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"Bethena, A Concert Waltz" (copyright registered March 6, 1905) is a composition by Scott Joplin. It was the first Joplin work since his wife Freddie's death on September 10, 1904 of pneumonia, ten weeks after their wedding. At the time the composer had significant financial problems; the work did not sell successfully at the time of publication and was soon neglected and forgotten. It was rediscovered as a result of the Joplin revival in the 1970s and has received acclaim from Joplin's biographers and other critics. The piece combines two different styles of music, the classical waltz and the rag, and has been seen as demonstrating Joplin's excellence as a classical composer. The work has been described as "an enchantingly beautiful piece that is among the greatest of Ragtime Waltzes",〔 a "masterpiece",〔 and "Joplin's finest waltz".〔 ==Background and composition== (詳細はMaple Leaf Rag, which became a best-selling instrumental hit, and provided the composer with a steady income for the rest of his life from the royalties. Despite this success early on in his career (he was named as the "King of Ragtime" by numerous contemporaries), he had continued financial problems and never repeated the success of the Maple Leaf Rag.〔Berlin (1996) p. 57-58〕 In the fall of 1903, Joplin lost a large amount of money on the national tour of his first opera, ''A Guest of Honor'', when the box office receipts were stolen by an unidentified associate. Joplin's belongings, including the score for the opera, were confiscated for non-payment of his boarding-house bills.〔Jasen & Jones (2002) p. 21〕 The opera is now considered lost, as no copy was registered with the Copyright Office, and none has been found since.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Classical Net )〕 Subsequently, Joplin was short of money and is thought to have been actively seeking commissions.〔 After divorce from his first wife Belle—a "disastrous" relationship underscored by the loss of their infant daughter—Joplin married his 19-year-old second wife Freddie in June 1904. He had dedicated to her his rag ''The Chrysanthemum'' which was published in that year. She died on 10 September 1904 of pneumonia ten weeks after their wedding.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=A Biography of Scott Joplin )〕〔Jasen & Jones (2002) p. 22〕 Joplin's whereabouts are unknown from that point until early 1905, when he returned to St. Louis, Missouri where some of Joplin's known associates, such as pianist Louis Chauvin and musician Joe Jordan, still lived.〔Berlin (1996) p. 145〕 On 6 March, Joplin registered the copyright of ''Bethena, A Concert Waltz'', and dedicated the work to the otherwise little-known "Mr. and Mrs. Dan E. Davenport of St. Louis Mo".〔Berlin (1996) p. 146〕 The copyright date is significant because not all Joplin works were registered for copyright purposes and there is a lack of detail about many aspects of Joplin's life, including when many of the pieces were composed.〔Berlin (1996) p. 5〕〔Index p. 325, ''Scott Joplin Complete Piano Works'', New York Public Library, 1981.〕 Biographer Edward Berlin speculated that this dedication was unusual because the Davenports were not able to help Joplin professionally by showcasing his work or commissioning more, but was a recognition of the personal support that they had given him through the difficult time after Freddie's death.〔 The origin of the name "Bethena" is a mystery, and the identity of the woman featured on the cover of the work's original publication is unknown. It has been claimed that the image is of Freddie from her wedding day, although positive identification is made more difficult because the photograph on the cover of the piece does not show the subject's race clearly.〔〔Berlin (1996) p. 147〕 The work was published by the "T. Bahnsen Piano Manufacturing Company, St. Louis", a firm which only published two other Joplin compositions. Berlin speculates that at this point in his career, despite the fame brought by the Maple Leaf Rag, Joplin was unable to arrange favorable terms with publishers; for example Joplin announced in July 1905 the completion of the song ''"You Stand Good with Me, Babe"'' which was never published, and no copies of the song have ever been found.〔Berlin (1996) pp. 149-150〕 ''Bethena'' was released at a difficult time for Joplin, both emotionally and financially; most of the compositions released in the two and a half years since the death of Freddie had been by little-known and insignificant publishers, were largely unnoticed at the time of publication and, except for ''Bethena'', were not "quality Joplin". Joplin's finances remained in an unsatisfactory state and he wrote several works for hire.〔Berlin (1996) p. 161〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bethena」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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