The only two rags that are played complete here are Heliotrope Bouquet (#2) and Leola (#38). The best examples of soulfulness are Wall Street Rag (#1) and Solace (#39). In his late years, Joplin composed an opera entitled "Treemonisha," which one renowned critic called "a glorious compendium of beautiful Afro-American music, authentic and pure, the work of a genius." But it was a disastrous flop, which crushed Joplin and ultimately led to his premature death. It's the haunting strains of A Real Slow Drag (#7) that ring down the opera's curtain.
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