Terra Verde

This article was originally printed in the April 1996 Sacramento Ragtime Society newsletter.

Though "New Ragtime" may provide an adequate reference for most of the music produced by self-described ragtime composers over the past twenty years, many significant compositions closely associated with the term stand outside any boundaries it may safely claim. That a number of the authors of these pieces see themselves as participants in the new World Piano spectrum (a domain as inclusive of Gottschalk, Nazareth, and Juan Morel Campos as Classic Ragtime) is only partly responsible for the eclecticism exceeding the confines of ragtime. New views of Romantic and salon piano music as well as the influence of hymns, traditional Anglo-Celtic and bluegrass music and Old World sources such as the French musette have also fed the new not-quite ragtime. By 1995 the quality and quantity of this music demanded that it be granted its own point of reference, a name independent of the word "ragtime" and its popular associations.

The term I've adopted in conjunction with my colleagues Scott Kirby and Frank French is Terra Verde, Latin for "green earth". The name is not offered as a precursor of academic definition (I, for one, hope that may be eluded) but as an elastic umbrella for recurrent directions and the well-linked sensibilities of the genre's practitioners. Not only does it fill a cultural niche; it liberates us from the disheartening baggage that the word "ragtime" has not been able to discard despite much impassioned effort over the years. With Terra Verde establishing the context, no listener will be able to prejudge such profound works as Kirby's Ravenna or St. Paris Pike or Hal Isbitz's The Flirt as less than the major examples of art music that they are.

I envision two immediate musical uses of the term "Terra Verde". The first is to identify that corpus of ragtime-related, frequently Latinesque contemporary music standing outside any established category. Examples of such "pure Terra Verde" are Kirby's Nocturnes, Belasco, and Ravenna; Isbitz's Morelia, The Flirt, and Mariposa; and my own To Nita, Maria Antonieta Pons, and much of New Orleans Streets. Frank French, long a champion of New World Piano, perhaps best represents his penchant for Terra Verde in Womba Bomba, dedicated to Kirby. Numerous Terra Verde pieces alternate ragtime (marching) bass patterns with "habanera" or other Latin ostinati (Kirby's Nocturne in C Sharp Minor, Isbitz's The Flirt, and my For Molly Kaufmann, which I once described as a "syncopated nocturne"). French's Intermezzo, though consistently employing a rag-like bass, vies for consideration as an example of Terra Verde cast as a piano rag (!)*. Glenn Jenks' Desdemona and Sousa possess Terra Verde characteristics, as do certain works of Jack Rummel and Brian Keenan.

The second application of the name under consideration is practical and temporal: to modify or subsume the term "New Ragtime" for purposes of presentation. While Terra Verde is not a subset of New Ragtime (though it in part grew out of it) New Ragtime may benefit from being treated as one of a family of directions flourishing under the Terra Verde aegis, much as various musics have been grouped under "ragtime". At the very least, New Ragtime can be bolstered by being offered as a companion genre. It is crucial that Terra Verde and New Ragtime composers at last gain the audience deserved by any serious music. In this quest the word "ragtime" must be handled carefully as all competent, concertizing ragtime artists have discovered. Couched in the arms of untainted and evolving Terra Verde, New Ragtime can grow beyond the clutches of the honky tonk-hatched spectres that continue to prey upon ragtime.

*This is reminiscent of the subtitle of Isbitz's Morelia, which itself might suggest the need to acknowledge a new genre: "Fantasy in the Form of a Tango".

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Compositions Database

Show by: Title (Ascending / Descending), Year Completed (Ascending / Descending), Instrumentation

Adam's Rag (2005-2005, Piano). commissioned by the Tichenor family for Adam Tichenor.

Adele's Lullaby (1998-1998, Piano). commissioned by Audrey Whipps Field for her goddaughter's child, Adele Lister.

Allure (1975-1975, Piano). .

Alone In The Room (1974-1974, Piano). .

