Alfredo Rag, The (1916)

Red Peppers (1910)
A rag which carries the same name as the piece by (Gertrude) Imogene Giles which was recently recorded by Nora Hulse. The Aukens piece has a folk flavor to it and I found the highlight to be the second theme.

Rig-A-Jig - Rag (1912)

Combination Salad (1916)
Though this late rag, foreshadowing novelty piano, was published by the largest publisher of ragtime, Jerome H. Remick, this is, unfortunately, the only known published instrumental rag by this composer. Listen in the first theme for the departures from the standard "boom-chick" ragtime bass (there's some lovely low "walking" bass, part of which is written using dotted rhythms).

Foxy Sam (1903)
Possibly an early publication of the well-known Cleveland publisher Sam Fox (this was published by "Fox Music Co. Cleveland, O."). The cover has drawing of a well-dressed (suit, top hat and cane) African-American whose face bears a strong resemblance to the white Sam Fox! Sam Fox also had "Sam Fox Trot" named after him (a midi of which is included on this site).

Ellington Two-Step, The (1898)
Another antique store find which is about half rag and half march. This pleasant piece was published by D. H. Baldwin and was named after "The Ellington Piano" which is pictured on the back cover (see "Stephenson" for another rag composed for a piano manufacturer).

Progressive Rag (1913)
This was published by Axel Christensen who founded a long-lasting school that taught amateur pianists to play ragtime. This seems to be one of the few works Christensen published that was not written by him. "Progressive" is an apt tile as this sounds like a mixture of ragtime and novelty piano.

Son-Set Rag (1915)
A later rag with dotted foxtrot rhythms.

Jazz (published between 1912-1920)
Many thanks to Luigi Ranalli for locating this rare rag in his local library in Milan, Italy, and sending me a scan.

Rag-Time Joke, A (1905)

Tantalizer Rag, The (1916)
This rag consists of three themes and the first two, to put it politely, are improvisations of the first two themes of Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" (some might say that Butler stole Joplin's themes). The last theme is a fine original ragtime theme. I'm not sure why Butler didn't just compose three original themes, especially since he published this in St. Louis, Missouri, where John Stark (the publisher of "Maple Leaf Rag") was living at the time.

Barrel House Rag (public domain)
This is the only folk rag that Brun ever wrote down (and there is some controversy about whether he actually wrote the manuscript).

Halifax Rag (1910)

Crazy Horse - Rag (1922)

Cuyahoga Skippers (1900)
Another self-published rag which is from Battle Creek, Michigan. Like many early rags, not all the themes are syncopated (and the ones that are, are only 8 measures long instead of the standard 16) but, all in all, this is quite an interesting work.

Ragtime Wedding March (1902)
Christensen's arrangement of Felix Mendelsohn-Bartholdy's "The Wedding March" (1826) from the overture "A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 21."
Lange's Flower Song - In Ragtime (1909)
Christensen's arrangement of "Blumenlied" or "The Flower Song" by Gustav Lange (1830-1889).
Old Black Joe - In Ragtime (1909)
Simple Confession - In Ragtime (1909)
Christensen's arrangement of the piece originally titled "Simple Aveu" by Francis Lucien Joseph Thomé (Port Louis, Ile Maurice, 1850 - Paris, France, 1909).

Ragtime King, The (1909)

Way Down South - Characteristic March and Cake Walk (1899)

Carpet Rags - Characteristic March and Two Step (1903)

Blue Moon (1906)
The most interesting thing about this piece is its rhythm. The 1st theme's melody is almost solely dotted rhythms. The 2nd theme's melody is about half ascending dotted rhythms/half standard ragtime. The remaining trio which has a lovely bridge before its repeat, is in standard ragtime rhythm.

Snappin' Turtle (1913)
As is characteristic of typical ragtime this piece has a steady beat in the left hand and is very syncopated. Uncharacteristic though is its heavy use of dotted rhythms which is a foreshadowing of novelty piano. The use of staccato notes in the second theme adds to the "snappiness" (see the title) of this number.

French Pastry Rag (1914)

Georgia Grind (1915) - fast version
Georgia Grind (1915) - slow version
An absolutely gorgeous piece! I found myself humming it frequently, even when I wasn't thinking about it. Jasen & Tichenor wrote of this rag "The 'Grind' was usually a slow blues, but as done here is a beautiful rag equally effective taken at a fast or slow tempo." I'm posting two midis (one about 10% slower than the other) so you can hear the contrast. Interestingly, there's very little syncopation in the first theme, and although the second theme does have typical ragtime syncopation, the third theme relies heavily on the dotted rhythms that were beginning to rise in popularity after about 1912 and blossomed during the novelty piano era.

