Many thanks to Hansjakob Heldstab, G.C. Byrd and all the sequencers whose work made this page possible. Sequencer names follow each entry in parenthesis.

(MIDI FILES CONTAIN THE SCORE. If you have a midi or music-writing program, you can read the actual sheet music, note by note, and watch it play at the same time.)

The compilation below includes a large number of ragtime MIDI by women composers -- use browser search function or scroll alphabetical listing below. For an MP3 women's ragtime album sample, see Fluffy Ruffle Girls. See also CD by Nora Hulse. Search for more MIDI by women composers at vanBasco Midi Search.For links to CD music samples for women's Medieval and Renaissance music, see Medieval & Renaissance Women's Music CD Discography.

Illustration above: French composer Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1664-1729) by Françoise de Troy (detail), see full portrait and read more about the discovery of this painting. LINKS to related sites below.

• Sonata per il clavicembalo (H.Heldstab)

• Chop Sticks, aka Celebrated Chop Sticks Waltz
  originally composed by a 16 year old girl named Euphemia Allen! (later Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Liszt all wrote variations on the theme, and how about this chopsticks=drumsticks take-off by George Tassara, with a Rumba rhythm!), the midi was sequenced by Bill Bowden.

Alpert created 500+ piano rolls for Duo-Art, also arranged and composed solos such as "Dream of a Doll," "The Merry Minnow," and "March of the Blues," published by Mills Music Company, New York.

• The Wedding of the Painted Dolls,
  performed by Pauline Alpert, ("WindPlay" version piano roll transcription)
• Blue Grass, performed by Pauline Alpert (piano roll transcription by Richard Stibbons)
• Sunny Side Up, performed by Pauline Alpert (piano roll transcription by Richard Stibbons)

• Kanarien-Trio (H.Heldstab)

• Triosonate (H.Heldstab)

• La Fayette's Welcome To Philadelphia (G.C.Byrd)

• see Renaissance Music MIDI by Curtis Clark
  
  An I war a maydyn
  As many one ys,
  For all the golde in England
  I wold not do amysse.
  
  When I was a wanton wench of
  twelve yere of age,
  Thes cowrtyers with ther amours
  They kyndyld my corage.
  
  When I was come to
  The age of fifteen yere,
  In all this lond, nowther fire nor bond,
  Methought I had no pere.

• Prelude (S.Whitworth) (with assemblage)

• Ave Verum corpus (H.Heldstab)
• Ego Flos Campi (H.Heldstab)

• Dusty Rag (1908) (W.Smith)
• Richmond Rag (1908) (J.Cowles)
• The Thriller! (1909) (W.Trachtman)
• Blue Ribbon Rag (1910) (Paul F. Wilson)
• Novelty Rag (1911) (P.Wilson)

• Conditor alme (H.Heldstab, 16K)

• Estudos Brasileiros
• Trio for Reeds
• Rio de Janeiro Suite for strings (1st mov)
• Rio de Janeiro Suite for strings (2nd mov)
• Little Entrance Music

• In addition to Pauline Alpert above, another great piano roll artist was Viola Barton, here performing Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goo'Bye, words and music by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman and Dan Russo, 1922, (scanned by Warren Trachtman)

• Prelude and Fugue, Op.81 (1918) (K.O.Edwards)

• Ballett (H.Heldstab)
  
• Menuet (H.Heldstab)
  
• Gigue (H.Heldstab)
  
• Sound Samples from The Seven Psalms of David at La Donna Musicale
  (realaudio / windows media)

• Die werelt hielt mi in hair gewout (sequence & instrumental realization, S.Whitworth)

• Curly, March Two Step (1907) (J.Cowles)
• The "Gravel" Rag (1908) (J.Cowles)
• The Mascot (1905) (J.Cowles)
• Yankee Kid (1909) (J.Cowles)
• That Poker Rag (1909) (J.Cowles)
• The Wish Bone Rag (1909) (J.Cowles)

• The Black Diamond (1899) (J.Cowles)
• The Fair, March and Two Step (1898) (J.Cowles)
• The Smoky Topaz (1898) (J.Cowles)

• (Menuet con Variazione) (H.Heldstab)

• Baurentanz (H.Heldstab)
• see selection of midi and onlines scores at Women Hymn Composers before 1900

Rustic (meditation music) MP3

• MP3 Caccini soundfiles (at www.leonarda.com)
  from "La Liberazione di Ruggiero Dall'Isola D'Alcina":
  
