From concert pianos to player pianos, explore the inner workings of one of music's most iconic instruments and its many variations. Then, witness the power of the piano in ragtime music (including Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag") and its role in the emergence of jazz, one of America's most thrilling musical forms.

This compilation of easy-to-play ragtime favorites features 24 rollicking melodies by "The Big Three" of ragtime-Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb-plus pieces by Eubie Blake, Tom Turpin, and other artists. Popular tunes include "Maple Leaf Rag," "The Entertainer," and "Tiger Rag." Novices of all ages will delight in these simplified arrangements of carefully selected pieces. The editor provides suggested fingerings and comments on each piece...

Here is a choice selection of 25 of the most famous rags, several of which cannot be found elsewhere. Written during ragtime's golden age from 1904 to 1910, these melodies include three of Scott Joplin's finest works - Searchlight Rag, Rose Leaf Rag, and Fig Leaf Rag - plus songs by Tin Pan Alley's hottest composers of the day: George Botsford, Harry Armstrong, and Egbert Van Alstyne. Reprinted from the original editions, the songs in this value-packed...

A newly minted graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in 1890, Dr. Thomas Parks heads to the big timber country of Puget Sound to practice trauma medicine. An hour after stepping off the boat he's nearly crushed to death by a less-than-surefooted mule and finds himself a patient rather than a physician. As he convalesces, he discovers that his host, an aging and venerable physician friend of his father's, is running an elaborate...

It's 1916, and time's running out for Scott Joplin. Before he dies, he wants to provide for his wife and to secure his place in musical history. He's written a musical drama. His young piano student, Martin Niederhoffer, who works as a bookkeeper at Waterson, Berlin, and Snyder Music Publishers, convinces him to try to get Irving Berlin to publish and produce the work. The next day, Niederhoffer walks into his office and finds Joplin crouched over...

In investigating the poisoning of a young man in a bookshop at the eastern Market, and the wrongful arrest of one Miss Sylvia Lee, super-sleuth Phryne Fisher is plunged into a word of Jewish politics, alchemy, poison and chicken soup. Stopping only for a brief, but intensely erotic dalliance with the beautiful Simon Abrahams, Phryne's stealth and wit ultimately solve the crime - and all for the price of a song.

"Iconic Composers highlights the origin and contributions of some of the world's most remarkable and gifted composers throughout history. Bold, whimsical illustrations by David Lee Csicsko along with concise, engaging bios by Nicholas Csicsko and Emi Ferguson celebrate a diverse group of composers from the past 1000 years. Iconic Composers features historical giants of music like Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven alongside 20th-century...

Profiles ten notable jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis.

Presents short biographies of ninety-five black Americans from colonial to contemporary times, highlighting their personal achievements and their resulting contributions to the growth of American society.