I know... soo many great composers NEVER got to see their big works performed...Schubert being one of those folks... this work is just old fashioned WONDERFUL!
My first introduction to this Masterpiece was actually at a funeral. In the early '90's a friend dying of AIDS "choreographed" his entire memorial. The service was filled with everything he loved and the filled chapel all felt united in this loss. A small (but mighty) choral group took advantage of the outstanding acoustics and those high notes rang out. When they were over, we all just sat in silence and awe -- just how he wanted. I hunted down a cassette of the opera and have always kept it in rotation. I heard the NPR piece on it the other day and it brought me here. What a gorgeous production...it should be shared with everyone.
being a huge joplin fan (im a classical pianist and have studied his works as much as i have chopin and beethoven) have played this and other excerpts from the opera, this is the first time i get to see the performance. Joplin would have shed tears of joy to see his dream come to life. listen to the audience clap in time with the music! and the cheers at the end!
I got tears as well watching this. I saw Treemonisia in 1975, in Houston at Miller Outdoor Theater, when it was given its first full production. I was only 14, but I can still remember it well, especially this slow exultant closing number. Beautiful.
Hi Bobi - I wish I still had the Play Bill, but I doubt it. I can look the next time I'm in Houston. I'd be happy to talk about it. My memory is that the Five Blind Boys of Alabama came rising up to the stage with a white grand piano. No, sorry, that was Gospel at Colonus, also at Miller Outdoor Theater. Same era. Back to Tremonisia - Scott Joplin was a genius. @@BobiLott
@@annsieber8705 I love this and thank you so much. This is helpful as I try to gather as many memories people have of the choreography. Thank you again!
Scott Joplin also wrote an opera in the early 1900s about Booker T. Washington's then-controversial dinner with President Theodore Roosevelt, but it is currently lost to history.
I saw this at the time, but it rolled right over me. Now, though, it seems a thing of wonder. And Carmen Balthrop's popped high notes in the middle section-unearthly and crystal clear-are like nothing I have ever heard from a singer.
My late husband and I were some of the luckiest people, we saw the first production of this marvelous opera on Broadway, which I believe was it's first performance and the year, if I'm not mistaken that it was performed onBroadway was 1975....the fabulous genius of Scott Joplin so many years delayed for what reason...oh yes, pure and simple racism...how cruel, how unbelievably cruel that such talent had been surpressed because it was composed by a man with brown skin
Awesome!!!! Talented!!!!!Positive!!!! Uplifting!!!! Marching Onward, Sliding Onward. Opera voices are strong & holds no boundarys. Thank you Mr. Joplin. Gifts & Talents come from the heart of all. God creates All & this is to be cheered on. Despite negative comments I have read. Joy comes in the morning& this is a performance to be celebrated. Except for my research for a music assignment, I may not have found it, and I am so glad I did, so I can share it. I love it!! A treasure, yes
The name of the opera was "A Guest of Honor" Sadly it is lost, a copyright application was submitted but Joplin didn't include a copy of the score. It was never published as no publishing house would touch it.
I am so thrilled to see this video on UA-cam that I literally have tears in my eyes, the way I did back in 1976 when I saw this on Broadway (the second night of the production). When Treemonisha is held aloft at the end, and the tree is illumnated along with the rainbow, I felt chills because I could only hope Scott Joplin was able to look down and feel that vindication was his. Please, before you make comments, read something about the play. More to come.
What can I say? I first saw heard this on radio back in the lat eighties, I thought it was good then, whenI found this I was shocked, mesmerised, at the performance. Brilliant voices from the singers, Carmen is one of the very best of sopranos and the dancing, WELL WHAT CAN I SAY??
I heard this when I was in hospital recently recovering from a major operation - it was on the radio. Inspiring! Many thanks. I'm not surprised at the audience reaction.
Way back in the 70’s, I saw treemonisha at WOLF trap farm. A fabulous performance - the music, the singing, the the dancing, the costumes. Balthrop was amazingly talented. A performance never forgotten. - from the mind of Joplin to Balthrop, and Demain, I believe the orchestra leader.
I do love this. I heard this music 25 years ago for the first time. Wish I could see it on stage, After a party, in my home, when I have to clean up my kitchen I allways listen to this fantastic opera. I still have it on an old tape. Britt, Stockholm
I've known that Treemonisha existed for most of the 60 years of my music-loving life, but somehow have missed hearing any of it until now. Obviously I've missed a lot. Thanks for this.
It's been a while since attending Carmen's wedding here in The Bahamas so finding this bit of Treemonisha with Carmen is an absolute treat for me. The piece has recently been performed at our regional theatre and was very successful. I wish her continued success in all her endeavours.
