Location (grandparent | parent | this page): RodMer Arts Home Page | Rod's Rags | About Rod's Ragtime Website
A collection of my ragtime compositions (some 22 or so) mostly composed in the 1970s (as comic relief from a high-pressure job) but a few composed in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. This is not the sort of music I'm composing (as a later-beginner) today (for that see Rod's other music) but I still enjoy ragtime and occasionally (though imperfectly) perform it. You can:
If you have a high-speed connection, forget about the MIDI files and just use the MP3 files (better). If you have a dial-up connection, consider the faster (but not as good) MIDI file only if the MP3 files seem to be taking too long to play or download.
Start with the "Rod's Rags" page. After a few initial explanations, there is a list of all my compositions. Clicking on any composition in the list will take you to a page for that piece, containing explanations, program notes, MIDI files, MP3 files, and (where available) score packages. Because the MP3 files (although providing much better sound than the embedded MIDI files) take a little while to download, I have provided very brief MP3 excerpts as well. You can listen to these and then decide if you want to download the complete MP3 file or not.
To play the MIDI and MP3 files you will need appropriate software but most likely that is already embedded in your web browser. I don't keep up with the specifics as I once did. On my platform, either Netscape 7.2 or Internet Explorer 5.2 automatically use the QuickTime plugin to play either MIDI files or MP3 files.
For reading the scores (in pdf format) you will need the free Acrobat Reader -- or some other pdf reader.
For decompressing the rtf files of textual comments accompanying the scores, you will need the free Stuffit Expander for Mac or free Stuffit Expander for Windows.
The mp3 files on this site are monaural (simply because stereo would take you twice as long to download). And they are at "high quality" (80 kbps) -- as opposed to merely "good quality" (64 kbps) or, on the other hand, "higher quality" (96 kbps). All this, of course, a trade-off between time and quality. But the 80 kbps monaural files sound OK to my ear.
All the downloadable (or immediately playable) stuff on this site is free (I need the exposure (;-) ), but I retain copyright.
Yeah, well it's not a household name. What can I say?
I was born in Toronto, graduated from the University of Toronto in Chemistry, and spent the next 28 years passing myself off as a chartered accountant with Clarkson Gordon (now Ernst & Young), latterly as managing partner of their Toronto office. In 1983 I left that profession to spend full time writing poetry, short stories, reviews, opera libretti, and, since 1994, composing music. Some people just can't decide what to do.
My sole volume of poetry to date, Sky Falling Sunny Tomorrow , was published by Wolsak and Wynn in 1989. My three-act opera libretto Mario and the Magician (composed by Harry Somers) was performed by the Canadian Opera Company at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto in 1992.
I live with Merike in a farmhouse outside Cobourg, where we serve as caretakers and dooropeners for the owners: two successful dogs (Laijka and Daisy) and four cats (Kiisu, Cleo, Diva, and Tippy).
For more detailed info (if you must), see my CV.
Yup. This website is only my stuff -- shameless self-promotion, I know, but, hey, we're not publishers. However, you can find some pointers to other music sites on my Links page.
Well, yes, that's a good argument. Ragtime composing was only a part-time hobby for me and as to composing other music I'm a real newbie at it. And newbies, as you know, are always hungry for exposure. So -- you may freely download any of the MP3, MIDI, Score, and Program Note files on this site -- but I retain copyright to them. Enjoy
This website of my ragtime music is part of a larger website of RodMer Arts organized by Rod Anderson and Merike Lugus. Other sections of the RodMer website include the Merike Lugus Art Gallery on the Web (paintings and sculptures by Merike), the RodMer Poetry Room (poetry by Rod and Merike), the
But I must warn you, that that a couple of parts of the RodMer Arts website are badly out of date. I hope to get them updated soon.