Purchasing information Notice for leaders/bass players
Length: approx. 4½ mins.
St. Louis Tickle, written under the pseudonym of Barney & Seymour, was Bennett's contribution to a plethora of musical items celebrating the 1904 St Louis Exposition. Here he was in the notable company of ragtimers such as
Scott Joplin (
The Cascades (1904)),
Thomas Million Turpin (
St. Louis Rag (1903)),
Kerry Mills (
Meet Me in St Louis,, Louis (1904)) and others. Interestingly the official march for this prestigious event was the
World's Fair March (1903 - DBE 411) composed by the little known J. Fred de Berry. Immensely popular with contemporary pianists
St. Louis Tickle has become an evergreen standard recorded right up to the present day. Its popularity rests not only its bright infectious strains but perhaps also on the notoriety of the B-strain said to have been derived from Funky Butt, whose vulgar lyrics delighted street urchins and young men about town alike.
A tempo of 78 crotchets/min. is suggested.
St. Louis Tickle was published by
Victor Kremer Co., Chicago, Illinois, USA.
There are also
tenor solo and
quintet versions of this item.