@Groth1175 acott joplin wrote a VERY large ammount of classical music (a symphony, piano concerto, piano pieces and more) that his wife kept after his death in 1917 but it was all put in storage after her death and is now lost. he wrote another opera called 'a guest of honor' in 1902 (now lost), a ballet "the ragtime dance" in 1902 later revised into a piano rag in 1906 and started anoter stage work called "If" in 1915 but is now lost. he was a true genius
Scott Joplin wrote music to be enjoyed by people of all colors, and he mentored both black and white performers. A great artist--I just wished he had lived to see a full staging of "Tremonisha."
@djkaneck1 I am currently writing my honors dissertation on Scott Joplin's Treemonisha. Vulgarity aside, your comment is spot-on. Rather than "not-allowed" to be seen, the opera never gained the momentum of interest that Joplin so wished for. The Harlem Renaissance was just around the corner, and this work simply wasn't a show for New York, not in 1907.
THANK YOU for posting this. Love this song, especially fluidity and beauty of the line "Now do that sloooooow, do that slow drag" ; and what about Ms. Balthrop! Wow! Thanks again.
Fantastic! This has been my favorite Opera since I was 11. I studied opera at a predom white school...never got the opportunity to perform it :-( But I did write a big research paper on it and educated my Music History professor lol.
(Start 2 posts down) Scott Joplin's father was a slave. He'd NEVER "make light of slavery." I looked for "A Real Slow Drag" on UA-cam several years ago to use in a Music Appreciation class I teach, but I wasn't satisfied with the versions then available. I'm overjoyed to see that this video has been posted. Carmen Balthrop is brilliant! Joplin self published Treemonisha in 1911, during the ragtime era. The choreography here is intended to evoke the "cakewalk" style then popular.
music is always about emotions and how we feel with them, this one especially is the good feeling i had with my father... it was a tribute to our mutual love for this music. my last respect to him. and indeed, the marching onward part especially gave me power to 'move on'
I attended the original Houston Grand Opera production and this finale reminds me of what a great performance it was. Carmen Balthrop was brilliant, and there was truly thunderous applause for this Scott Joplin opera. It's time for one of the larger opera companies to stage a revival.
Thank you a thousandfold for posting this. I saw the Broadway production, and it was thrilling. Can't explain why Treemonisha was my first thought upon awakening this morning so I wondered if it might be on You Tube. "Lo and behold", as the saying goes.
I'm in agreement with others here in not understanding why this work, a brilliant work by a brilliant American composer, has not entered the standard repertoire. In my opinion, it's a masterpiece that deserves to be better known.
Yes, I cannot watch this, or hear it without weeping. The whole thing, Joplin's story, the nobility of the story, the sheer beauty of the music. . . God. Thank you, Mr. Joplin.
Thing is... ragtime is actually dance music. Many of the ragtimes are called "two-steps" and Joplin had also composed works specifically to be danced with. Ragtimes also have a history in the cakewalk, which is a tradition dating from the days of slavery, a kind of "reverse day" where slaves would imitate their owners and throw a fancy dance. There are some early films where you can see folks who might remember cakewalks actually performing them.
🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭I'VE JUST HAPPEN TO SEE THIS, SURPRISED BY UA-cam PREDICTIONS. I SAW THE BEST PART OF THIS, PLAYING ON BROADWAY &, EVERYBODY WAS JUST CRAZY ABOUT THIS SCOTT JOPLIN HISTORICAL OPERA CLASSIC .HER PERFORMANCE WAS UNBELIEVABLELY CLASSIC TO THE POINT OF TEARS. SUPERBLY WONDERFUL &, I'M CRAZY ABOUT RAYTIME MUSIC "ONLY" WHEN PLAYED BY ORCHESTRA ," THE NEW ENGLAND RAGTIME ORCHESTRA " .VERY, VERY UPBEAT. 🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭💜.
I had not heard of this opera until our local NPR station played Treemonisha. OMG I was driving then and people must have thought I was crazy moving and gyrating to this great music!
I just got the video of this opera and I can't get enough of it. Fantastic production. Thank you so much for uploading this so I can share with others.
I did an orchestration for most of the pieces in Tremonisha from Joplin's piano score a few years ago. I've never seen listed anyplace an orchestral score for this really fine opera.
This is Schuller's own orchestration and it's the best one. I'm only a professionally trained organist and accompanist but i can orchestrate quite well and his stamds out as the closest to Joplin's
@Groth1175 Rudi Blesh and Harriet Janis met Lottie Joplin in the 1950 when researching their book "they all played ragtime" and showed them stacks of his music. they noted several titles "Pretty Pansy Rag", "Recitative Rag", "Morning Glories", as well as the classical pieces. there IS one fragment of Joplins lost music that has resurfaced - on Guido Nielsen's recording of Joplins work he has a track called "unknown song fragment".
