File:"Cantonment Blues", by Carrie I. Booker (1918).opus

Here's a really good (and rare) blues piece with some amazing history. It's the only blues or ragtime score written by this composer, who was an African-American woman who also composed Gospel songs with some minor success. She was living in Little Rock, Arkansas where this score was published by Central Music Co. in 1918. A military-themed piece, as it was during World War 1 and cantonment was a term for military camp or barracks. Carrie Isabel Booker Person during the 1920s was music director at the Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a school with a history whose story you can read at this link:

https://pocketsights.com/tours/place/Former-Site-of-Booker-T-Washington-High-School-49139:4905

Here's a link to one of Carrie's spiritual songs: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/s/o/m/e/o/someone.htm

Many thanks to Mitchy for finding and sharing this rare score. It comes from the collection of Ragtime Dorian Henry whose YouTube channel is at this link: https://mega.nz/file/vRxHFChB#r-P_Exp_LidQHmS_-CgHovHV564pNoKnpY0i1XWcdSs

This is a reproduction of the original score. Some adjustments for note durations were made, such as at measures 5-7 and where repeated and at 42-43.

Score #304 in my series "Women Ragtime Composers: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWv_HHmWjvjVZnE2aBjiNbznXkmrtT5XD

1. ragtime #ragtimepiano #blues