Anna (1976-1978, Piano). for my beloved Little Egypt.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Annunciation Street (1984-1984, Piano). .

Anticipation of the Washington Parish Fair (1984-1985, Piano). .

Audrain County Sketchbook (2008-2008, Piano). commissioned by Raul Casso.

Babe of the Mountains (1997-1998, Piano). for Audrey Whipps Field.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Back to Marion County (1981-1981, Piano). .

Blues from the Piney Woods (1995-1995, Piano). commissioned by Richard Riley.

Bonnie's Gift (2006-2006, Piano). commissioned by Frank DiFiore for his wife, Bonnie DiFiore.

Braymer (1979-1980, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Breckenridge/Fairplay/Como (1982-1983, Piano). for Sara Ann Fails.

Broad Avenue (1984-1984, Piano). .

Burgundy Street (1984-1984, Piano). .

Camille (1979-1979, Piano). commissioned by John Dawson; dedicated to Morria Ratcliff.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Carpet Shop After Closing (1974-1974, Chamber Percussion). .

Catherine (2006-2007, Piano). commissioned by Russ McKenna for his wife Catherine McKenna.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Catherine (2007-2008, Flute and Piano). commissioned by Russ McKenna for his wife Catherine McKenna.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Choctaw County Memories (2006-2006, Piano). .

Chorale and Toccata (1974-1974, Organ). .

Chorale No. 1 (1989-1989, Piano). .

Chorale No. 2 (1989-1989, Piano). .

Chorale-Prelude (1989-1989, Piano). .

Cynthia (2003-2004, Piano). commissioned by John Dawson for Cynthia van Roden.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Dance of the Flying Pig (2009-2009, Wind Quintet). Commissioned by Sue Horn for Sue Horn and Bill Cooper of the Flying Pig Ranch.

David's Blues (1977-1977, Piano). .

Davisville (2011-2011, Piano). from the suite Map Dreams.

Deborgia to Thompson Falls (2000-2000, Piano). Electronic and Piano versions.

Decatur Street (1984-1984, Piano). .

Discovery (2004-2004, Piano). commissioned by Ann Edwards in Tribute to the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Distant Counties (1978-1978, Piano). .

Distant Farmlands (1974-1974, Soprano and Piano). .

Early Memory (2011-2011, Piano). .

Fantasy in D (2000-2001, Piano). commissioned by Karen Ann Simons.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Fantasy No. 2 (1971-1971, Piano). .

Farewell (1983-1983, Piano). .

Farm (1974-1974, Horn and Piano). .

First Cantata (1974-1974, Male Chorus, Piano and Celeste). .

For Bridget (1971-1971, Piano). .

For Debbie Borries (1972-1972, Piano). .

For Joan (2003-2003, Piano). commissioned by Mac Reynolds for his wife, Joan Reynolds.

For Judy (2013-2013, Piano). commissioned by Robert Hardaway for Judy Swearingen Trejos.
*Sheet music available in the store.

For Kansas City (1980-1980, Piano). commissioned by John Dawson and Don Lampman.
*Sheet music available in the store.

For Karin (1997-1998, Piano). commissioned by Lew Dickey for his daughter, Karin Dickey.

For Molly Kaufmann (1981-1981, Piano). .

For Nancy (1973-1974, Piano). for Nancy Bennett.

For Robin (1975-1975, Piano). for Robin Kay Rogers.

For Robin Holtz Williams (1994-1994, Piano). commissioned by Dale Williams for his wife, Robin Holtz Williams.
*Sheet music available in the store.

For Sam (1998-1999, Piano). commissioned by Leslie and Pat Burlow for their daughter, Sandra Lynn Burlow.

For Teresa (1974-1974, Piano). for Teresa Jones.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Forrest County (1979-1979, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Fountainebleau Drive (1984-1984, Piano). .

Franklin Avenue (1984-1984, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Frederic and the Coast (1979-1979, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

From Iowa to the Colorado Rockies (2006-2006, Piano). commissioned by Fran Billars.
*Sheet music available in the store.