This performance is wonderful 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏! The whole Joplin's work is out of this poor world, it's "cosmic"! To me there're, on one side, music in general and, on the other, SJ's music, because it has a single vibe, one of a kind, unpaired masterpieces full of joy, sensuality, strengh, love for life and living and, i guess, a touch of "childishness"!
So colorful and happy contagious music... great soprano.Yes it is sad Joplin did not see his opera in the great stage..he must be in a better place and left his legacy for generations.
Your ignorance of history and culture is truly a thing of wonder to behold. The fact that you could so fully express it in so few words is a testament to your utter lack understanding. To paraphrase a well known saying... brevity is the soul of your witlessness.
HomeBrandCereal actually, he died from tertiary syphilis, as so many did before the advent of penicillin. The direct cause of death could have been its effect on the brain, as heartbeat and breathing are controlled by the medulla oblongata, but overall, thé illness is properly called tertiary syphilis.
@@crazyorganist1609 Joplin moved to Sedalia, Missouri in 1894 and earned a living as a piano teacher. There he taught future ragtime composers Arthur Marshall, Scott Hayden and Brun Campbell. He began publishing music in 1895 and publication of his "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1899 brought him fame. This piece had a profound influence on writers of ragtime. It also brought Joplin a steady income for life, though he did not reach this level of success again and frequently had financial problems. In 1901, Joplin moved to St. Louis, where he continued to compose and publish and regularly performed in the community. The score to his first opera, A Guest of Honor, was confiscated in 1903 with his belongings for non-payment of bills, and is now considered lost.[3] In 1907, Joplin moved to New York City to find a producer for a new opera. He attempted to go beyond the limitations of the musical form that had made him famous but without much monetary success. His second opera, Treemonisha, was never fully staged during his life. In 1916, Joplin descended into dementia as a result of syphilis. He was admitted to Manhattan State Hospital in January 1917 and died there three months later at the age of 48. Joplin's death is widely considered to mark the end of ragtime as a mainstream music format; over the next several years, it evolved with other styles into stride, jazz and eventually big band swing.
I saw this on Broadway years ago, it was a really emotional experience that I haven't thought about in a long time. I love this song, thank you for posting it.
I am glad there is finally some of this opera on UA-cam. I have the full recording since over 30 years!!! The cover looks like the one shown on Aunt Dinah has blown the horn on the right...........
Joplin's work was never fully staged in his time. Ragtime suffered from a stigma of not being serious music and there was doubtless skepticism that a black composer could compose serious music works. Nevertheless, Joplin focused a huge amount of effort into preparing the score and story for "Treemonisha," which he paid to have published. Its failure to get produced was a huge blow for him. (continued)
Whoa, been a big fan of Joplin since a child. Never heard his opera until this video, I'm digging these great hooks. That young lady has a great voice, whats her name?
+buckcheyman Ms. Balthrop is seen here with the Houston Grand Opera Company in their acclaimed 1975 production. It is available on the Deutsche Gramophone label.
@Jenniferhos no, he wasnt committed until late 1916 or early 1917. he was still actively composing in 1916 - composing new rags, making orchestral arrangements, and composing new music. he even announced in the paper a new musical "If", but this is the only mention of it. He made several piano rolls between April and June, but the later roll shows deterioration of his playing from syphilis. his wife Lottie had him committed when he began destroying his manuscripts.
One of the greatest operas with those of Mozart, Verdi and Puccini. Deutsch Gramophone made a good sound record, but the video quality is now outdated. I wish a new video record with high quality.
@Doug19752533 in the 40's Sam Patterson, a longtime friend of Joplin's recieved from Lottie a picture of Scott's piano which had some music on it. later it was examined and this is a 32 second fragment. the music is a haunting beautiful rag. look it up and listin to it.
I have to say I was very moved by the performance here of "Marching Onward". Such joy and artistry! I saw a *very* small production of Treemonisha in Inverness Station, Marin County, California, with just the pianist Fay McNally and I think a drummer, with no more than 4 singers. They didn't sing all the numbers, I'm pretty sure. This was, as I recall, actually earlier than the Houston production, maybe 1972? Anyhow soon after the release of the Joshua Rifkin record of 1970.
@Kirke182 very true, Joplin said "thats my tune" (actual quote according to his friend Sam Patterson) when Ragtime Band came out. he re wrote some of "slow drag" to avoid comparisons
(Read the comment below first) Treemonisha was set in the post-bellum period, after the war and emancipation. The freed men and women were poverty stricken and being taken advantage of by hucksters peddling "goofer dust" (seriously). Schooling was not available, and Treemonisha was the only educated member of the community. She challenged the hucksters and was chosen as the loader of the community, to help them progress. That's why this, the finale, has the lyrics, "Marching Onward."
