In 1912, Scott Joplin met with Harry Lawrence Freeman, a reputable black composer and conductor with operatic experience. With these credentials, it is not surprising that Joplin consulted with him. It has been speculated that Joplin may have been advised by some musicians of ability to rewrite Treemonisha after the failure to produce the opera in Atlantic City. Had this been true, it would mean that the published Treemonisha that we know now was not Joplin's final version. Joplin had only one publication during 1912, registered as Scott Joplin's New Rag. The simplicity of the title — almost...

In 1912, Scott Joplin met with Harry Lawrence Freeman, a reputable black composer and conductor with operatic experience. With these credentials, it is not surprising that Joplin consulted with him. It has been speculated that Joplin may have been advised by some musicians of ability to rewrite Treemonisha after the failure to produce the opera in Atlantic City. Had this been true, it would mean that the published Treemonisha that we know now was not Joplin's final version. Joplin had only one publication during 1912, registered as Scott Joplin's New Rag. The simplicity of the title — almost a non-title — belies the piece's content: it is a rag bursting with life and ideas. The author argues that this is the same period when Joplin met his third wife, Lottie Stokes.