From Lake Wales to Climax (1979-1979, Piano). for Morria Ratcliff.

From Salem to Licking (2003-2003, Piano). commissioned by Jack T. Rummel.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Girl of Gainesville (1978-1978, Piano). .

Hal Isbitz (1997-1998, Piano). .

Hattiesburg Days (1979-1979, Piano). for Teresa Jones.

Honey Island Farm (1975-1975, Piano). for Robin Kay Rogers.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Illinois Central Gulf - Mainline of Mid-America (1980-1980, Piano). .

Impressions of Helen (1984-1984, Piano). for Helen Arlt.

Impromptu in A (2008-2008, Piano). for Teresa Jones.

In One Isolation (1976-1976, Piano). .

Interlude (1984-1984, Piano). .

Intermezzo (2010-2010, Piano). from the suite Map Dreams.

Intermezzo No. 1 (2009-2010, Piano). .

Introduction (1980-1981, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Jackson Avenue (1984-1984, Piano). .

Kingdom of Callaway (1989-1993, Piano). .

Kreole (1978-1978, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

LaDonna (1996-1997, Piano). commissioned by Darrel Wingo for LaDonna Roye.

Last Days of the Polo Grounds (1986-1987, Piano). .

Leslie (1981-1981, Piano). .

Lewis Motisher's Rag (2016-2017, Piano). commissioned by Karen Ann Simons for Lewis Motisher.

Lily Langtry Comes to the Midwest (1979-1979, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Louise Street (1978-1978, Piano). .

Madison Heights Girl (1979-1979, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Magazine Street (1984-1984, Piano). .

Maria Antonieta Pons (1986-1987, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Mariana's Waltz (2003-2003, Piano). commissioned by Fred Jensen for his wife, Mariana Jensen.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Memories of a Missouri Confederate (1989-1989, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Midwestern Medley No. 1 (1979-1980, Piano). .

Mississippi Brown Eyes (1988-1988, Piano). for Teresa Jones.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Mississippi Coast Wedding (1987-1987, Piano). commissioned by Fred Dale for the wedding of Fred and Carol Dale.

Morria's Lake Wales Waltz (1976-1976, Piano). for Morria Ratcliff.

Morten Larsen's Blues (1980-1980, Piano). .

Muscatine (1979-1979, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

My Life Eclipsing (1974-1974, Baritone and Piano). .

My Travels (2017-2017, Piano). for Jack T. Rummel.

My Unseen (1976-1976, Piano). .

Nahyr (2012-2012, Piano). commissioned by Raul Casso for his wife, Nahyr.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Nancy's Library (2004-2005, Piano). commissioned by Bob Martin for his wife Nancy Ginn Martin.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Napoleon Avenue (1984-1984, Piano). .

Night Junction (2012-2012, Synthesizer). .

Nocturne No. 1 (2009-2010, Piano). for Teresa Jones.

Nocturne No. 2 (2017-2018, Piano). dedicated to Dr. Toril Jelter, and to all current and future wireless radiation refugees.

Of Place (2012-2014, Piano). from the suite Map Dreams.

Old Chorale (1976-1976, Keyboard). .

Pattie's Biloxi Blues (1975-1975, Piano). .

Pinelands Memoir (1978-1978, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Poplarville (1979-1979, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Rag No. 1 (1971-1971, Piano). .

Rag No. 2 (1971-1971, Piano). .

Rag No. 3 (1972-1973, Piano). .

Raul Casso in Laredo (1995-1996, Piano). commissioned by Raul Casso.

Remembrance (2013-2014, Piano). commissioned by Alexandre Dias to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the death of Ernesto Nazareth.

Returning (2010-2010, Piano). from the suite Map Dreams.

Revenge (1983-1983, Piano). .