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this. I love this and was a little dismayed it wasn't on youtube. One small word of advice, you should re-name it "Real Slow Drag-Treemonisha-Balthrop" That will get it the most hits. Again THANKS!!!!!!!!
Joplin actually had to rewrite "a real slow drag" when shortly after he had showed the score around to publishers "alexanders ragtime band" came out by Irving Berlin. the main themes are very very similar (hmmm). Lottie (joplins wife) said when he saw the sheet music to berlin's song he exclamed "thats my tune!" and had to revise it somewhat to avoid the accusations of plagerisim (after all consider the time, a white mans word vs a black mans word?)
@RoryGarbutt that was in 1915. shortly after the failed performance he started destroying his manuscripts fearing people would steal them after his death, and his wife committed him to a mental hospital in january 1917. he was absolutely crushed, and decended into a state of paranoia and depression. terrible loss
This is awesome, and its shallow to interpret this production as merely making light of slavery and the harsh struggles proceeding. The production itself is a miracle being one of few black Operas. The music is genius and intelligent. What pisses me off is the bafoonery in todays music, and culture which carries the mentality of slavery.
@TheAnimalcrossingirl the name of the movie is "Scott Joplin" and was made in 1977 for TV. Billy Dee Williams (who later played Lando Calrissian) played Scott Joplin... yes there is a scene where Joplin is rehearsing this number with several cast members.
Thank you, vincero1079, for this beautiful moment. I love Scott Joplin since more than 35 years ago. Could you offer us "Wrong is never right" sung by Curtis Rayam in this opera?
This Houston Grand Opera performance of TREEMONISHA in Houston was in 1981. I was one of the dancers.
ua-cam.com/video/OLyh2jCvzG0/v-deo.html
Thank you! So wonderful!
Merci Mary d'avoir participé à ce merveilleux spectacle
So sad that Joplin didn't live to see a full-stage performance of his grand opera
I know... soo many great composers NEVER got to see their big works performed...Schubert being one of those folks... this work is just old fashioned WONDERFUL!
May your glorious voice soar beyond the stars. Rest in Peace, Carmen Balthrop 💗
Oh No! Didn't know she had passed!
My first introduction to this Masterpiece was actually at a funeral. In the early '90's a friend dying of AIDS "choreographed" his entire memorial. The service was filled with everything he loved and the filled chapel all felt united in this loss. A small (but mighty) choral group took advantage of the outstanding acoustics and those high notes rang out. When they were over, we all just sat in silence and awe -- just how he wanted. I hunted down a cassette of the opera and have always kept it in rotation. I heard the NPR piece on it the other day and it brought me here. What a gorgeous production...it should be shared with everyone.
being a huge joplin fan (im a classical pianist and have studied his works as much as i have chopin and beethoven) have played this and other excerpts from the opera, this is the first time i get to see the performance. Joplin would have shed tears of joy to see his dream come to life. listen to the audience clap in time with the music! and the cheers at the end!
Carmen had a beautiful voice and wonderful stage presence. She will be miss. Rest well with other great vocalists.
I got tears as well watching this. I saw Treemonisia in 1975, in Houston at Miller Outdoor Theater, when it was given its first full production. I was only 14, but I can still remember it well, especially this slow exultant closing number. Beautiful.
Would you mind discussing with me? Do you happen to have the Play Bill?
Hi Bobi - I wish I still had the Play Bill, but I doubt it. I can look the next time I'm in Houston. I'd be happy to talk about it. My memory is that the Five Blind Boys of Alabama came rising up to the stage with a white grand piano. No, sorry, that was Gospel at Colonus, also at Miller Outdoor Theater. Same era. Back to Tremonisia - Scott Joplin was a genius.
@@BobiLott
@@annsieber8705 I love this and thank you so much. This is helpful as I try to gather as many memories people have of the choreography. Thank you again!
The beauty of this thing just kills me.
Joplin's music is underrated unfortunately especially this opera
Scott Joplin also wrote an opera in the early 1900s about Booker T. Washington's then-controversial dinner with President Theodore Roosevelt, but it is currently lost to history.
I saw this at the time, but it rolled right over me. Now, though, it seems a thing of wonder. And Carmen Balthrop's popped high notes in the middle section-unearthly and crystal clear-are like nothing I have ever heard from a singer.
