at click here.
Jazz in Queens: Scott Joplin | Around Queens, Jan. 2022, Queens Public Television, QPTV. Online at click here.
The Bowery Boys: New York City History, Feb. 23, 2019. Scott Joplin in New York: A Ragtime Mystery. Online at click here.
Jazz on the Air, with Jim Lynch. WUSB, Feb. 12, 2012. Great Jazz Musicians You've Never Heard Of.
Fishko Files segment of Weekend Edition, National Public Radio, July 30, 2011. Discussion of Scott Joplin. Archived at click here.
Jazz on the Air, with Jim Lynch. WUSB, July 10, 2011. James P. Johnson retrospective.
Jazz on the Air, with Jim Lynch. WUSB, June 12, 2011. Bix Beiderbecke retrospective.
Jazz on the Air, with Jim Lynch. WUSB, March 20, 2011. Dick Hyman retrospective.
Jazz on the Air, with Jim Lynch. WUSB, September 19, 2010.Transition from ragtime to jazz.
The Ragtime Machine, KUSF-FM, San Francisco, February 2009.
Ragtime, BBC Radio-4. October 4, 2005.
Scott Joplin, Voice of America. November 2003.
Ragtime history, German Radio. October 1997.
The Ian Whitcomb Show, KPCC-FM, Los Angeles, Nov. 15, 1995. Discussion of ragtime and jazz festivals in Europe and Canada.
Composers of the Week: Sousa and Joplin, BBC Radio-3, July 3-7, 1995.
Book World and Focus, Voice of America, spring 1995.
TV 11, Kozssegi Televizio, Budapest, March 29, 1995.
Rona Radio, Kecskemet, Hungary, March 25, 1995.
The Ragtime Machine, KUSF-FM, San Francisco, March 13, 1995.
Performance Today, NPR, Nov. 24, 1994.
The Ian Whitcomb Show, KPCC-FM, Los Angeles, Nov. 16, 1994.
Bluespeak, WMC, Memphis, Sept. 24, 1994.
Conversations, WMAJ, State College, PA, Aug. 4, 1994.
The Ian Whitcomb Show, KPCC-FM, Los Angeles, Nov. 18, 1993.
The Great Crossing, (Scott Joplin part). Netherlands Broadcasting Corp., Dec. 1992.
Worldnet Dialogues: Ragtime Music, Worldnet TV (U.S. Information Agency), Sept. 3, 1992. Discussions broadcast in Europe and South America.
Ragtime America, KGMU-FM, Boulder, Sept. 3, 1992.
Studio One, Voice of America, Nov. 24, 1991.
The Ian Whitcomb Show, KPCC-FM, Los Angeles, Nov. 20, 1991.
The Cradle of Ragtime, KMOS, Missouri Public TV, fall 1990.
The Ragtime Machine, KUSF-FM, San Francisco, June 1987.
The Ragtime Machine, KUSF-FM, San Francisco, June 1986.
Artsline, KFAC-FM, Los Angeles, May 29, 1981.
Blue Notes, WNYC-FM, New York, Sept. 2, 1979 (on Duke Ellington).
WORKS ABOUT THE AUTHOR . . .
. . . as subject of biographical profiles
Anne H. Nichols. “New York Ragtime, 1896-1917: An Historic Tour with Maps and Pictures.” RF-CUNY TOPICS 2/3 (Fall 1990): 1.
David Reffkin. “The Ragtime Machine.” Mississippi Rag (May 1989), 15-17.
. . . as a fictional character in a novel
Tananarive Due, Joplin's Ghost. Atria Books, 2005.
. . . as subject of two acrostic puzzles in the NY TIMES MAGAZINE
(To solve the puzzles, it might be more convenient to copy them to individual pages in a word processor. It's best to paste onto pages in landscape mode, with the smallest page margins.)