• Sinfonia II (H.Heldstab)
  
• Coro di Damigelle I (H.Heldstab)
  
• Coro di Damigelle II (H.Heldstab)
  
• Coro di Cavalieri liberati (H.Heldstab)

• Gottschalk Waltz (G.C.Byrd) see info
• Andante con Larghezza (G.M.Egner)
• Le Printemps (J.Van Roy)

• Stavasi il mio bel Sol (Richard Lee)
• Morir non puo il mio cuore (Richard Lee)

[Chaminade performs Chaminade]

• Opus 131, Marche Americaine, 1921, MP3, 1.3MB
  
• Guitare (Caprice), Opus 32, 1921, MP3, 1.3MB
• Opus 101, L'Ondine, 1920, MP3, 1.3MB
  Produced (and with notes) by George C. Byrd from MIDI piano roll scan by Terry Smythe. Julian Dyer provided Aeolian Duo-Art piano roll #012brd for scanning and conversion to MIDI. The piano sound font is Warren Trachtman's 1895 Steinway Grand font.

  "The performance of Marche Americaine and 2 other Duo-Art rolls of Chaminade pieces were actually cut by Cécile Chaminade herself on the Ampico recording piano. The practice (and the competition among piano roll production companies) was to engage famous artists to cut piano rolls by performing on a recording piano. Often well known pianists performed works by others as well.
  
  "The surviving piano rolls are the best recordings we have of many well known composers and performing artists of the era. The technology was essentially digital, though it recorded by punching holes in paper instead of flipping magnetic domains on spinning disks or magnetic tapes like we do today. In that sense it was much more faithful to the actual performance, and far more noise free than the analog wax disk recordings of the day.
  
  "We all owe piano roll preservationists like Terry Smythe, Julian Dyer and Warren Trachtman great thanks for preserving faithfully these performances in MIDI form (as well as graphical form for making duplicate piano rolls). But for their work these priceless cultural artifacts would fade to oblivion."

• Opus 50, La Lisonjera (The Flatterer)
  MP3, 1.6MB (George C. Byrd)

  Pianist: Yolanda Merö (1887-1963), recorded about 1920? from MIDI piano roll scan by Terry Smythe. Deluxe Welte (Welte lincensee) roll #2540W from Terry Smythe batch 12

• Opus 53, Arlequine
  MP3, 1.2MB (George C. Byrd)

  Pianist: Yolanda Merö (1887-1963), recorded about 1920? From MIDI piano roll scan by Terry Smythe. Smythe Cat. #2539; Roll Type: Red T100 Welte

• Callirhoi - Air de ballet, Op.37 No.4 (P.Wolfe)
• Etude Op.35 No.5 - Autumn (P.Wolfe)
• Lolita - Caprice Espagnol, Op.54 (P.Wolfe)
• Concertino for Flute and Piano (S.T.Chambers)
• Automne (seq. unknown)
• Dance Creole in Eb min (J.Cowles)
• Scarf Dance (F.Raborn)

• Echoes of the Congo (1903, arranged by Carl Frolich) (J.Cowles)

• Coffee Rag (Paul F. Wilson)

• La Sympathie: ("Brilliant Polka Mazurka") (pub. 1874) (G.Byrd)
• Roller Skate Waltz (pub. 1877) (G.Byrd)

• The Tickler (1918) (J.Cowles)

• Herr Christ der einig Gottes-Sohn (H.Heldstab)

• Tocotìn, arranged for Organ solo (H.Heldstab)

• Fluffy Ruffle Girls Rag (1908) (J.Cowles)

• Fried Chicken Rag (1912) (Bill Edwards)  

• "The Soul Should Always Stand Ajar," lyrics by Emily Dickinson, can be sung in tune with the music of the Yellow Rose of Texas (composer & sequencer unknown):
  
  THE SOUL should always stand ajar
  That if the Heaven inquire
  He will not be obliged to wait
  Or shy of troubling Her
  
  Depart, before the Host have slid
  The Bolt unto the Door --
  To search for the accomplished Guest --
  Her Visitor, no more --
  
  
• Homage to Emily Dickinson & Robert Frost in
  The Dangling Conversation, 1966, by Paul Simon, sequenced by JDewbre
  
  It's a still life water color
  Of a now late afternoon
  As the sun shines through the curtain lace
  And shadows wash the room
  And we sit and drink our coffee
  Couched in our indifference
  Like shells upon the shore
  You can hear the ocean roar
  In the dangling conversation
  And the superficial sighs
  The borders of our lives
  