My late husband and I were some of the luckiest people, we saw the first production of this marvelous opera on Broadway, which I believe was it's first performance and the year, if I'm not mistaken that it was performed onBroadway was 1975....the fabulous genius of Scott Joplin so many years delayed for what reason...oh yes, pure and simple racism...how cruel, how unbelievably cruel that such talent had been surpressed because it was composed by a man with brown skin
the first time i saw it was at Alice Tully Hall
Saw it at Wolf Trap Park for the Performing Arts in Virginia in 1972, a few months after it had its premiere in Atlanta.
Your statement couldn't be more true Joplin wrote perhaps the greatest opera ever even more tuneful even then Carmen
As usual, Houston Grand Opera did it first. It then toured.
DIVA!!!! Carmen Balttrhop!!!!!! WHAT A GLORIOUS VOICE SHE HAS, GOD!!!!!!
AND WHAT A DELICOUS NUMBER FROM EVERYBODY ON STAGE!!!!!!
Awesome!!!! Talented!!!!!Positive!!!! Uplifting!!!! Marching Onward, Sliding Onward. Opera voices are strong & holds no boundarys. Thank you Mr. Joplin. Gifts & Talents come from the heart of all. God creates All & this is to be cheered on. Despite negative comments I have read. Joy comes in the morning& this is a performance to be celebrated. Except for my research for a music assignment, I may not have found it, and I am so glad I did, so I can share it. I love it!! A treasure, yes
The name of the opera was "A Guest of Honor" Sadly it is lost, a copyright application was submitted but Joplin didn't include a copy of the score. It was never published as no publishing house would touch it.
I am so thrilled to see this video on UA-cam that I literally have tears in my eyes, the way I did back in 1976 when I saw this on Broadway (the second night of the production). When Treemonisha is held aloft at the end, and the tree is illumnated along with the rainbow, I felt chills because I could only hope Scott Joplin was able to look down and feel that vindication was his. Please, before you make comments, read something about the play. More to come.
I got married on that music instead of the ritual... in 1978... so many memories. Everybody danced in the church * XV century church".. a great day!!
Carmen Balthrop is such a treasure in this clip, unbelievably good from the very first word she sings
What can I say? I first saw heard this on radio back in the lat eighties, I thought it was good then, whenI found this I was shocked, mesmerised, at the performance. Brilliant voices from the singers, Carmen is one of the very best of sopranos and the dancing, WELL WHAT CAN I SAY??
I heard this when I was in hospital recently recovering from a major operation - it was on the radio. Inspiring! Many thanks. I'm not surprised at the audience reaction.
Way back in the 70’s, I saw treemonisha at WOLF trap farm. A fabulous performance - the music, the singing, the the dancing, the costumes. Balthrop was amazingly talented. A performance never forgotten. - from the mind of Joplin to Balthrop, and Demain, I believe the orchestra leader.
I do love this. I heard this music 25 years ago for the first time. Wish I could see it on stage,
After a party, in my home, when I have to clean up my kitchen I allways listen to this fantastic opera. I still have it on an old tape.
Britt, Stockholm
I've known that Treemonisha existed for most of the 60 years of my music-loving life, but somehow have missed hearing any of it until now. Obviously I've missed a lot. Thanks for this.
The brilliance of Katherine Dunham's ethnographic choreography! Thank you for sharing one of Joplin's masterpiece's.
It's been a while since attending Carmen's wedding here in The Bahamas so finding this bit of Treemonisha with Carmen is an absolute treat for me. The piece has recently been performed at our regional theatre and was very successful. I wish her continued success in all her endeavours.
I saw the Houston Opera production in the park in the 70's and will never forget this particular song.
The genius of Scott Joplin...............
I get chills every time I see this show. The music is brilliant!
@Groth1175 acott joplin wrote a VERY large ammount of classical music (a symphony, piano concerto, piano pieces and more) that his wife kept after his death in 1917 but it was all put in storage after her death and is now lost. he wrote another opera called 'a guest of honor' in 1902 (now lost), a ballet "the ragtime dance" in 1902 later revised into a piano rag in 1906 and started anoter stage work called "If" in 1915 but is now lost. he was a true genius
Scott Joplin wrote music to be enjoyed by people of all colors, and he mentored both black and white performers. A great artist--I just wished he had lived to see a full staging of "Tremonisha."
Marching onward! Oh Scott, how sweet your words, and music. How much we need this now. God bless you dear brother!
@djkaneck1 I am currently writing my honors dissertation on Scott Joplin's Treemonisha. Vulgarity aside, your comment is spot-on. Rather than "not-allowed" to be seen, the opera never gained the momentum of interest that Joplin so wished for. The Harlem Renaissance was just around the corner, and this work simply wasn't a show for New York, not in 1907.