Monkey Blues (1918)
A lovely piece published late in the ragtime era.

Blue Grass Queen, The (1901)
The only known instrumental rag by this composer, this has some very nice musical moments. The highlight to me is the second theme but the trio is lovely too.

Davis Fox Trot, The (1914)
This is a very danceable syncopated fox trot filled with dotted rhythms.

Carolina Chimes - March Two Step (1904)
Rose De Haven's Devil March - March and Two Step (1908)

Catch of Tokio (1906)
This recently discovered work, though it doesn't sound very Japanese, is a delightful number which has some unique harmonies.

Flipity Flop (1901)
Although this find from a small town antique store is only lightly syncopated, I found it quite enjoyable nonetheless. Whitney-Warner, the publisher of this piece, also published works by L. (Louise) V. Gustin. One can't help but wonder if Dougherty, too, was a female composer who was concealing her identity by the use of initials.

Club Cabin, The (1903)
A nice Canadian rag which, unfortunately, is the only known rag by this composer. I found the highlight to be the second theme. The music for this and some other Canadian rags can be found at: http://amicus.nlc-bnc.ca/m5-bin/Main/BasicSearch?coll=17&l=0&v=1

Sweet Dreams of Youth (1905)

Sparkles - Ragtime Two Step (1909)

That Peculiar Rag (1910)
This is a peculiar rag indeed (beginning with the very first measure) and is rather modern for 1910. It's filled with dotted rhythms, triplets, and harmonies that I usually associate with the 1920's.

Bugavue Rag, The (1902)
Another rare small town rag from the turn of the 20th Century. The friend who sent this to me commented, "Nice use of triplet lead-ins in the D Section." I agree and I'd like to add that it's a nice rag overall.

Missouri Rag, The (1900)

Chitterlin' Strutt (1924)

Miserable Rag (1915)

Handy Andy (1900)
A unique early rag whose first theme is not only to be played "moderately slow and accented" but with hands crossed, the right hand playing the melody in the bass, while the left hand plays the accompaniment in the treble.

Peacock Strut (1917)
A nice peppy late rag that I found in a Jerome H. Remick (the largest publisher of ragtime in the early 20th Century) dance folio. This is most likely a solo piano arrangement of the song. Dance folios generally published piano arrangements of songs in the hopes that someone would go out and purchase the original song (songs were, by some estimates, about twice as popular as instrumental works). A dance folio containing several arrangements was generally the same price as the (full) price of an individual song. The publisher could afford to do this because the composers agreed to forgo any royalties they'd normally receive for sales of the dance folio.

Knights Templar March (1899) - (piano solo arranged by H. W. Davis)
Only the first theme of this work is syncopated like a standard rag and that melody is written in single notes. Still, I hope it will be of interest to ragtime fans. On the back of this piece Miss Fritz advertises 8 other "latest compositions" and none of them are published for piano. They're all either written for guitar(s), mandolin, or both.

Motor Boat Rag (1911)
A polished piece whose extensive use of thirds in the first theme makes it a bit challenging to play. This is the only known rag by this composer.

Peach Blossoms - Two Step (1910)

That Gigglin' Rag (1912)

Black and White (1919)
This rare syncopated work, written in common time, was culled from the digital archives of the National Library of Australia. Being originally published in Sydney makes it interesting as I've heard few truly Australian rags. The first theme is very march-like (the second theme is just a reprise of the first theme in a different key) and uses grace notes liberally whereas the trio is much more melodic.

Any Old Rag (1909)
This piece has a delightful "classic" ragtime opening theme. In contrast the 2nd theme sounds more folksy and dissonant. The 3rd theme, which follows a bridge, is just a variation on the 2nd theme. Scored variations of themes in ragtime are not unheard of, but what makes this variation so interesting is the fact that although the first 4 measures are quite different (they start out a step higher and are more thickly textured), the 2nd 4 measures are almost note for note the same! The final theme which is scored to be played 8va (an octave higher) is a rousing finish.

