Andrew Jacobs

Ragtime Blues
for Solo Guitar

Clark Winslow Ross

St. Johns, 2001

Andrew Jacobs Ragtime Blues (2001) Clark Winslow Ross

Andrew Jacob's Ragtime Blues was named after my first son (born the year I wrote it), who
loves to groove along with this (or any other) music. The form is a series of variations (13) on what I
believe is an old, 12-bar blues theme, although Im not actually sure what the original theme is
called; it's just something I've been playing for years. My wife pointed out that the themes first 4
bars resemble "Buckets of Rain," a Bob Dylan song from 1972's "Blood on the Tracks," but I'm
pretty sure the origins of this tune are a lot older than that. The harmony follows the standard 12-
bar blues pattern throughout, although some variations (most notably #4) are a little out there!
The actual theme is not presented until the end, and even then it is played twice in different ways.
In spite of the fact that I play guitar, I have written very little for it (all of my commissions until 2005
had been for instruments other than the guitar), so one day I decided to have a little fun and write a
few variations on a blues theme, and this is what I came up with.
Clark Winslow Ross's compositions have been performed in England, Ireland, the United States, and
across Canada by some of Canada's finest musicians, ensembles, and orchestras. He was Composer-in-Residence at
Ireland's Waterford New Music Week in 2003, and has won Young Composer's Awards in national competitions
by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also received over 20
commission grants from various funding agencies, including the Canada Council, the CBC, and the Newfoundland
and Labrador Arts Council. Clark is the founder and Artistic Director of the Newfound Music Festival, held every
February in St. John's, and was a founding member and later President of Continuum, the Toronto-based new-music
group. He serves on the national executive of both the Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music
Centre.
Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Clark was raised there and in Caracas (Venezuela), Lima (Peru), Lennoxville
(Quebec), New York City, Fort Lee (New Jersey), Brussels (Belgium), and Toronto, where he attended university.
Upon receiving a Mus.Doc. (composition) degree from the University of Toronto in 1992, he began working at
Memorial University's School of Music, where he is currently an Associate Professor, teaching composition,
orchestration, theory, electronic music, and classical guitar. He was awarded Memorial University's President's
Award for Outstanding Research (1999) in recognition of his extensive compositional activities . He is married to
Dr. Jennifer Porter (professor of Religious Studies, Memorial University), and has three children (Alexander, (b.
2004), Andrew (b. 2001), and Julia (b. 1990). His interests outside of family and music include baseball, cats,
cooking, ethnic food, reading, writing short stories, and invigorating jumping dances.
Other works for classical guitar, downloadable from Clarks website: www.clarkross.ca
Variations on McGillicuddys Rant (guitar solo; 2003)
http://www.clarkross.ca/Progr-McGsRantGtr.htm
I sleep and my soul awakens (guitar and string quartet (CBC commission); 2005)
http://www.clarkross.ca/Score-I_sleep+soul.pdf
Contact Clark Ross via E-mail at: clark@mun.ca, or through his website
&
c
Var. 1
q = 120 - 144
&
5
&
9
&
13
Var. 2
&
17
&
21
Andrew Jacob's Ragtime Blues
2001 by Clark Winslow Ross
Guitar
Clark Winslow Ross
October 13, 2001

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Var. 3
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Ragtime Blues, page 2

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&
57
Var. 5
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79
Ragtime Blues, page 3

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Var. 9
Ragtime Blues, page 4


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123
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Var. 11
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135
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139
Ragtime Blues, page 5


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&
143
Var. 12
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151
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Var. 13
&
159
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163
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167
Ragtime Blues, page 6


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