Contemporary Ragtime Compositions by
William Rowland
Bill Rowland won the Scott Joplin Ragtime Composition Contest, Sedalia, MO in 1975
with his composition: "Tickled Pink".
He won the competition again in 1999 with his piece "Dave & Charlie's Rag".
Bill's rag, "Spiffy", his entry for the 1997 Scott Joplin Rag Composition
Contest, received "honorable mention".
You can
send e-mail to Bill
at the following e-mail address :
ragtimbill@aol.com
Sheet Music for these compositions is available !
Printed sheet music for these pieces is available through "Ragtime Express"
Contact Ragtime Express for a current catalog and pricing:
Ragtime Express
c/o Mr. Nick Taylor
5095 Picket Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918-3617
MIDI Files
These midi files were sequenced by Bill Rowland, and are made available here with the permission of the composer.
Comments about the pieces are also those of Bill Rowland.
- Artistic copyright 1975
- Artistic, written in 1975 for my sister-in-law Rhonda Fanning, a commercial
artist.
- Bug's Ear copyright 1975
- Bug's Ear, also 1975, for my then-five-year-old daughter, Lynn.
- Dave and Charlie's Rag copyright 1999
- This rag was the winner of the 1999 Scott Joplin Ragtime Composition Contest,
and is dedicated to my friends David Nichols and Charles Smith of Tulsa, who made
the mistake of showing an interest in my Ragtime.
- Elizabethan Rag copyright 1998
- Elizabethan Rag has a little smoother sound, maybe a little more classical. I
wrote it in 1998 for my neice Elizabeth Rowland Hogue, who showed an interest
in my music writing.
- Entertainment copyright 1973
- Entertainment, one of my first rags, composed for my mother, who
encouraged me in my musical endeavors.
- Gussied Up copyright 1993
- Gussied Up, actually written in about 1988 and was lost for several
years.
- Keystone copyright 1973
- Keystone, winner of the Joplin, Mo, Centennial Music
Composition Contest, written for my wife Linda.
- Personality copyright 1975
- Personality was composed in 1975 for my sisters Virginia Hogan and Carol
Hogue.
- Rag of Many Colors copyright 1987
- Rag of Many Colors came out in 1987, dedicated to my brother-in-law Jim
Fanning, who likes Ragtime.
- Rhythmism copyright 1975
- Rhythmism was written for my Dad in 1975.
- Spiffy copyright 1993
- Spiffy was composed long after the other rags, for our third daughter Jocelyn
Christina Rowland, and special thanks is given to Johnny Maddox, who
encouraged me to begin writing rags again.
- Spotlight Rag copyright 1996
- Spotlight Rag was written to honor the Spotlight Theatre in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
which hosts The Drunkard mellodrama every Saturday night. It began in 1953,
and is the longest-running production of its kind in America. I play piano
there once or twice a month, and wrote this rag for them. It includes the
familiar villain theme as well as a musical reference to God Bless America,
which is sung at every performance. The simplified piano arrangement is
available from Ragtime Express, and this dixieland band arrangement of
"Spotlight Rag" is also available from me.
A full dixieland band arrangement of "Spotlight Rag" is also available for $10, postage paid in the U.S.
- Tickled Pink copyright 1974
- Tickled Pink was written for our second daughter, Leslie Dawn Rowland when
she was born. It won the 1975 Scott Joplin Festival Ragtime Composition
Contest, and was published in Rudi Blesh's Ragtime Current in 1976, along
with the other winners and rags from other contemporary composers. It is now
out of print.
- Turn of the Century Rag copyright 1998
- Turn of the Century was written in 1998 for our grandchildren, Jessica Lauryn
and Jacob Spencer Duncan, and the title could be considered timely now or 100
years ago when Ragtime was in its infancy.
