The Strenuous Life

'The Strenuous Life' (a Ragtime Two Step) was written in the same year as Joplin's more famous The Entertainer - 1902, and is a tribute to Theodore Roosevelt's famous speech of April 11, 1899 which began with the austere words 'I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labour and strife'. One might have expected a minor key rather foursquare musical response from Joplin, but the opposite is the case with one of his most happy-go-lucky pieces showing a sprightly rhythmic lilt. It follows the usual ragtime AA-BB-A-CC-DD form in developing the material in discrete sections, but never returning to the opening theme at the end. This formal compositional structure is the reason that ragtime pieces often appear to finish rather abruptly.

This arrangement was specially made for the album 'Preludes, Rags and Cakewalks' (MPR 005), performed by The Symphonic Brass of London conducted by Eric Crees. All of the transcriptions are new and original, making this a world premiere recording.