THANK YOU for posting this. Love this song, especially fluidity and beauty of the line "Now do that sloooooow, do that slow drag" ; and what about Ms. Balthrop! Wow! Thanks again.
Fantastic! This has been my favorite Opera since I was 11. I studied opera at a predom white school...never got the opportunity to perform it :-( But I did write a big research paper on it and educated my Music History professor lol.
(Start 2 posts down) Scott Joplin's father was a slave. He'd NEVER "make light of slavery." I looked for "A Real Slow Drag" on UA-cam several years ago to use in a Music Appreciation class I teach, but I wasn't satisfied with the versions then available. I'm overjoyed to see that this video has been posted. Carmen Balthrop is brilliant! Joplin self published Treemonisha in 1911, during the ragtime era. The choreography here is intended to evoke the "cakewalk" style then popular.
played this at my fathers funeral, such an uplifting piece
The libretto can have a different meaning, hence "Marching onward".
this song has nothing to do with sexual empowerment. It baffles me where this line of misinformation is coming from.
music is always about emotions and how we feel with them, this one especially is the good feeling i had with my father... it was a tribute to our mutual love for this music. my last respect to him. and indeed, the marching onward part especially gave me power to 'move on'
It's going to be played at my funeral too.
Horace Alexander Young simply from prejudice and an sense of incompetence at competition (plus its attendant impotence)
I attended the original Houston Grand Opera production and this finale reminds me of what a great performance it was. Carmen Balthrop was brilliant, and there was truly thunderous applause for this Scott Joplin opera. It's time for one of the larger opera companies to stage a revival.
Why can this not be preformed at the Met? Please, i want to see this live!
James Reading we should live so long!!
@@dougr.2398 Amen Doug! This music just grabs my soul.
@@thomashogan16 I used to play Scott Joplin’s piano rags. I need to start playing and practicing again
@@thomashogan16 si glad you replied. I started listening to this again and it really is classic Americana and a real uplift
Thank you a thousandfold for posting this. I saw the Broadway production, and it was thrilling. Can't explain why Treemonisha was my first thought upon awakening this morning so I wondered if it might be on You Tube. "Lo and behold", as the saying goes.
My grandmother played Monisha in this production. Just thought I'd throw that out there lol
That’s pretty cool !
Super cool I would say.
Lies
I'm in agreement with others here in not understanding why this work, a brilliant work by a brilliant American composer, has not entered the standard repertoire. In my opinion, it's a masterpiece that deserves to be better known.
I've seen this (original) opera when i was a young boy...
Expectional great...
Everytime i hear this song, i get emotional.
Yes, I cannot watch this, or hear it without weeping. The whole thing, Joplin's story, the nobility of the story, the sheer beauty of the music. . . God. Thank you, Mr. Joplin.
Thing is... ragtime is actually dance music. Many of the ragtimes are called "two-steps" and Joplin had also composed works specifically to be danced with. Ragtimes also have a history in the cakewalk, which is a tradition dating from the days of slavery, a kind of "reverse day" where slaves would imitate their owners and throw a fancy dance. There are some early films where you can see folks who might remember cakewalks actually performing them.
RIP Gunther Schuller...thanks for bringing Scott Joplin's glorious work back where it belongs, to all of us.
He worked bery hard to edit the score i believe
That woman's voice is amazing!
Carmen Balthrop
My God!!! Carmen Balhtrop "is" the soul of the king of ragtime!!!!! BRAAAAAVOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
I have worshipped ragtime all my 53 years so this is a happiness for me i get emotional its embarasing!!
🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭I'VE JUST HAPPEN TO SEE THIS, SURPRISED BY UA-cam PREDICTIONS. I SAW THE BEST PART OF THIS, PLAYING ON BROADWAY &, EVERYBODY WAS JUST CRAZY ABOUT THIS SCOTT JOPLIN HISTORICAL OPERA CLASSIC .HER PERFORMANCE WAS UNBELIEVABLELY CLASSIC TO THE POINT OF TEARS. SUPERBLY WONDERFUL &, I'M CRAZY ABOUT RAYTIME MUSIC "ONLY" WHEN PLAYED BY ORCHESTRA ," THE NEW ENGLAND RAGTIME ORCHESTRA " .VERY, VERY UPBEAT. 🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭💜.
I had not heard of this opera until our local NPR station played Treemonisha. OMG I was driving then and people must have thought I was crazy moving and gyrating to this great music!
I just got the video of this opera and I can't get enough of it. Fantastic production. Thank you so much for uploading this so I can share with others.
First opera I ever saw and it stuck with me
I did an orchestration for most of the pieces in Tremonisha from Joplin's piano score a few years ago. I've never seen listed anyplace an orchestral score for this really fine opera.
