ragtime

Tom Turpin (1871-1922) was a composer, saloon-owner, and powerful man in the black community of St. Louis at the turn of the century - even earning the nickname "Father of St. Louis Ragtime." Famously, his piano had to be raised on cement blocks for him to play as he was exceptionally tall and rotund, making his stomach an obstacle to...

Felix Arndt (1889-1918) was an unfortunately short lived American pianist and composer who was most known for his many popular songs and the rag Nola, but also dabbled in some light-hearted variations on classical music. This week we look at his An Operatic Nightmare. Arndt was the child of immigrants, though few immigrants of the time could claim Napolean III...