Revery (2006-2007, Piano). commissioned by Earl Ammerman for his wife, Joan Ammerman.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Rhame (2010-2011, Piano). from the suite Map Dreams.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Ridgerunner (1990-1991, Piano). .

Roberto Clemente (1979-1979, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Rock Island (1979-1980, Piano). .

Scarlet March (1973-1974, Piano). .

St. Tammany (1982-1982, Piano). .

Suburban Prelude (1989-1989, Piano). .

Swamp House (1971-1971, Piano). .

Tallahassee (1975-1975, Piano). .

The Child (1974-1974, Piano). for Teresa Jones.

The Crush (2007-2007, Piano). .

The Diamonds (2002-2003, Piano). commissioned by Jerry Lanese for his wife, Mary Grace Lanese.
*Sheet music available in the store.

The Early Life Of Larry Hoffer (1977-1977, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

The Family Lines System (1980-1980, Piano). .

The Girl on the Other Side (1979-1979, Piano). .

The Girl Who Moved Away (1981-1982, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

The Hattiesburg Winter Waltz (1973-1974, Piano). for Teresa Jones.

The House (1974-1974, Baritone, Piano and Cello). .

The Longing (1990-1990, Piano). .

The Lower Garden District (1979-1980, Piano). .

The Lyrical Life (2018-2018, Piano). commissioned by Dr. Billur Tanalp.

The Pearl River Country (1977-1977, Piano). .

The Pen Pals (1981-1981, Piano). .

The Pride of Southern Illinois (1979-1979, Piano). .

The Queen of North Missouri (1989-1989, Piano). .

The Seducer (1981-1981, Rock Band). .

The South Mississippi Glide (1978-1978, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

The Supernal Love (1974-1974, Voice and Piano). .

The Three Bears (1963-1963, Piano). .

The Threshold (2011-2011, Piano). for my step-daughter, Jessica Marie Badrous.
*Sheet music available in the store.

The Trabant (2012-2012, Synthesizer). .

The Traveler's Song (1996-1996, Piano). .

The Watcher (1976-1976, Soprano and Piano). .

The Window (2009-2009, Piano). .

The Woodsman (2009-2010, Piano). commissioned by Richard and Susan Larsen in memory of Robert Nielsen.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Through The Bottomlands (1980-1980, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Tia St. Antoine (1998-1998, Piano). commissioned by Carol McMillen for her daughter, Tia St. Antoine.

To Nita (1994-1995, Piano). commissioned by Jack Dupen for his wife, Agneta Dupen.

Toccata (1975-1975, Organ). for Robin Rogers.

Toulouse Street (1984-1984, Piano). .

Trebor Tichenor's Ozark Memories - The Ranch above Viburnum (2014-2014, Piano). commissioned by John Ulrich.
*Sheet music available in the store.

Two Pieces (1984-1984, Piano). .

Two Pieces from an Alien Arctic (1974-1976, Chamber Percussion). .

Victorian Gardens (2017-2017, Piano). commissioned by Danny Matson for Arlo (Chip) Lusby II of Victorian Gardens Skunk Hollow.

Waltz (1984-1984, Piano). .

Wanderer (1986-1986, Piano). .

Washington County Breakdown (1992-1992, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Waterloo Girls (1980-1980, Piano). .
*Sheet music available in the store.

Wendy (2008-2008, Piano). commissioned by Bob Orr for his wife Wendy Orr.
*Sheet music available in the store.

When the Moon Scans a Leaf (1975-1976, Soprano and Piano). .

Appearances

Upcoming Performances

  • Saturday, May 7th at 7:30 PM: David Thomas Roberts performs his own works at Sherman Clay Pianos, 1615 Bonanza Street, Walnut Creek, CA. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Concert will include the premiers of Rhame from the suite Map Dreams, and The Threshold. Other DTR compositions such as The Window, Impromptu in A and Returning will also be presented. For more information, please call 925-932-0100.
  • Saturday, May 14 at 3:00 PM: David Thomas Roberts performs his own works at Skunk Hollow Bed and Breakfast, 50 Gold Dust Trail, Sutter Creek, CA. The full range of DTR's compositional world will be presented, from Neo Romanticism and Minimalism to New Ragtime, including such works as The Window, Intermezzo No. 1, and Roberto Clemente as well as sections of the suite Map Dreams. Admission: $20 For more information, please call 626-806-3021.