St. Louis Rag - Two Step (1899)

Nonsense - A Ragged Sensation (1911)
Dixie Rag, That (1912)

Two Merry Tramps (1901)
Although a rather simple piece, repeated listenings have enhanced, rather than diminished, its charms to the point that it's becoming a favorite. I found the sheet music on the Templeton site and even though the cover proclaims this "The Jolliest Piece of Rag Time Ever!" the site's search engine mysteriously did not categorize it as a rag.

Chili Con Carne (1911)
This starts out with a typical, pleasant, middle-of-the-era richly scored opening ragtime theme (this composer does not shy away from octaves or full chords) but there are a few interesting surprises yet to come. The trio, which deceptively opens exactly like the first theme, departs soon after with some nice ascending sixteenth note octave runs in the left hand and a change in melody which involves some interesting harmonies. The D theme is charmingly lyrical and songlike but, unfortunately, only scored to be played once with the piece ending on a third playing of the trio.

Cubist - Intermezzo Fox-Trot (1918)

Walkin' and Talkin' - Two Step Dance, with a little Rag (1906)

Dixieland - Introducing Old Black Joe. March-Two-Step (1902)
Dolly Dimple (1903)

Ben Harney's Rag Time Instructor (1897)
In the very early years of ragtime publishers would publish ragtime arrangements of known tunes (sometimes the arranger would string together themes, or parts of themes, from several different songs to form a "new" composition). This is just such a compilation. The first 3 excerpts (from, respectively: "Old Hundred," "Annie Laurie" & "Come Thou Fount"), which take up about the first minute of the midi, have the unsyncopated melody scored first (since this is an instruction manual where the contrast between syncopated and unsyncopated needs to be made) followed by the ragtime arrangement (the last part of the raggy arrangement for "Come Thou Fount" doesn't seem to reproduce the melody very well). Then, for the final 3 minutes of the midi, it's pure heavily syncopated ragtime (the themes are from: "The Man That Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" & "Ma Black Mandy"). In places you'll hear the syncopation being switched to the left hand while the steady beat is switched to the right. I think you'll especially enjoy this last 3/4 of the midi. I love these early rhythmically eccentric ragtime pieces.

Just prior to the music for "Ma Black Mandy" Ben Harney writes an interesting early definition of ragtime followed by some good advice for how to practice it:

"In this number the player will observe that both hands are playing consecutive time, and in places directly at variance with each other: by counting time with each hand separately, then playing slowly, increasing ad lib, the effect will be attained, and the most intricate rag can be played."

Ben Harney was booked into the top circuits of vaudeville in the late 1890s as "The Inventor of Ragtime." Although that's an exaggeration, he was one of the first to introduce ragtime to the general public both in song and on the piano. Nearly 60 years ago publisher Bruner Greenup (by then 77 years old) wrote the authors of They All Played Ragtime the following about Harney:

"Ben managed to sit at the piano with a cane in one hand or the other and did a sort of tap dance with one or both feet and the cane. He came to my store one day and asked me to publish a song that he had put together. The song, now historic, was "You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down." It was the 1st syncopated song to be published in America." (Greenup published it in 1895.)

As far as I know "Ben Harney's Rag Time Instructor" was only reprinted once, way back in 1963, in Max Morath's 100 Ragtime Classics, a thick (over 350 pages) groundbreaking ragtime folio. In the introduction to his folio Morath, a now legendary ragtime performer/raconteur, writes, "Historically important rags were selected only if they measure up musically as well," and he included this piece in that category. Enjoy!

Virginia Rag (1907)
Virginia Rag (1910) - (revised version)

Line of Rags, A - March or Two Step (1903)

Swellest in Town (1903)

Onward to Berlin (1918)
First published in "The Sunday News-Leader Magazine" (the supplement in a Sunday newspaper) on Sept. 29, 1918, just before the close of W.W.I. Subtitled "Song, March Two-Step", this opens with a march section, is followed by a heavily syncopated ragtime theme, and closes with a song theme with lyrics! It's the second theme that should be of great interest to ragtime fans.

Sam Fox Trot - Rag Two-Step (1915)

Mando Rag (1914)

Ravioli (1906)
A cute little rare rag of 3 themes. The most interesting thing about this piece is that the syncopation (most of which occurs in the first two themes) is scored as a sixteenth rest on the beat followed by a sixteenth note off the beat.