  And you read your Emily Dickinson
  And I my Robert Frost
  And we note our place with bookmarkers
  That measure what we've lost
  Like a poem poorly written
  We are verses out of rhythm
  Couplets out of rhyme
  In syncopated time
  And the dangling conversation
  And the superficial sighs
  Are the borders of our lives
  
  Yes, we speak of things that matter
  With words that must be said
  "Can analysis be worthwhile?"
  "Is the theater really dead?"
  And how the room is softly faded
  And I only kiss your shadow
  I cannot feel your hand
  You're a stranger now unto me
  Lost in the dangling conversation
  And the superficial sighs
  In the borders of our lives
  

• Possum Rag (W.Trachtman)

• Deux Passepied (H.Heldstab)

• Mop Rag, A Slow Drag (1909) (J.Cowles)

• Turkish Trophies, an Oriental Rag (1907) (J.Cowles)

• Rondo on Bellini's Pirate themes Op.9 (W.Pepperdine)
• Impromptu (E.Halstead)

• Aviator Rag (1910) (J.Cowles)
• Dixie Rag (1911) (J.Cowles)
• Chicken Chowder (J.Cowles)
• Sleepy Lou (1906) (J.Cowles)

• Red Peppers: Two Step (1907) (J.Cowles)

• Son de la Ma Teodora (H.Heldstab)

• Bluette (Caprice de Genre) (G.C.Byrd)

• X-N-Tric, Two-Step Characteristic (1900) (J.Cowles)
• Topsy Turvy, Two Step (1899) (J.Cowles)

• Niagara Rag (1915) (J.Cowles)

• MP3 (2MB) ~ Quia felix pueritia
  from CD "Carmina Sanctorum," performed by Rondellus
  
• MP3 (1.5MB) ~ O frondens virga (O Leafy Branch)
  performed by The Sisters, a capella vocal ensemble

• Carol "Christe Gotts Eigener Sohn Du Bist", arranged for Organ solo (H.Heldstab)

• Menuet (H.Heldstab)
  
• Air de Violon (H.Heldstab)
  
• Trombone (H.Heldstab)
  
• Air (H.Heldstab)
  
• Marche du Roi Nereus (H.Heldstab)
  
• Bergéres (H.Heldstab)
  
• Rondeau pour deux Violons (H.Heldstab)
  
• Bourrèe pour deux Violons (H.Heldstab)

• Arabian Nights - March and Two-Step (1900) (J.Cowles)

• The Bluffton Carnival Rag (1899) (J.Cowles)

• Puer Natus in Bethlehem (H.Heldstab)
  
• In dulce iubilo (H.Heldstab)
  
• Jure plaudant omnia (H.Heldstab)
  
• Omnis mundus jocuntedur (H.Heldstab)
  
• Dies est leticie (H.Heldstab)

• Sonata duodecima (H.Heldstab)

• MP3 (2.5MB) ~ Marche Orientale, 1851 (G.C.Byrd)
• Koh I Noor, The Mountain of Light, Valse pour le Piano, 1851 (G.C.Byrd)

• Sonata in E Allegro (H.Heldstab)
• Sonata in E Andante (H.Heldstab)
• Sonata in E Presto (H.Heldstab)
• Sonata in A Allegro (H.Heldstab)
• Sonata in A Rondo-Adagio (H.Heldstab)
• Sonata in A Tempo di Minuetto (H.Heldstab)

• Goldenrod (1907) (J.Cowles)

• Sonata I for Pianoforte (H.Heldstab)

• Ragtime Showers (1902) (J.Cowles)

• Sitientes venite (H.Heldstab)

• Red Rambler Rag (1912) (Paul F. Wilson)

• Ymbitatorio al Nascimiento de Nuestro Señor
  (arranged for two soli, two violins, harpsichord and bass) (H.Heldstab)
• Ymbitatorio al Nascimiento de Nuestro Señor (for organ solo) (H.Heldstab)

• Tattered Melody Rag (1910) (J.Cowles)

• (spurious?) Sicilienne (H.Heldstab)

• Concerto in Es-Dur for Pianoforte / Allegro (H.Heldstab)
  
• Concerto in Es-Dur for Pianoforte / Andante (H.Heldstab)
  
• Concerto in Es-Dur for Pianoforte / Rondo Presto (H.Heldstab)
  

