Scott Joplin

Solo voices, SATB, fl/pic, ob, cl, bsn, hn, cornet/tpt in Bb, tbn, tba, drumset, piano, strings (mostly 4 part)

Words and music by Scott Joplin.
Adapted, arranged, and orchestrated by T.J. Anderson.

Treemonisha (1911) is an opera by American ragtime composer Scott Joplin. It is sometimes referred to as a "ragtime opera", though it encompasses a wide range of musical styles. The music of Treemonisha includes an overture and prelude, along with various recitatives, choruses, small ensemble pieces, a ballet, and a few arias. The opera was largely unknown before its first complete performance in 1972, with orchestration done by composer T.J. Anderson.

On January 30, 1972 The New York Times published a review by Harold C. Schonberg: "In writing 'Treemonisha' - the libretto was his own -- Joplin clearly intended to author a social as well as musical document. He set up the forces of ignorance and superstition against liberalism and education represented by a young lady named Treemonisha." "Morehouse College, aided by a Rockefeller grant, gave 'Treemonisha' an ambitious performance.

Thomas J. Anderson, a visiting professor at the college, orchestrated the opera in a style that follows the one example of Joplin's orchestration that has come down to us." The opera concludes with 'A Real Slow Drag.' Schonberg writes: "This slow drag is amazing. Harmonically enchanting, full of the tensions of an entire race, rhythmically catching, it refuses to leave the mind. Talk about soul music!"

Scott Joplin was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1976 for Treemonisha.