Melancholy Mose (1902)

She Doesn't Seem To Care About Me (1904)

Snookums - Rag (1918)

Real Thing, The - (Rag) (1899) - (banjo version)
Real Thing, The - (Rag) (1899) - (piano version)

Double Fudge - Ragtime Two Step (1902)

Blue Grass Beauties - Characteristic March and Two-Step (1902)

Dance of the Brownies (1895)
Although not a rag, this extremely catchy schottische (named after the "mischievous characters from Palmer Cox's Brownie Books") with it's dotted rhythms sounds in places like a forerunner of the novelty piano solos of the 1920s. According to Hulse and Bostick it was the stupendous sales of this very piece (1/2 a million in it's first 5 years) that inspired Jerome H. Remick (the largest publisher of rags during the ragtime era) to enter the music publishing business.

Bag O' Rags (1910)
In the article "Ragtime's Women Composers" found in the 2002 edition of "The Rag-Time Ephemeralist" the authors Nora Hulse & Nan Bostick wrote, "Lillian Rose Klaphake created the 'Improved Rapid System of Ragtime Piano Playing' (1910) for the Cincinnati School of Popular Music in Ohio. Klaphake was probably employed as an instructor at this school, and in this capacity, she most likely composed several wonderful pieces, none of which have survived." I'm happy to report that that last statement is no longer true! Since that was written, one of Hulse's friends found (and bought) a book on eBay by Klaphake entitled (you guessed it) "Improved Rapid System of Ragtime Piano Playing." In the book (along with several simpler teaching pieces) was one full-fledged rag, "Bag O' Rags." It has three themes and the only reason it doesn't last as long as a conventional rag is that there are fewer repeats (the format is AABCB). Enjoy this rarity!

Darky in the Woodpile (1900)
A fine early folk rag by a native Kentuckian who was probably employed as a music clerk in a department store in downtown Cincinnati (which is the city where this piece was published).

Ma Mobile Babe (1899)
Dubbed as a "Rag time Cake Walk" this early rag was published by The John Church Co., the famous publisher of John Philip Sousa's marches. The first theme is syncopated like a typical rag but only employs a single note melody throughout. These early rags often sound very folksy and though many are probably heavily simplified, are still a joy to hear.

The Buccaneer (1911)
This Ohio River Valley rag was composed by a prominent Cincinnati, Ohio, publisher who published the very early (1897) rag "Pride of Bucktown" by Robert S. Roberts. A pleasant work whose somewhat folksy trio is the highlight for me.

American Rag, The (1917)

Chopiano (1922)

Rag Pickings (1898)
This piece was written for banjo with a piano accompaniment.

On The Turf at Saratoga - March and Two-Step (1904)

Checks (1908)
A rare self-published rag that's rather advanced for 1908. It's full of dotted rhythms, has an atypical octave-chord-chord-octave structure in the bass clef, has many grace notes, and, as a friend pointed out, "has an interesting chromatic run in both hands during the trio."

Georgia Giggle, The - Rag (1918)

Savannah Side-Swing (1912)
It's too bad that this is the only known ragtime piece from this female composer.

Dancing by Moonlight (1923)
This quite catchy little tune has only one syncopated theme (the second). The other themes instead employ the dotted rhythms that were becoming so popular in the 1920s. I found this in an old piano folio. Normally these folios contained arrangements of already published songs or reprints of already published instrumental works. Not true in this case! The publisher writes: "The Vandersloot Piano Folios are made up entirely of new first published copyrights... carefully selected and most severely tested."

Ottawa Rag, The (1913)
A nice Canadian rag whose most interesting feature occurs in the melody of the trio where the composer repeatedly ties together a sixteenth note and an eighth note in the center of the measure (this is in 2/4 time as are many rags) instead of the standard ragtime practice of tying together two sixteenth notes in the center of the measure.

Alaska Rag (1915)

Possum Barbecue, The - Rag Two-Step (1899)

Tennessee Rag (1908)
A delightful rag! (One wonders if this was a song and one of these gentlemen was the lyricist only, and there's no evidence of that yet, or, if this was an actual collaboration of two men writing music only. It would be fascinating to learn who contributed what, if that's indeed the case.) After a rather involved introduction of four bars (the first two taken from the second theme), this rag starts out with a nice, but deceivingly simple, opening theme. The second theme is much more thickly textured in the right hand with octaves and 4 note chords accompanied by intermittent syncopated octave runs in the left hand. The third theme also has interesting bass work with some departures from the typical "oom pah" ragtime bass which involve parallel syncopation in both hands followed by a sixteenth rest in the left hand. The piece ends with a repeat (in a different key) of the rollicking second theme.

