Scott Hayden: Complete Works (Ragtime)

Born in the “Cradle of Ragtime“ or better known as Sedalia, Missouri on March 31st, 1882, Scott Hayden would become a proficient young pianist only to unfortunately meet the same common fate of early entertainers & musicians. Graduating from Lincoln High School with future collaborator of Scott Joplin, Arthur Marshall, Hayden had made the acquaintance of Joplin at around 18 years old, who at the time had ended up as a tutor and mentor for Ragtime & piano. Although Hayden had already written one unpublished rag (Pear Blossoms which was later completed by ragtime performer and promoter Bob Darch), it was Joplin who was able to take the young musician’s skill as a pianist and divert it into compositions. Together they collaborated on four rags, which are still among the more memorable pieces in the Joplin catalog: “Sunflower Slow Drag,“ “Something Doing,“ “Felicity Rag“ & “Kismet Rag.“ Keeping close ties as student & instructor, Joplin had even made family connections between the Hayden’s marrying Belle Jones Hayden, Hayden’s sister in-law after moving to St. Louis in 1901. As for Scott Hayden, he had married Nora Wright on April 17, 1902, when she was evidently several months into a pregnancy, and with his new bride he had followed the Joplin’s to St. Louis where they lodged together in the same home. (Which actually still stands today as the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site!) The home has also been linked to the idea that it was likely the place the final three Joplin/Hayden collaborations took shape, although two would not be published for many years. Unfortunately that July, Nora gave birth to the Hayden’s daughter, but died within a month, followed by the baby in late August. Since there are no known Scott Hayden compositions written past this point, it has been surmised that both of these deaths had a serious impact on Scott, and his life started to deteriorate from this point on. As for the 1911 and 1913 releases of Hayden & Joplin’s works “Felicity“ & “Kismet“ from publisher John Stark, it had likely been submitted by 1903 and were simply released during a time when Stark needed some new Joplin material in his catalog after Joplin had began submitting his newer material elsewhere. Hayden eventually left the Joplin residence for Chicago where many other ragtime figures were heading for its burgeoning music scene. It is reported that Scott was a very adept pianist, so the results of him not making a mark in Chicago may have been a matter of timing, as ironically the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair briefly became the center of ragtime shortly after he moved away from there. Despite his failure to rise once again as a popular musician, Hayden had went on to marry Missouri-born Maggie Collins on May 28, 1910, the second marriage for both of them at the age of 28, leading a ordinary lifestyle. Yet after a mere 2 years of marriage, Hayden had married once again for the final time on August 12, 1914, this time to Mrs. Jeanette E. Cook, also previously married. Eventually finding himself working as a elevator operator in Cook County Hospital, he would remain in the position for most of the last few years of his short life. That life ended in pulmonary tuberculosis after a six month long illness at the age of thirty-three on September 16th, 1915, following the same unfortunate fate of death via illness for many young musicians of the time such as Louis Chauvin in 1908. Following his death, his body was sent back to Sedalia and peacefully laid to rest for burial at a site that is still unknown to this day. From that point on, no post-St. Louis compositions have been found from Hayden, suggesting such possibilities as depression or frustration about his life, or the lack of influence of the more grounded senior composer that Joplin had on him. Still, the four surviving joint works and his solo effort display great vitality and originality, with an intricate understanding of syncopation, development, and enjoyment in music. A everlasting image of the proficiency and talent that was invested within Hayden’s life that truly stands the test of time, even to today. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Pear Blossoms [With Bob Darch] () 0:04:25 - Sunflower Slow Drag [With Scott Joplin] (1901) 0:08:33 - Something Doing [With Scott Joplin] (1903) 0:11:53 - Felicity Rag [With Scott Joplin] (1911) 0:15:19 - Kismet Rag [With Scott Joplin] (1913) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music composed by Scott Hayden with solo performance by Bill Edwards & performances by Guido Nielsen with his album “Scott Joplin: The Complete Works (Rags, Waltzes & Songs)“ ℗ 2000 Basta Audio-Visuals This video is solely for the purposes of compiling and sharing the music of Scott Hayden and in no way or means is being used for monetary purposes.