Rag Time (1896)

[Fred Shapiro]

On Mon, 3 Mar 2003 Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:

>    6 September 1896, BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, pg. 4:
>    The novelty of the performance is Ben R. Harvey, who ought to
> interest students of American music and should have been seen and heard
> by Dr. Dvorak.  He invents and plays what he calls rag time airs and
> dances, the effect of syncopations being to make the melody ragged.
> This is real American music; not of the highest order, but genuine.
>
> (INVENTS?...OED has 1897...This is the first of about 150 "rag time" hits between 1896-1902--ed.)

I believe this is a tremendously important discovery, the earliest use of
the word "ragtime" anyone has found, as far as I know.  Harney did claim
to have invented ragtime music.

Fred Shapiro


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Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
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