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Past Performances

INTERNATIONAL:

  • Canada: Burnaby, Vancouver and West Vancouver, British Columbia
  • Norway: Oslo
  • Japan: Nagoya, Osaka, Saitama, Sapporo and Tokyo

DOMESTIC:

  • California: Arroyo Grande, Danville, El Sobrante, El Segundo, Felton, Fresno, Gilroy, La Quinta, Mission Viejo, Oakland, Orinda, Palo Alto, Rocklin, Sacramento, San Andreas, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Santa Maria, Sutter Creek, Venice, Walnut Creek and Watsonville
  • Colorado: Boulder, Central City, Colorado Springs, Denver and Littleton
  • Florida: Tallahassee
  • Georgia: Savannah
  • Idaho: Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai, Post Falls, Sandpoint, Wallace
  • Illinois: Chicago
  • Indiana: Indianapolis
  • Kansas: Lawrence
  • Louisiana: Covington, Gretna and New Orleans
  • Michigan: Calumet
  • Minnesota: St. Paul
  • Mississippi: Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Moss Point, Ocean Springs, Oxford, Pascagoula and Pass Christian
  • Missouri: Columbia, Kansas City, Kirksville, Potosi, Sedalia, St. Louis and University City
  • Montana: Conrad, Libby, Troy
  • New York: Ithica, New York
  • Oklahoma: Tulsa
  • Oregon: Lincoln City, Portland
  • Texas: Laredo
  • Virginia: Vienna
  • Washington: Spokane
  • Wyoming: Cody

Quotes

"A multi-faceted genius... one of the 20th century's outstanding young composers--"

~ Jack Rummel, The Rag Times

"David Thomas Roberts brings a very special voice to American music -- as composer, as pianist, as historian and critic. I have long valued his work in all its various facets..."

~ Joshua Rifkin

"David Thomas Roberts' playing gets deeper, more profound ... as time progresses--"

~ George Winston

"David Thomas Roberts is the most important composer of this half-century in America--"

~ Al Rose, Author of I Remember Jazz

"Our foremost composer of contemporary ragtime--"

~ Trebor Tichenor, Co-author of Rags and Ragtime

"In other words, David Thomas Roberts is a remarkable and gifted man, and it's always a pleasure to attend a concert by someone in that category--"

~ Jeff Hudson, The Register -- Pajaronian, Watsonville, California

Welcome!

I am above all a Romantic artist. Not only have my musical heroes been Romantic, but the tenets of Romanticism –– faith in the imagination as turnstile to transcendence and preference for the subjective, the non-rational and the mysterious –– are central to my practice. Among recordings, Discovery is the clearest testament to my Romantic core as well as the one most indicative of the breadth of my interests as composer and pianist.

Whether I'm combining the influence of Schubert with reminders of cowboy songs ('Mariana's Waltz'), pursuing departures from the world of Liszt and Wagner ('Chorale-Prelude,' 'Chorale No. 2') or ushering Mediterranean elements and reminiscences of jazz pioneer Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton into the same salon ('Cynthia'), all is at the service of the same Romantic intention.

Imaginative relationships with places are at the heart of much of my work. Referring to myself as a 'terrain wrangler' and a 'topographical rowdy bent upon revelation-through-landscape,' I entertain intrigue with lands from the Ozark Plateau and Ouachita Mountains to the Northwoods to the Upper Midwest; from the Piney Woods of southern Mississippi and Alabama to the Intermountain West, and from the northern Great Plains to central and southern Appalachia. Landscape is the dependable home of my imagination.

- David Thomas Roberts

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