"Solace" is a 1909 habanera written by

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one ra ...

Music

Though Joplin labeled the piece "a

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

Serenade", its origins are more probably

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

, and it is considered to have a habanera (and tango) rhythm in three of the four strains – something unique for a work by Joplin, although a brief habanera bass did appear in his previous composition of that year, " Wall Street Rag". "Solace" is marked "very slow march time", and while it is difficult to determine the intended speed, it has been played

andante Andante may refer to: Arts * Andante (tempo), a moderately slow musical tempo * ''Andante'' (manga), a shōjo manga by Miho Obana * "Andante" (song), a song by Hitomi Yaida * "Andante, Andante", a 1980 song by ABBA from ''Super Trouper'' * ' ...

(around ♪112). The first two strains have a key signature of C major, while the third and fourth are in F major.

History

Similarities between

Latin-American music The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Romance language, Romance-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. Latin American music also incorporates African music from enslaved Afric ...

and Joplin's more familiar

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

had been noted as early as 1897 by Ben Harney. Tangos were introduced to the United States as early as 1860 by

Louis Moreau Gottschalk Louis Moreau Gottschalk (May 8, 1829 – December 18, 1869) was an American composer and pianist, best known as a virtuoso performer of his own romantic piano works. He spent most of his working career outside the United States. Life and car ...

's "Souvenir de la Havane". Perhaps the first example of tango composed by an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

was Jess Pickett's rag-tango "The Dream", played at the

1893 Chicago World's Fair The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

. William H. Tyers' "Maori" was a famous African-American tango published a year before "Solace", though the two pieces do not share resemblance. In contrast, the first strain of "Solace" contains a theme closely resembling part of Will H. Etter's "Whoa! Maud", published four years before "Solace". "Solace" was registered for copyright on April 28, 1909, when Joplin was in his early forties and recently married. Alongside "Gladiolus Rag", "Pine Apple Rag", " The Ragtime Dance" and "

The Entertainer An entertainer is a person who entertains (singer, actor, comedian, etc.) The Entertainer may refer to: Music Songs * "The Entertainer" (rag), a 1902 classic piano rag written by Scott Joplin *"The Entertainer", rearrangement of the Joplin rag by ...

", "Solace" was one of Joplin's compositions which featured in the soundtrack of the 1973 film '' The Sting'' and helped to revive his music's popularity. Moreover, the song is also featured prominently in the 2013 video game Bioshock Infinite, which is set in a floating city in the year 1912.

Notes

References

External links

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Sheet music
at the Library of Congress website {{Authority control 1909 compositions Compositions by Scott Joplin Compositions for solo piano Compositions in C major Serenades Contradanza Tangos Tango in the United States