This is Schuller's own orchestration and it's the best one. I'm only a professionally trained organist and accompanist but i can orchestrate quite well and his stamds out as the closest to Joplin's
@Groth1175 Rudi Blesh and Harriet Janis met Lottie Joplin in the 1950 when researching their book "they all played ragtime" and showed them stacks of his music. they noted several titles "Pretty Pansy Rag", "Recitative Rag", "Morning Glories", as well as the classical pieces. there IS one fragment of Joplins lost music that has resurfaced - on Guido Nielsen's recording of Joplins work he has a track called "unknown song fragment".
This performance is wonderful 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏! The whole Joplin's work is out of this poor world, it's "cosmic"! To me there're, on one side, music in general and, on the other, SJ's music, because it has a single vibe, one of a kind, unpaired masterpieces full of joy, sensuality, strengh, love for life and living and, i guess, a touch of "childishness"!
I would call it a charming naïveté, especially in the context of today’s world. Whatever it is, it goes straight to the heart.
@@jonathanjensen4193 I fully agree!
So colorful and happy contagious music... great soprano.Yes it is sad Joplin did not see his opera in the great stage..he must be in a better place and left his legacy for generations.
Scott Joplin, what a guy.
If only Joplin had lived to see the genius of his opera performed. Truly beautiful.
Bravo!!!!! Even in the privacy of my own home, I had to applause.
Your ignorance of history and culture is truly a thing of wonder to behold. The fact that you could so fully express it in so few words is a testament to your utter lack understanding. To paraphrase a well known saying... brevity is the soul of your witlessness.
I love this opera . Joplin died in poverty from syphilis after trying to secure a performance
HomeBrandCereal actually, he died from tertiary syphilis, as so many did before the advent of penicillin. The direct cause of death could have been its effect on the brain, as heartbeat and breathing are controlled by the medulla oblongata, but overall, thé illness is properly called tertiary syphilis.
@@dougr.2398 I know but he eas trying to secure a performance. I know what I'm talking about
@@crazyorganist1609 Joplin moved to Sedalia, Missouri in 1894 and earned a living as a piano teacher. There he taught future ragtime composers Arthur Marshall, Scott Hayden and Brun Campbell. He began publishing music in 1895 and publication of his "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1899 brought him fame. This piece had a profound influence on writers of ragtime. It also brought Joplin a steady income for life, though he did not reach this level of success again and frequently had financial problems. In 1901, Joplin moved to St. Louis, where he continued to compose and publish and regularly performed in the community. The score to his first opera, A Guest of Honor, was confiscated in 1903 with his belongings for non-payment of bills, and is now considered lost.[3]
In 1907, Joplin moved to New York City to find a producer for a new opera. He attempted to go beyond the limitations of the musical form that had made him famous but without much monetary success. His second opera, Treemonisha, was never fully staged during his life.
In 1916, Joplin descended into dementia as a result of syphilis. He was admitted to Manhattan State Hospital in January 1917 and died there three months later at the age of 48. Joplin's death is widely considered to mark the end of ragtime as a mainstream music format; over the next several years, it evolved with other styles into stride, jazz and eventually big band swing.
I saw this on Broadway years ago, it was a really emotional experience that I haven't thought about in a long time. I love this song, thank you for posting it.
Un vrai plaisir pour les yeux et les oreilles
I am glad there is finally some of this opera on UA-cam. I have the full recording since over 30 years!!! The cover looks like the one shown on Aunt Dinah has blown the horn on the right...........
oh, how I should have loved to see this opera....
Great opera indeed, well sung!!
Joplin's work was never fully staged in his time. Ragtime suffered from a stigma of not being serious music and there was doubtless skepticism that a black composer could compose serious music works. Nevertheless, Joplin focused a huge amount of effort into preparing the score and story for "Treemonisha," which he paid to have published. Its failure to get produced was a huge blow for him. (continued)
It's absolutely wonderful. I'm going to buy the CD. This needs to be released as a DVD too.
Whoa, been a big fan of Joplin since a child. Never heard his opera until this video, I'm digging these great hooks. That young lady has a great voice, whats her name?
+buckcheyman Nevermind I see it's Carmen Balthrop. What a talent.
+buckcheyman Ms. Balthrop is seen here with the Houston Grand Opera Company in their acclaimed 1975 production. It is available on the Deutsche Gramophone label.
buckcheyman Carmen balthrop
@Jenniferhos no, he wasnt committed until late 1916 or early 1917. he was still actively composing in 1916 - composing new rags, making orchestral arrangements, and composing new music. he even announced in the paper a new musical "If", but this is the only mention of it. He made several piano rolls between April and June, but the later roll shows deterioration of his playing from syphilis. his wife Lottie had him committed when he began destroying his manuscripts.