• Malibran Waltz (G.C.Byrd)
  (composed in memory of the soprano Maria Felicita Garcia Malibran, 1808 - 1836)

• La Rossignol (Archil Ridgeland)
  
• La Rossignol (Paolo Agostini) (WMA 1.2 MB)
        from Free Renaissance Music
• Toye for Lute (10) (Sequencer?)
• Coranto Confess (see score generated by the MIDI)

• Rooster Rag (1917) (Paul F. Wilson)

• March Militaire (G.C.Byrd)

• Buster Rag (1915) (J.Cowles)

• Nach Sevilla! (H.Heldstab) (See also (song texts)

• Home, Sweet Home Variations (W.Pepperdine)

• Andante und Allegro (B.Ness)
• Scherzo in D minor, Op.10 (K.O.Edwards)
• Romanze h-moll, Opus posth., Weihnachten, 1856 (K.O.Edwards)

• Live Wires Rag (1910) (J.Cowles)
• Pickles and Peppers Rag (1906) (J.Cowles)
• Diablo Rag (1908) (J.Cowles)
• Excerpt from Wireless Rag, sequenced for marimba and banjo (S.Whitworth)

• The Black Cat Rag (1905) by Frank Wooster & Ethel B. Smith (W.Trachtman)

• A Dirge for Funerals (H.Heldstab)

• Chesapeake Waltz (G.C.Byrd) and a second version (G.C.Byrd)
• MP3 (1.6MB) ~ Letitia (Jollity) (1882) (G.C.Byrd)
• I Am Such a Cute Devilish Little Devil (1885) (G.C.Byrd)
  
  Text from the music cover page:
  To Miss Lillie Allen
  I am Such a Cute Devilish Little Devil
  sung with Great success in the Operatic Extravaganza
  "The Sleeping Beauty" by Miss Allen as Mephisto
  Libretto by B.W. Doremus, Music by Emma R. Steiner.
  [...] Copyright 1885 by O.Ditson & Co.
  
  Verse:
  
  I am such a cute devilish little devil,
  I gener'ly have ev'rything my way,
  For wickeness is nat'ral to the millions,
  So I'll be just a little devilish if I may.
  If I want a favor done me by the people,
  I have only to beguile them with a smile;
  For we all know in this wicked world of sinners,
  There's no one like the devil to beguile
  
  Refrain:
  
  Oh I'm so cute.
  Oh I'm so cute.
  To worship me it ought to be no sin.
  I plague the gay,
  Annoy the sport,
  The cheat don't pay because I urge him not,
  Oh! IIIIIIII'm so cute. /* fermata on "I'm" */
  Oh, I'm so cute.
  The fate of many I hold by a thread,
  And with a smile
  The world beguile.
  I'm such a little cute dev'lish devil!
  
  Second Verse:
  
  My spirit rules the universe entirely,
  Of that fact I am very well aware,
  For evil is so taking and so pleasant,
  There are but few that for the consequences dare.
  I am welcomed ev'rywhere by ev'rybody
  For if the thing is wrong it's sure to make it
  All the more attractive to the world at large,
  For they all go in with "may the devil take it."
  
  Second Refrain:
  
  Oh I'm so cute.
  Oh I'm so cute.
  To worship me it ought to be no sin.
  I lead the weak,
  Make wise men fools,
  They yield to me and then become my fools,
  For IIIIIII'm so cute.
  Oh, I'm so cute.
  They never got the best of me you bet.
  Oaths which they take,
  I make them break.
  I'm such a little cute dev'lish devil!
  
  

• Snowball: A Rag (1906) (J.Cowles)

4 Madrigals:
• Sonetto Proemio dell'opera (H.Heldstab)
• Al battitor di bronzo della sua crudelis (H.Heldstab)
• Canto di bella bocca (H.Heldstab)
• Dialogo in Partenza (H.Heldstab)

• Nocturne (E.Halstead)

• Diablo Rag (1915) (J.Cowles)
  (A 'diablo' or 'diabolo' is a top used by two people, balanced on a cord.)

• Notoriety Rag (1913) (J.Cowles)

• Gavotte (H.Heldstab)

• Sweetness (1912) (Warren Trachtman)
  Fannie B. Woods was thought to be a pseudonym for Charles J. Johnson
  until 2005 - see the story of the life of Fannie Woods by Bill Edwards.
  (Published in 1912, "Sweetness" is dedicated on the inside to W.J. Mansfield,
  whom Woods subsequently married).

• Piffle (1914), from An American Nurse at War

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