A Guest of Honor (lost score to Scott Joplin opera; 1903): Difference between revisions
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<b>"A Guest Of Honor"</b> was | <b>"A Guest Of Honor"</b> was an opera written by famous ragtime composer Scott Joplin. Written in 1903, this was the first opera he had ever composed. | ||
==Premise== | ==Premise== | ||
Revision as of 04:33, 9 February 2021
Newspaper Advertisement for A Guest Of Honor
Status: Lost
Tags: Historic
"A Guest Of Honor" was an opera written by famous ragtime composer Scott Joplin. Written in 1903, this was the first opera he had ever composed.
Premise
The opera dramatized African-American civil rights leader Booker T. Washington's 1901 White House dinner with President Theodore Roosevelt. This historic visit was met with condemnation from Roosevelt's political opponents, and mostly praise from the African-American community.
Availability
The score and music for the opera is completely lost, having never been published. Joplin filed a copyright application for the opera with the Library of Congress in 1903, but he did not include a copy of the score with the application. [1] The application also mentions that John Stark, Joplin's publisher at the time, would publish the music, but this never happened.
In the following months, Joplin established a company to tour the opera across several Midwestern states. Early in the tour, a company associate stole the box office receipts, severely damaging their financial situation. The tour was abruptly aborted in Pittsburgh, Kansas, when Joplin could not afford the company's payroll and lodging. As a result, all of Joplin's belongings, including the opera score, were confiscated inside of a trunk until Joplin could pay for the rent. Joplin was able to leave Pittsburgh, but never returned for the trunk. No copy of the score has ever resurfaced, and it is presumed to have been destroyed.[2]
Gallery
Transmittal letter written by Scott Joplin sent with the copyright application for A Guest Of Honor.
