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Pickaninny (1908) Rag

Composer:	Giblin  (1888-1974)	Suppliers:
Editor:	Geoff Grainger	Sextet:	Descant/Treble(Tenor)/Tenor/Tenor/Bass/Great Bass(Bass)
Publisher:	Ditty Box Enterprises	Publication:	DBE 095
Audio:	Audio file information

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Purchasing information Notice for leaders/bass players

Length: approx. 2¼ mins. Sounds best if the bass is doubled.
Pickaninny Rag is a fine spirited piece with some nice touches. Its form is ABBACCB with a 4-bar introduction and an 8-bar interlude between the A and CC strains. Each strain contrasts strongly with the others. The A-strain is an upwelling affair of ascending chromatic passages the melody being taken by the 1st tenor. Here the descant has nothing to do and could perhaps be persuaded to help out the bass line. The descant then takes the fairly soaring B-strain as well as the C-strain which is graced with Joplinesque stops. All in all, a splendid ensemble piece. It would be nice to know what social comment was being expressed both by the title and the cover of the original sheet music on which a fearful pickaninny is shown with his head peering thorough a wooden fence writing the uncompleted sentence of "Who say i [sic] is". The rag itself is such a cheeky composition that makes it hard to make the connection.
Pickaninny Rag was published by Sam Fox Pub. Co., Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
A tempo of 70 crotchets/min. is suggested.