The Favorite by Scott Joplin (1904)

Original listing and sheet music here: https://musescore.com/user/36482158/s... "A Ragtime Two-Step". Scott Joplin's "The Favorite" was published by A.W. Perry & Sons in Sedalia, Missouri in 1904. The publisher appears to be a bit of a mystery, however, because Joplin usually went through big city publishers, especially Stark Music of St. Louis owned by John Stark. There is a probable solution to the question put forth by historian Edward Berlin, author of "King of Ragtime". "The Favorite" was likely written about 1898 or 1899 when Joplin resided in Sedalia and was still relatively unknown, and was sold outright to Perry during that time. But Perry didn't get around to publishing it until 1904, perhaps because Joplin's fame had spread by then. 1904 was also the year of the St. Louis World's Fair, which brought sales opportunities to the region. In any case it is a catchy tune that does sound somewhat older than his other rags from 1904, perhaps a mixture of cakewalk and Joplin's own timeless composing. Original score source was from Johns Hopkins University Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection at this link: https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/co... This is a reproduction of the original score published in 1904, reformatted for easier reading. Thanks to both Mitchy and JohnJ1995 for suggesting this great Joplin rag. Scott Joplin collection of rags and marches:    • Scott Joplin   #ragtime #ragtimepiano #scottjoplin