A Real Slow Drag

Scott Joplin composed his opera Treemonisha in 1911. Decades later, it was premiered at Morehouse College in Atlanta on January 27, 1972. Joplin was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music for Treemonisha in 1976.

A Real Slow Drag is the rousing closing dance of the opera.

Title: A Real Slow Drag

Composer: Scott Joplin

Description: Scott Joplin’s opera is set on a plantation in September, 1884. Treemonisha, the title character, is a formerly enslaved woman who becomes educated and helps her community fight the scourge of conjurers, who preyed on people’s superstitions. A Real Slow Drag is the final piece in the opera.

Instrumentation: 2222/4331/Timp+2/Banjo (optional)/2 Soprano Soloists/SATB/Strings.

Length: 5:00 with optional repeat. 5:00.

License Fee: $350.00 first performance. $125.00 per subsequent performance.

Our orchestration of A Real Slow Drag was commissioned by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Enjoy this video of their performance:

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