A Guest of Honor
Encyclopedia
A Guest of Honor was the first opera created by Scott Joplin
, the celebrated ragtime composer. The focus of the production was a 1901 White House
dinner hosted by President Theodore Roosevelt
for the civil rights leader and educator Booker T. Washington
. The event was politically polarizing, with Roosevelt receiving an uncommon level of criticism from his political opponents for entertaining the African-American leader.
Joplin is believed to have begun writing A Guest of Honor shortly after Washington’s visit to Roosevelt’s White House. A copyright application was filed in 1903 with the Library of Congress
, but Joplin did not include a copy of the score with the application. It is theorized he intended to have the score published prior to the copyright submission, but this never happened.
Joplin created an opera company of 30 people and produced A Guest of Honor for a national tour. It is not certain how many productions were actually staged, or even if this was an all-black show or a racially-mixed presentation (which would have been very unusual for 1903).
During the tour, either in Springfield, Illinois
, or Pittsburg, Kansas
, someone associated with the company stole the box office receipts. Joplin could not meet the company’s payroll or pay for the company’s lodgings at a theatrical boarding house. It is believed the score for A Guest of Honor was confiscated with Joplin’s belongings, due to non-payment of his bills.
To date, no copy of the score to A Guest of Honor has ever surfaced, and it is considered lost.
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
, the celebrated ragtime composer. The focus of the production was a 1901 White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
dinner hosted by President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
for the civil rights leader and educator Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915...
. The event was politically polarizing, with Roosevelt receiving an uncommon level of criticism from his political opponents for entertaining the African-American leader.
Joplin is believed to have begun writing A Guest of Honor shortly after Washington’s visit to Roosevelt’s White House. A copyright application was filed in 1903 with the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, but Joplin did not include a copy of the score with the application. It is theorized he intended to have the score published prior to the copyright submission, but this never happened.
Joplin created an opera company of 30 people and produced A Guest of Honor for a national tour. It is not certain how many productions were actually staged, or even if this was an all-black show or a racially-mixed presentation (which would have been very unusual for 1903).
During the tour, either in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, or Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...
, someone associated with the company stole the box office receipts. Joplin could not meet the company’s payroll or pay for the company’s lodgings at a theatrical boarding house. It is believed the score for A Guest of Honor was confiscated with Joplin’s belongings, due to non-payment of his bills.
To date, no copy of the score to A Guest of Honor has ever surfaced, and it is considered lost.