Sponges (1908)
This is an extremely rare rag which is on deposit at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The bass part is more varied than the typical octave-chord format of most rags and there's a very classical sounding bridge played before the repeat of the last theme.

Hard Boiled Rag (1910)
Mentel's Maxixe - La Mattchiche Bresilienne (1914)
A maxixe was a Brazilian dance. Maxixes seemed to have been "all the rage" around 1914. Apparently, Mentel hoped to capitalize on the maxixe's popularity by composing this simple, yet lovely, work.

Paradise Rag (1911)

Pijama - Dance (1919)
Many thanks to Luigi Ranalli for locating this rare rag in his local library in Milan, Italy, and sending me a scan.

Lolita - A Tropical Dance (1903)
My wife and I found this beautiful tango in an antique shop. Although it's not a true rag, it's so lovely I couldn't resist including it here.

Chrystal Chimes (1900)
This delightful piece, which has a wonderfully catchy second theme, is, as far as I know, a totally unknown rare rag. I found this in a large cardboard trunk-shaped box of old sheet music in a local antique store. It was part of a large format sized (10.5 inches by 13.5 inches) folio called: "8 New Musical Issues" published by Groene Music Publishing Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The publisher must have used the original printing plates because each piece had the original page numbering.

Lady With the Red Dress (1900)
One of only three known folk rags by the talented composer of "Rag Pickers Rag." O'Brien apparently spent his life working in a factory and only wrote music on the side.
Unique (1902)
Another personal favorite of mine on this site. This is a recently discovered folk rag by the composer of the much anthologized "Rag Pickers [sic] Rag." Each successive theme is better than the preceding one. The final theme is a topnotch rousing foot-stomping folk theme. Enjoy!

Africanna: A Jungle Serenade (1911)
This is a rare self-published rag from the town of Lima, Ohio. (My French immigrant grandfather worked double 9 hour shifts seven days a week for the Lima Locomotive Works, in Lima, Ohio, back in the summer of 1923 so he could afford his last year of college tuition.) The lovely melodic second theme is richly scored and has some interesting sixteenth note runs in the left hand (a 16th rest followed by three 16th octaves). The beautiful third theme is richly textured and heavily syncopated. The first theme is the weakest in my opinion. It's nearly devoid of syncopation and half of it consists of staccato chords. The last theme is a bit of a let down after the two fine preceding ones. It's voiced mostly in thirds and sounds a bit odd to my ear. All in all, though, this is quite an interesting piece of ragtime.

Charlie Chaplin, The (date unknown)
Published by Pauline's Song Shop in Sydney, Australia, probably between 1915 and 1924.

Ohio - A Buckeye Serenade (1907)
The music for this rare folk rag was found among my friend's late grandmother's sheet music (she was 16 years old when it was published). It was self-published by the composer in a small town which still has a population of less than 1500 people.

Yankee Girl - Characteristic March and Two-Step (1904)
Yankee Dude - Characteristic March and Two Step (1907)

Ragtime Eyes - Rag Two-Step (1907)

Goin' Some: A Rag-Time Two Step (1906)
Goin' Some is a very rare rag which exists in the Library of Congress copyright deposit files as a professional copy. Professional copies (which were printed without covers to reduce costs) were complimentary copies given to performers for promotion. They were not to be sold (and stated so boldly above the title).

This is pure folk ragtime and a delight! However, be forewarned, it's so unique that you will probably have to hear it at least 2 or 3 times before you can truly appreciate it--at least that was true for some rag aficionados I know, including yours truly!

Aeroplane Rag, The (circa 1910's)
This is from an unpublished manuscript of the composer of "Hot House Rag." Delightful with little surprises, yet, at the same time, quite elegant. The opening and closing themes are special highlights.

Bones (probably written during the 1910's)
Like "The Aeroplane Rag" this is taken from an unpublished manuscript of this topnotch composer of the ragtime era. This piece includes not only an experimental second theme which has a very atypical left hand but a song-like melodic trio.

Fluff (circa 1910's)
Though this unpublished work's composer is "Willis W. Lockwood" it's in the same hand as the other two unpublished manuscripts of Pratt so it's assumed that he is the actual composer. The most fascinating thing about this piece is the first theme which sounds to me like an earlier version of the first theme of Pratt's "Aeroplane Rag" (it's virtually identical in places). It's always interesting to hear composer's do variations of their own themes.

