Purchasing information Notice for leaders/bass players
Length: approx. 2½ mins.
The Bumble Bee is, as the subtitle suggests, a sizzler, indeed a buzzing rag. Its form is basically ABACC with a 4-bar introduction, a 4-bar interlude between the A and C strains and a further 12-bar interlude separating the C strains. The ABA and CC sections are in the major keys of G and C respectively. The melodies are shared by the 1st tenor and treble voices and in the 12-bar interlude the basses are expected to soar in the upper registers - a quick snatch at a tenor might be the solution. The score is entirely without repeats - something to experiment with as the piece is over all to quickly. All-in-all a bright, cheerful work to cockle the hearts of ragtime ensembles. The bumble bee shown on the cover of the original sheet music is entirely innocuous being a charming blue-eyed dancer with a vaguely Cleopatra look in a tip-toe pose.
The Bumble Bee was published by
Ted Snyder Music Co., New York, USA.
A tempo of 80 crotchets/min. is suggested.