ARTIE MATTHEWS

Biografía del artista por arwulf arwulf  IN ALLMUSIC 

Durante muchos años, el lugar de nacimiento de esta persona figuraba como Minonk, Illinois. Según un artículo escrito por su hijo, Artie Matthews nació en realidad a 60 millas al noreste de Minonk en Braidwood, Illinois, el 15 de noviembre de 1888. Criado en Springfield, su madre le enseñó a tocar el piano. En 1904, a la edad de 16 años, intentó actuar en la feria de San Luis, donde un enjambre de luchadores artistas de trapo dominó el césped y lo asustó. De vuelta en Springfield durante 1905 y 1906, recibió una educación en síncopa de los ases de piano Banty Morgan y Art Dunningham. Actuó en las calles como miembro de un trío de mandolina, violín y guitarra de acero, y tocó el piano en varias salas de vino y bordellos de Springfield. Matthews se mudó a St. Louis en 1907 y encontró una atmósfera comunitaria y no competitiva entre los pianistas creativos en el Rosebud Café de Tom Turpin . La primera composición musical sobreviviente de Artie Matthews , "Give Me, Dear, Just One More Chance", data de 1908. Matthews y sus amigos conocieron y escucharon a Jelly Roll Morton cuando llegó a la ciudad en 1911. En agosto de 1912, Matthews arregló el primera pieza de música publicada que usa la palabra "blues" para describir la música y la emoción humana: fue "Baby Seals Blues", un número especial del equipo de vodevil de Seals and Fisher. Matthews también arregló "Bueno, si lo hago, no lo dejes salir" para este dúo. Mientras visitaba Cincinnati, ideó un arreglo muy parecido a Scott Joplin de "Junk Man Rag" de Luckey Roberts . Matthews publicó tres canciones propias en 1912: "Twilight Dreams", "Wise Old Moon" y "Everybody Makes Love to Someone". Trabajó en el Teatro Booker T. Washington de Charlie Turpin en St. Louis durante 1913, componiendo material para pequeños musicales y espectáculos de variedades. Aparentemente, estos puntajes se consideraron desechables y, de hecho, se tiraron al final de cada semana. Matthews también compuso acompañamientos para espectáculos de talentos intermedios en el Barator's Theatorium, y escribió canciones para espectáculos presentados en Princess Roadhouse. Los propietarios de este establecimiento publicaron un puñado de estos: "The Princess Prance", "When I'm Gone" y "Lucky Dan My Gambling Man". Pero su hazaña más importante de 1913 fue la publicación de sus dos primeros "Trapos de pasatiempo". El primero de ellos es reconocido como un ejemplo muy temprano de una línea de bajo andante "barril" en una partitura musical impresa. Algunos compositores solo pudieron publicar sus trapos porque Matthews escribió la música para ellos. Lo hizo con "Cataract" de Rob Hampton y "Lily Rag" de Charley Thompson de 1914. En 1915, el editor John Stark realizó una especie de concurso entre los compositores locales, pidiéndoles a cada uno que inventaran una canción de blues que haría frente al enormemente popular "St. Louis Blues" de WC Handy . Artie Matthews ganó la competencia con su "Weary Blues", un pisotón emocionante que se convirtió en un himno de jazz tradicional después de que Tommy Ladnier y Sidney Bechet hicieran un disco abrasador en 1938. Stark le pagó a Matthews $ 50.00 más regalías, y $ 27.00 adicionales a comprarse un traje nuevo ". Existe la teoría de que "Weary Blues" fue originalmente uno de los "Pastime Rags", todos los cuales se cree que fueron compuestos alrededor de 1913. "Pastime Rag No. 3" se publicó en 1916, "No. 5" en 1918 y "No. 4" en 1920. Todos sus "Trapos de pasatiempo" están subtitulados "A Slow Drag". Una última canción popular, "Everything He Does Just Pleases Me", apareció en 1916, pero para ese entonces Matthews estaba en un nuevo camino. Desilusionado por el desagradable ambiente social en el que Estados Unidos parecía forzar siempre cualquier música original compuesta por afroamericanos, Artie Matthews dejó de tocar y escribir música ragtime en 1915. Se convirtió en organista en la Iglesia Presbiteriana Berea de Chicago en 1916, y desarrolló un apetito por Las obras de JS Bach . Para 1918 se había establecido en Cincinnati, donde él y su esposa, Anna Howard, fundaron la Cosmopolitan School of Music en 1921. Fue el primer conservatorio de propiedad y operación afroamericana en los Estados Unidos de América. Matthews trabajó incansablemente durante casi cuatro décadas para ayudar y alentar a los aspirantes a compositores e intérpretes afroamericanos. Frank Foster , reconocido saxofonista y arreglista del conde Basie , se graduó de esta institución. En 1938 Matthews recibió un doctorado honorario de la Universidad Central del Estado. Dirigió coros en las iglesias negras de Cincinnati, fue secretario del sindicato de músicos negros, produjo festivales de música negra, trabajó como arreglista para la Orquesta Sinfónica de Cincinnati y compuso una cantata titulada "Etiopía". El Dr. Matthews fue un activista político que se organizó para la derogación de las leyes de segregación. Este notable hombre falleció en 1958. Su hijo, Art Matthews , es un consumado artista de teclados, banda de un solo hombre, educador musical e innovador de música digital.