Red Hots (1907)
Another rare rag published when ragtime was nearing its peak in popularity. This is richly scored in places and quite interesting musically. Note the variety in the bass throughout and listen for the bridge to the first repeat of the trio which sounds quite classical. FYI: In the music, the pianist is instructed to speak the title, "Red Hots," during the pause at the end of the second theme (1:03 & 1:24 on the midi).

Winnie's Arrival (1903)
A self-published rag whose first two themes are not only very catchy but rather funky sounding. This composer used the name Leila Rallya as a pseudonym on some of her other works.

Hocus Pocus Rag (1910)
Thanks to Luigi Ranalli for providing me with a scan for this rag. It's a very interesting piece which provides contrasting themes that vary in their amount of syncopation. The A theme is syncopated like a typical ragtime theme. The B and D themes are more heavily syncopated than normal while the trio (C theme) barely has any syncopation at all. This piece is also structured quite differently than a standard ragtime composition. A common structure is the one found in Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" (AABBACCDD). "Hocus Pocus Rag" is structured so that while themes are repeated, no single theme is repeated consecutively, which is unusual (its structure is: intro. ABAB bridge C bridge D intro. AB bridge C bridge D). Apparently there is an unarranged version of this work which neither Luigi nor I has seen (Tyers, the arranger, wrote the famous "Maori" which is also found on this site).

Cyclone, The (1908)
Another self-published rag. The first theme is rather lackluster (as if needs to be polished more) but the rag makes up this deficiency with a rousing closing theme. Many rags second themes are more rhythmic than melodic but this whole rag seems to be rhythmic. All in all a very interesting work.

Sweet Potatoes - (A Slow Drag) March & Two Step (1906)

Castle Square (1914)
This is subtitled "maxixe" which is a Brazilian dance (according to one web site the maxixe was first introduced in Paris in 1912). Although this is, for the most part, scored like a typical rag, when I listen to it I can't help but picture a nineteenth century ballroom filled with ladies wearing floor-length dresses who are waltzing with gentlemen in old-fashioned suits.

Bundle of Rags (1897)
A highly original folk rag from the early days of the Ragtime Era. There are some very interesting syncopations scattered throughout this piece (Jasen & Tichenor call them "erratic eccentric syncopated piano figures"). At times the melody shifts to the left hand while the right quietly waits its turn. One always wonders what part the arranger played in the composition of a piece like this. Did he simplify it, improve it, add unique ideas, etc.? Unfortunately, we may never know.

Rubies (1909)
An interesting self-published work which is appropriately subtitled: "A Novelty Intermezzo Two-Step." It is novel and has elements of an intermezzo and a two-step (which in this case equals rag). It's only in the last half of the piece that you'll hear some ragtime.

Scan'lous Ephraim (1899)
The front cover of this piece boasts that over 150,000 copies of this sheet music have already been sold. It opens with a fine folk rag theme (which is repeated four more times throughout the piece). The third and fourth themes, as with many early rags, are unsyncopated, but the fourth, though very simplistic, is quite graceful and melodic.

Floreine Waltz (Syncopated) (1908)
One of the earlier pieces in the popular series of syncopated waltzes. Most ragtime aficionados do not consider these waltzes ragtime because they're not in duple meter.

Raggy-Raggers, The (1899)

Goin' Some (1910)
The full title of this piece on the first page of music is: "The Crookedest Rag That Ever Happen That's GOIN' SOME. A Syncopated Reminiscence. Perhaps "crookedest" refers to the fact that there's plenty of syncopation in this piece and the composer sounds as if he was classically trained (many classically trained pianists had difficulty playing heavily syncopated rags). Grinnell Bros., the publisher, was primarily a major piano manufacturer based in Detroit, Michigan, who also published sheet music from about 1906-1913. I've found 40 pieces that they published and 21 were composed by James Royce Shannon. Perhaps he was the in-house composer.

Ole Eph's Vision - Characteristic March. Two-Step, Polka, or Cake Walk (1899)

Eileen (From Old Killarney) - Syncopated Waltzes (1914)
Arranged by Will B. Morrison.

Cat on the Keyboard, The (1915)
A rag which is a precursor of Zez Confrey's famous novelty number "Kitten on the Keys" which imitated a kitten walking on the piano. This piece, too, has amusing passages which musically mimic a cat walking across the piano keyboard.

