To M. Ted

"Alexander's Ragtime Band" in its original form was definitely NOT syncopated.

Edward Berlin (musicology Ph.D) writes in his Joplin bio "King of Ragtime" referring to "A Real Slow Drag":

"This finale is a fitting and glorious conclusion, summing up Joplin's philosophy that African Americans choose education as their guide to a brighter future. But in a perverse twist of fate, Joplin witnessed the misappropriation of his call to 'march onward.' He saw it taken by a white man and transformed into a non-syncopated ragtime song directed to white America, a song that became the greatest financial success of the time and a virtual symbol of the era. Lottie outlined what happened: 'After Scott had finished writing it, and while he was showing it around, hoping to get it published, someone stole the theme, and made it into a popular song. The number was quite a hit, too, but that didn't do Scott any good, To get his opera copyrighted, he had to re-write it.'

"Sam Patterson told a similar story, reporting that it was none other than Irving Berlin, then working in the Crown-Seminary-Snyder offices, who had stolen Joplin's 'Mayflower Rag' and 'Slow Drag.' Members of the Stark family [Joplin's original publisher] confirmed the story to Blesh and Janis in 1949, and to Trebor Tichenor some years later. They further claimed that the result of the theft was Alexander's Ragtime Band, and that, on first hearing it, Joplin was brought to tears. As reported by Tichenor: 'This is the story that circulated in the Stark family for years; that's what the grandson told me. Joplin took some music to Irving Berlin, and Berlin kept it for some time. Joplin went back and Berlin said he couldn't use it. When Alexander's Ragtime Band came out, Joplin said, 'That's my tune.'

"The verse of Berlin's song does resemble the 'Marching Onward' section of Joplin's "A Real Slow Drag".

You got dat right! I should also point out that it would not be the last time Berlin was accused of stealing numbers. Edward Berlin's (no relation to Irving as far as I know) conclusion is that we can't dismiss the possibility of unconscious plagiarism or coincidence BUT neither can we dismiss the charge of deliberate plagiarism. Edward B. tries to defend Irving B. but does admit that the rumors flew hard and fast around Tin Pan Alley that Berlin had stolen Alexander's Ragtime Band from a black man. Nor was Joplin the only black man Berlin was accused of stealing from. Lukie Johnson was one such artist but Johnson himself defended Berlin from the charge. Joplin, however, did not.

While syphilis may explain Joplin's actions in the ensuing melee, it does not explain Berlin's.