Bethena

Bethena
by Scott Joplin
The 1905 front cover of the sheet music shows the title of the work, Bethena, in white lettering on a purple background. In the centre there is a black and white photograph of a young woman wearing white, holding a bunch of flowers.
Cover to the original edition of Bethena – A Concert Waltz
GenreRagtime
FormConcert waltz
Published1905 (1905)
PublisherT. Bahnsen Piano Manufacturing Co. St. Louis Mo.
Instrument: Solo piano

"Bethena, A Concert Waltz" (copyright registered March 6, 1905) is a composition by Scott Joplin. It was the first Joplin work since his wife Freddie's death on September 10, 1904, of pneumonia, ten weeks after their wedding. At the time the composer had significant financial problems; the work did not sell successfully at the time of publication and was soon neglected and forgotten. It was rediscovered as a result of the Joplin revival in the 1970s and has received acclaim from Joplin's biographers and other critics. The piece combines two different styles of music, the classical waltz and the rag, and has been seen as demonstrating Joplin's excellence as a classical composer. The work has been described as "an enchantingly beautiful piece that is among the greatest of Ragtime Waltzes",[1] a "masterpiece",[2] and "Joplin's finest waltz".[3]

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