David Thomas Roberts (born January 16, 1955) is an American composer and musician, known primarily as a modern

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...

composer. Roberts is also a painter in a primitivist style. Born in

Moss Point, Mississippi Moss Point is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,147 in 2020, a decline from the figure of 13,704 in 2010. The Moss Point Historic District and several individual buildings are listed on the National Reg ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, his first recording, "Music For a Pretty Baby", appeared in 1978. Pieces such as "The Early Life of Larry Hoffer", "Roberto Clemente", "Pinelands Memoir", "Through the Bottomlands", and the suite, "New Orleans Streets" have caused Roberts to be considered one of the leading contemporary ragtime-based composers. The

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

historian Al Rose called him "the most important composer of this half of the century in America." Roberts coined the term " Terra Verde" (meaning "green earth") as a label for compositions which can not be considered as conventional ragtime, mostly by contemporary ragtime writers such as himself, Frank French, Scott Kirby, Hal Isbitz and others. Roberts also works as a writer and visual artist. His mixed-media art appears in the magazine of visionary art, ''Raw Vision'', and his poetry has been anthologized in ''Another South'', a collection of experimental writing published in 2003 by the

University of Alabama Press The University of Alabama Press is a university press founded in 1945 and is the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Alabama. An editorial board composed of representatives from all doctoral degree granting public universities within Al ...

Selected discography

From ''Discovery'' (2005)

(All original compositions, except where noted.) # Discovery (2004) # Charbonneau (2000) (Kirby) # Mariana's Waltz (2003) # Ice Floes in Eden (1986) (Budd) # Memories of a Missouri Confederate (1989) # Fantasy in D (2000–01) # Chorale-Prelude (1989) # Chorale No. 2 (1990) # Frederic and the Coast (1979) # Cynthia (2003–04) # Babe of the Mountains (1997–98) # Nancy's Library (2004–05)

From ''American Landscapes'' (1998)

(All original compositions, except the track "Dixon.") # Pinelands Memoir (1978) # The Girl Who Moved Away (1981–82) # Back to Marion County (1981) # Through the Bottomlands (1980) # Muscatine (1979) # Kreole (1978) # Dixon (1983) # The Girl On the Other Side (1979) # Franklin Avenue (1981–85) # Fontainebleau Drive (1981–85) # Napoleon Avenue (1981–85) # Madison Heights Girl (1979) # Anna (1978) # Roberto Clemente (1979) # For Kansas City (1980)

From ''Early Tangoes to New Ragtime'' (1994)

(Mostly compositions by others. Roberts' compositions include ''For Molly Kaufman, Memories of a Missouri Confederate,'' and ''The Queen of North Missouri.'') # Odeon # Matuto # Rapid Transit # Bee Hive Rag # The Naked Dance # For Molly Kaufmann # The Show-me Rag # The Nonpareil # Mississippi River Boulevard # Show Fly # Memories of a Missouri Confederate # Belle of Louisville # Morelia # Esta' Chumbado # Escovado # The Big Man # Mississippi Soul # The Queen of North Missouri # Ravenna

From ''Scott Joplin the Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1''

(All compositions by

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...

.) #

Original Rags "Original Rags" (copyrighted March 15, 1899) was an early ragtime medley for piano. It was the first of Scott Joplin's rags to appear in print, in early 1899, preceding his "Maple Leaf Rag" by half a year. Publication history The tune's copyri ...

# Leola # Pleasant Moments # Peacherine Rag # Sunflower Slow Drag #

Maple Leaf Rag The "Maple Leaf Rag" (copyright registered on September 18, 1899) is an early ragtime musical piece composed for piano by Scott Joplin. It was one of Joplin's early works, becoming the model for ragtime compositions by subsequent composers. It ...

Weeping Willow ''Salix babylonica'' (Babylon willow or weeping willow; ) is a species of willow native to dry areas of northern China, Korea, Mongolia, Japan, and Siberia but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in Asia, being traded along the Silk Road to southw ...

# Bink's Waltz # Elite Syncopations # The Favorite #

Swipesy The "Swipesy Cakewalk" is a ragtime composition published in 1900 by a musical duo consisting of Scott Joplin, who likely composed the trio, and the young composer Arthur Marshall, who most probably composed the rest of the piece with oversight f ...

# Antoinette # The Nonpareil # Gladiolus Rag #

The Easy Winners "The Easy Winners" is a ragtime composition by Scott Joplin. One of his most popular works, it was one of the four that had been recorded as of 1940. Title and cover The title of the composition is a reference to athletes who are expected to ...

From ''15 Ragtime Compositions''

(All original compositions by Roberts.) # Waterloo Girls # Camille # Kreole # Frederic and the Coast # Madison Heights Girl # Poplarville # Through the Bottomlands # Pinelands Memoir # For Kansas City # The Girl Who Moved Away # Mississippi Brown Eyes # The Early Life of Larry Hoffer # The South Mississippi Glide # Roberto Clemente # Maria Antonieta Pons

From ''New Orleans Streets''

(All original compositions by Roberts.) # Introduction # Decatur Street # Burgundy Street # Franklin Avenue # Jackson Avenue # Waltz # Napoleon Avenue # Magazine Street # Toulouse Street # Annunciation Street # Broad Avenue # Interlude # Fontainbleau Drive # Revenge # Farewell

From ''New Orleans Ragtime Piano''

(Roberts plays compositions by others.) # Pretty Baby # Kansas City Stomps # Mamanita # Fat Frances # Honky Tonk Music # Stratford Hunch # The Pearls # Tom Cat Blues # Mr. Jelly Lord # New Orleans Joys # The Naked Dance # Sponge

From ''Folk Ragtime: 1899-1914''

(Roberts plays compositions by others.) # Blue Blazes # Tennessee Tantalizer (a Southern Tickler) # A Tennessee Jubilee # Tickled to Death # Poison Rag # Scizzor Bill # The Dockstader Rag # Camp Meeting Melodies # Blind Boone's Southern Rag Medley No.2 (strains From Flat Branch) # Felix Rag (a Phenomenal Double Ragtime Two Step) # The Pirate Rag # Medic Rag # Just Ask Me # Why We Smile # Cotton Bolls # Possum and 'Taters (A Ragtime Feast) # The Black Cat Rag # X.L. Rag # A Barn Dance Shuffle # Whittling Remus # Lover's Lane Glide

Other David Thomas Roberts compositions / recordings

* ''To Nita'' and ''Raul Casso in Laredo'' appear on the CD ''Terra Verde''. * ''For Robin Holtz Williams'' appears on the album ''Frontiers''.

References

External links

Roberts' websiteThe Terra Verde CornerInterview on NPR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, David Thomas 1955 births 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American classical composers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American classical composers American classical musicians American male classical composers Living people Ragtime composers