прелесть!!
BRAVO!!!!! Most entertaining .. a real spectacle ... BRAVO!
lol, grew up watching this!! one of Joplin's greatest works.
My 8 year old loves this and plans to revive it to a modern day mix.
One of the greatest operas with those of Mozart, Verdi and Puccini. Deutsch Gramophone made a good sound record, but the video quality is now outdated. I wish a new video record with high quality.
@Doug19752533 in the 40's Sam Patterson, a longtime friend of Joplin's recieved from Lottie a picture of Scott's piano which had some music on it. later it was examined and this is a 32 second fragment. the music is a haunting beautiful rag. look it up and listin to it.
Outstanding ending.
*correction* - Miss Balthrop did not debut at the Met in this role but, rather, as Pamina in Mozart's "The Magic Flute"
@brianradomski - It sounds like, "Bravi." Brava said to a woman; bravo said to a man; and bravi said to a mixed ensemble.
didnt know about this production. Another treasure to explore :)
I've borrowed my teacher's version, which is beat up and held together by Scotch tape at this point.
I have to say I was very moved by the performance here of "Marching Onward". Such joy and artistry! I saw a *very* small production of Treemonisha in Inverness Station, Marin County, California, with just the pianist Fay McNally and I think a drummer, with no more than 4 singers. They didn't sing all the numbers, I'm pretty sure. This was, as I recall, actually earlier than the Houston production, maybe 1972? Anyhow soon after the release of the Joshua Rifkin record of 1970.
@Kirke182 very true, Joplin said "thats my tune" (actual quote according to his friend Sam Patterson) when Ragtime Band came out. he re wrote some of "slow drag" to avoid comparisons
(Read the comment below first) Treemonisha was set in the post-bellum period, after the war and emancipation. The freed men and women were poverty stricken and being taken advantage of by hucksters peddling "goofer dust" (seriously). Schooling was not available, and Treemonisha was the only educated member of the community. She challenged the hucksters and was chosen as the loader of the community, to help them progress. That's why this, the finale, has the lyrics, "Marching Onward."
Capolavoro!
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this. I love this and was a little dismayed it wasn't on youtube. One small word of advice, you should re-name it "Real Slow Drag-Treemonisha-Balthrop" That will get it the most hits. Again THANKS!!!!!!!!
God bless you Carmen
I did not realize Scott Joplin wrote any operas, this is very interesting!
Magnifica !! Grazie
Joplin actually had to rewrite "a real slow drag" when shortly after he had showed the score around to publishers "alexanders ragtime band" came out by Irving Berlin. the main themes are very very similar (hmmm). Lottie (joplins wife) said when he saw the sheet music to berlin's song he exclamed "thats my tune!" and had to revise it somewhat to avoid the accusations of plagerisim (after all consider the time, a white mans word vs a black mans word?)
the first time this was performed was for a small audience with only scott on the piano and it was so bad that they all walked out :(
@RoryGarbutt that was in 1915. shortly after the failed performance he started destroying his manuscripts fearing people would steal them after his death, and his wife committed him to a mental hospital in january 1917. he was absolutely crushed, and decended into a state of paranoia and depression. terrible loss
This is awesome, and its shallow to interpret this production as merely making light of slavery and the harsh struggles proceeding. The production itself is a miracle being one of few black Operas. The music is genius and intelligent. What pisses me off is the bafoonery in todays music, and culture which carries the mentality of slavery.
The VHS tape of this performance is out-of-print. Does anyone know if it has it been restored/transferred to DVD?
I was able to get a good copy from the Houston Opera Co. for about $4
@@plumstreetmusic do you still have a copy?
Did you hear a high C at the end of that last encore?
I like this!
Timeless 😍
@TheAnimalcrossingirl the name of the movie is "Scott Joplin" and was made in 1977 for TV. Billy Dee Williams (who later played Lando Calrissian) played Scott Joplin... yes there is a scene where Joplin is rehearsing this number with several cast members.
Como toda a obra de Scott Joplin, absoluta e surpreendente/ inovadora, atemporal, sensual (sem vulgaridade) e celestial...
this is awsome!!!!!!!!
@mbaggarly Yes. In fact Kathleen Battle is mentioned positively in a review at the time; in addition she has sung this piece as an encore in recital.
is there ANY way I can get a video of this performance . . . I am in Australia!
Thank you, vincero1079, for this beautiful moment. I love Scott Joplin since more than 35 years ago. Could you offer us "Wrong is never right" sung by Curtis Rayam in this opera?