Solace | |
---|---|
by Scott Joplin | |
Form | Habanera / Mexican serenade |
Published | 1909 |
Publisher | Seminary Music Co., New York [2] |
Duration |
"Solace" is a 1909 habanera written by Scott Joplin.
Though Joplin labeled the piece "a Mexican Serenade", [2] [3] its origins are more probably Cuban, [4] [5] and it is considered to have a habanera (and tango [4] [5]) rhythm in three of the four strains [note 1] [6] – something unique for a work by Joplin, [5] [6] although a brief habanera bass did appear in his previous composition of that year, " Wall Street Rag". [2]
"Solace" is marked "very slow march time", [1] [4] [5] and while it is difficult to determine the intended speed, it has been played andante (around ♪112). [4] The first two strains have a key signature of C major, while the third and fourth are in F major. [1] [5]
Similarities between Latin-American music and Joplin's more familiar ragtime had been noted as early as 1897 by Ben Harney. [2] Tangos were introduced to the United States as early as 1860 by Louis Moreau Gottschalk's "Souvenir de la Havane". [5] Perhaps the first example of tango composed by an African American was Jess Pickett's rag-tango "The Dream", played at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. William H. Tyers' "Maori" was a famous African-American tango published a year before "Solace", [4] [5] though the two pieces do not share resemblance. [5] In contrast, the first strain of "Solace" contains a theme closely resembling part of Will H. Etter's "Whoa! Maud", published four years before "Solace". [2]
"Solace" was registered for copyright on April 28, 1909, [2] when Joplin was in his early forties and recently married. [5] [7]
Alongside "Gladiolus Rag", "Pine Apple Rag", " The Ragtime Dance" and " The Entertainer", "Solace" was one of Joplin's compositions which featured in the soundtrack of the 1973 film The Sting and helped to revive his music's popularity. [8]
Moreover, the piece is also featured prominently in the 2013 video game Bioshock Infinite, which is set in a floating city in the year 1912.