Doherty Rag (1913)
Another Canadian rag (see "Duguay" & "Lynn" for two other examples) whose restless and dissonant second and fourth themes are a joy to hear. The fourth theme seems to be a clever improvisation on the second. Interestingly, this was composed expressly for (and published by) the W. Doherty Piano and Organ Co., Ltd. in Canada.

S. R. Henry's Barn Dance (1908)
This is actually a syncopated schottische. I consider the third section the highlight of the piece.

On the Wharf (1905)

Ramblin' Sam (1899)
A nice folk rag from early in the ragtime era which has some interesting dissonances in the treble clef. Ragtime historian and expert on female ragtime composers Nora Hulse believes that the music can solely be attributed to Pauline Story and that Brennen's name is included because he wrote the lyrics for the song version.

Dance of the Hoo-Hoo (1898)
This delightful folk rag, which is available on the "Lester Levy" website, was written in honor of "The Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo" (the cover has a replica of their official symbol). According to its website TCOHH is, "the oldest industrial Fraternal Organization in existence in the USA" (being founded in Jan. 1892 as a "public relations department of the lumber industry").

Cakewalk, The - Dance (1902)

Barbecue Rag (1909)
The original publishers of this piece, Groene Music, published several really nice rags almost all of which are rare. Apparently they had good taste in music but didn't have the best salesmen and/or distribution. The best theme of this work, which is played 3 times, is the first. The melody in 10 of those 16 bars starts out with a rest (and almost always ends with a 16th rest followed by a 16th chord). This gives the theme a funky sound. The 2nd theme is a straight march and the trio, though lightly syncopated, sounds very raggy nonetheless. All in all a rag worthy of repeated listenings.

Dainty Foot Glide, The - Rag-One-Step or Two-Step (1915)

Tierney Rag, The (1913)

Aunt Mandy's Wedding - March & Cake-Walk (1899)
Maori - A Samoan Dance (1908)

Doll Rags (1909)
A good "foot-stomping" rag which appears to be the sole work by this composer.

Postal, The - March & Two Step (1902)

Chocolate Drops - Two-Step and Cake-Walk (1902)

Queen City Girl (1907)
An absolute gem (!!) and one my favorite pieces on this site! This is an extremely rare self-published rag from Covington, Kentucky. Even Dave Jasen, owner of one of the largest ragtime sheet music collections in the country, hadn't heard of it and loved it. "Queen City" is Cincinnati's nickname and Covington is just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. I only wish that when Weaver scored a reprise of the delightful second theme in a higher key, that he'd scored it to be played twice.

A Trombone Nightmare (1910)
In this interesting piece from Australia the composer simulates a trombone by using a run of 32nd notes. If you're interested in the sheet music for this piece, a scan can be found at the National Library of Australia.

Pride of the Smoky Row - Q-Rag (1911)

Bashful Betty (1904)
This very catchy composition was still in print over 20 years after it's original copyright date (my copy has an ad for a song copyrighted in 1926). Subtitled an "Intermezzo-Two Step" it's only syncopated theme is the trio. The other two themes, however, are comprised of dotted rhythms which became quite popular in the fox trots of the teens.

Ravlins (1910)

Down On the Old Plantation (1899)
Only the first theme (which is repeated at the end of the piece) of this is syncopated. However I found the other themes to be more enjoyable because they are so evocative of the "Old South."

The Possum and the Coon (1901)
Subtitled "Two-Step and Cakewalk" this pleasant piece has a southern folksy sound.

Winn's Rag (ca 1913)
Unfortunately, this nice little rag only consists of only one theme.

America: In Ragtime (ca 1913)
The original music for this popular song is from an old English air.
Spring Song (ca 1913)
This is Winn's ragtime arrangement of Felix Mendelssohn's famous melody.

Black Cinderella (1900)
Noted ragtime historian and performer Nora Hulse wrote, "Her [Florence Wood's] creative melodies and chord changes in "Black Cinderella" make for a delightful ragtime two step."

Catchy Thing, A (1905)

De Winnin' Coon (1901)
Although this title had been seen in the publisher's lists, no copy was known to exist (it wasn't even in the Library of Congress) until it turned up in a folio I recently found (see the Murdocks' "Chrystal Chimes" for more details). Although "Chrystal Chimes" is my favorite of the two, this is a nice folk rag which is definitely worth preserving.