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Artist Biography by arwulf arwulf

For many years, this person's birthplace was listed as Minonk, Illinois. According to an article written by his son, Artie Matthews was actually born 60 miles northeast of Minonk in Braidwood, Illinois on November 15, 1888. Raised in Springfield, he learned from his mother how to play the piano. In 1904 at the age of 16 he tried to perform at the fair in St Louis, where a swarm of feisty ragtime artists dominated the turf and frightened him off. Back in Springfield during 1905 and 1906, he got himself an education in syncopation from piano aces Banty Morgan and Art Dunningham. He performed in the streets as a member of a mandolin, violin, and steel guitar trio, and played piano in a number of Springfield's wine rooms and bordellos. Matthews moved to St. Louis in 1907 and found a communal, non-competitive atmosphere among creative pianists at Tom Turpin's Rosebud Café. The earliest surviving musical composition by Artie Matthews, "Give Me, Dear, Just One More Chance," dates from 1908. Matthews and his friends met and heard Jelly Roll Morton when he came through town in 1911. In August 1912, Matthews arranged the very first piece of published music using the word "blues" to describe music as well as human emotion: It was the "Baby Seals Blues," a specialty number by the vaudeville team of Seals and Fisher. Matthews also arranged "Well, If I Do, Don't You Let It Get Out" for this duo. While visiting Cincinnati he devised a very Scott Joplin-like arrangement of Luckey Roberts' "Junk Man Rag." Matthews published three songs of his own in 1912: "Twilight Dreams," "Wise Old Moon," and "Everybody Makes Love to Someone." He worked at Charlie Turpin's Booker T. Washington Theater in St. Louis during 1913, composing material for small-time musicals and variety shows. Apparently, these scores were considered disposable and were, in fact, thrown away at the end of each week. Matthews also composed accompaniments for intermission talent shows at Barrett's Theatorium, and wrote tunes for shows presented at the Princess Roadhouse. The owners of this establishment published a handful of these: "The Princess Prance," "When I'm Gone," and "Lucky Dan My Gambling Man." But his most important feat of 1913 was the publication of his first two "Pastime Rags." The first of these is acknowledged to be a very early example of a "barrelhouse" walking bass line in a printed musical score. Some composers were only able to publish their rags because Matthews wrote out the music for them. He did this with "Cataract" by Rob Hampton, and Charley Thompson's "Lily Rag" of 1914. In 1915, publisher John Stark held a sort of contest among the local composers, asking them each to come up with a blues song that would stand up to W.C. Handy's enormously popular "St. Louis Blues." Artie Matthews won the competition with his "Weary Blues," an exciting stomp that became a traditional jazz anthem after Tommy Ladnier and Sidney Bechet made a scorching hot record of it in 1938. Stark paid Matthews $50.00 plus royalties, and an additional $27.00 "to buy himself a new suit." There is a theory that "Weary Blues" was originally one of the "Pastime Rags," all of which are believed to have been composed around 1913. "Pastime Rag No. 3" was published in 1916, "No. 5" in 1918, and "No. 4" in 1920. All of his "Pastime Rags" are subtitled "A Slow Drag." One last popular song, "Everything He Does Just Pleases Me," was brought out in 1916, but by that time Matthews was on a new path. Disillusioned by the unsavory social environment into which America seemed to always force any original music composed by African-Americans, Artie Matthews quit playing and writing ragtime music in 1915. He became an organist at Chicago's Berea Presbyterian Church in 1916, and developed an appetite for the works of J.S. Bach. By 1918 he had established himself in Cincinnati, where he and his wife, Anna Howard, founded the Cosmopolitan School of Music in 1921. It was the first African-American owned and operated conservatory in the United States of America. Matthews worked tirelessly over nearly four decades to assist and encourage aspiring African-American composers and performers. Frank Foster, renowned saxophonist and arranger for Count Basie, graduated from this institution. In 1938 Matthews received an honorary doctoral degree from Central State University. He directed choirs in Cincinnati's black churches, was secretary of the black musicians' union, produced black music festivals, worked as an arranger for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and composed a cantata entitled "Ethiopia." Dr. Matthews was a political activist who organized for the repeal of segregation laws. This remarkable man passed away in 1958. His son, Art Matthews, is an accomplished keyboard artist, one-man band, musical educator, and digital music innovator.

Artie Matthews (November 15, 1888 – October 25, 1958) was an American songwriter, pianist, and ragtime composer.

Artie Matthews was born in Braidwood, Illinois; his family moved to Springfield, Illinois in his youth. He learned to play piano, mostly popular songs and light classics, until he heard ragtime played by a pianist named Banty Morgan about 1905. Matthews was fascinated and immersed himself in ragtime and started playing and writing numbers in the style. In 1908 he moved to the ragtime center of St. Louis, Missouri, which would be one of his bases, frequently alternating with Chicago, Illinois. He worked as a pianist, arranger, and wrote music for local theater productions.

In early 1913 music publisher John Stark heard Matthews and offered him 50 dollars each for any original rags he submitted for publication. Matthews also worked as an arranger for Starks.

In 1916 Artie Matthews moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he first worked as a church organist. In 1921 Matthews and his wife Anna Howard founded the Cosmopolitan School of Music, a music school for African Americans, where Matthews taught until his death. Among Matthews students was Frank Foster, who would become the principal arranger for the Count Basie orchestra.

Some rank Artie Matthews with Scott Joplin, Joseph Lamb, and James Scott as one of the finest and most sophisticated ragtime composers. His most famous rags are the "Pastime Rags", numbered 1 to 5, the latter of which was performed at one point by Lu Watters, with the Yerba Buena Jazz Band. His 1912 Baby Seals Blues was one of the first published Blues. His Weary Blues remains a standard by Dixieland and New Orleans jazz bands.