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{{Short description|1905 waltz by Scott Joplin}}
{{Infobox musical composition
| name = ''Bethena''
| image = Bethena.jpg
| alt = The 1905 front cover of the sheet music shows the title of the work, Bethena, in white lettering on a purple background. In the centre there is a black and white photograph of a young woman wearing white, holding a bunch of flowers.
| caption = Cover to the original edition of ''Bethena – A Concert Waltz''
| composer = [[Scott Joplin]]
| published = {{start date|1905}}
| form = [[Concert]] [[waltz]]
| misc = {{listen |title="Bethena" |filename=Scott Joplin - Bethena (1905).ogg
|description ="Bethena" performed on a piano |pos=center|embed=yes}}
| genre = [[Ragtime]]
| publisher = T. Bahnsen Piano Manufacturing Co. [[St. Louis|St. Louis Mo.]]
}}

"'''Bethena, A Concert Waltz'''" (copyright registered March 6, 1905) is a composition by [[Scott Joplin]]. It was the first Joplin work since his wife Freddie's death on September 10, 1904, of [[pneumonia]], ten weeks after their wedding. At the time the composer had significant financial problems; the work did not sell successfully at the time of publication and was soon neglected and forgotten. It was rediscovered as a result of the Joplin revival in the 1970s and has received acclaim from Joplin's biographers and other critics. The piece combines two different styles of music, the classical waltz and the rag, and has been seen as demonstrating Joplin's excellence as a [[Classical music|classical]] composer. The work has been described as "an enchantingly beautiful piece that is among the greatest of Ragtime [[Waltz]]es",<ref name=Berlin96,p149/> a "masterpiece",<ref name=BleshJanis,p77/> and "Joplin's finest waltz".<ref name=Blesh/>

==Background and composition==
{{Main|Scott Joplin}}
At the time, Joplin's principal claim to fame was the publication in 1899 of the [[Maple Leaf Rag]], which became a best-selling instrumental hit, and provided the composer with a steady income for the rest of his life from the [[royalties]]. Despite this success early on in his career (he was named as the "King of Ragtime" by numerous contemporaries), he had continued financial problems and never repeated the success of the Maple Leaf Rag.<ref>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], p. 57–58.</ref> In the fall of 1903, Joplin lost a large amount of money on the national tour of his first [[opera]], ''[[A Guest of Honor (opera)|A Guest of Honor]]'', when the box office receipts were stolen by an unidentified associate. Joplin's belongings, including the score for the opera, were confiscated for non-payment of his boarding-house bills.<ref>[[#Jasen|Jasen & Jones (2002)]], p. 21.</ref> The opera is now considered lost, as no copy was registered with the Copyright Office, and none has been found since.<ref name=classicalnet>{{cite web|url=http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/joplin.html|title=Classical Net|access-date=2009-03-20}}</ref> Subsequently, Joplin was short of money and is thought to have been actively seeking commissions.<ref name=Berlin96,p149/>

After divorce from his first wife Belle—a "disastrous" relationship underscored by the loss of their infant daughter—Joplin married his 19-year-old second wife Freddie in June 1904. He had dedicated to her his rag ''The Chrysanthemum'' which was published in that year. She died on 10 September 1904 of [[pneumonia]] ten weeks after their wedding.<ref name=Berlin96,p146/><ref name="foundation">{{cite web|url=http://www.scottjoplin.org/biography.htm |title=A Biography of Scott Joplin |access-date=2009-03-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224171910/http://www.scottjoplin.org/biography.htm |archive-date=2007-02-24 }}</ref><ref name=Jasen,p22>[[#Jasen|Jasen & Jones (2002)]], p. 22.</ref> Joplin's whereabouts are unknown from that point until early 1905, when he returned to [[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]] where some of Joplin's known associates, such as pianist [[Louis Chauvin]] and musician [[Joe Jordan (musician)|Joe Jordan]], still lived.<ref name=Berlin96,p145>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], p. 145.</ref> On 6 March, Joplin registered the [[copyright]] of ''Bethena, A Concert Waltz'', and dedicated the work to the otherwise little-known "Mr. and Mrs. Dan E. Davenport of St. Louis Mo".<ref name=Berlin96,p146>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], p. 146.</ref> The copyright date is significant because not all Joplin works were registered for copyright purposes and there is a lack of detail about many aspects of Joplin's life, including when many of the pieces were composed.<ref>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], p. 5.</ref><ref>Index p. 325, ''Scott Joplin Complete Piano Works'', New York Public Library, 1981.</ref>

Biographer [[Edward A. Berlin]] speculated that this dedication was unusual because the Davenports were not able to help Joplin professionally by showcasing his work or commissioning more, but was a recognition of the personal support that they had given him through the difficult time after Freddie's death.<ref name="Berlin96,p146"/> The origin of the name "Bethena" is a mystery, and the identity of the woman featured on the cover of the work's original publication is unknown. It has been claimed that the image is of Freddie from her wedding day, although positive identification is made more difficult because the photograph on the cover of the piece does not show the subject's [[Race (classification of human beings)|race]] clearly.<ref name=classicalnet/><ref name=Berlin96,p147>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], p. 147.</ref>

The work was published by the "T. Bahnsen Piano Manufacturing Company, St. Louis", a firm which only published two other Joplin compositions. Berlin speculates that at this point in his career, despite the fame brought by the [[Maple Leaf Rag]], Joplin was unable to arrange favorable terms with publishers; for example Joplin announced in July 1905 the completion of the song ''"You Stand Good with Me, Babe"'' which was never published, and no copies of the song have ever been found.<ref name=Berlin96,p14950>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], pp. 149–150.</ref> ''Bethena'' was released at a difficult time for Joplin, both emotionally and financially; most of the compositions released in the two and a half years since the death of Freddie had been by little-known and insignificant publishers, were largely unnoticed at the time of publication and, except for ''Bethena'', were not "quality Joplin". Joplin's finances remained in an unsatisfactory state and he wrote several works for hire.<ref>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], p. 161.</ref>

==Form==

[[File:Bethena Main Theme.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The A strain in G major, bars 9–13, showing the Waltz-style left hand as well as the syncopated melody in the right. The latter uses the first 4 notes of the ''Cakewalk'' rhythm.<ref name=CUP/>]]
[[File:Bethena B strain bars 36-40.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The B strain in B-flat major, bars 36–40, showing the contrapuntal contrary motion section, with the two melodies highlighted in blue and red]]
[[File:Bethena C strain.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The C strain in F major, bars 77–81, showing the Waltz structure and counterpoint in the opening phrase, with the bass in octaves contrasting with the melody line in the treble]]
:[[Introduction (music)|Introduction]] A BB A CC DD EE A [[Coda (music)|Coda]]

''Bethena'' has five musical [[Strain (music)|strains]]<ref name=CUP>[[#Magee|Magee (1998)]], p. 400.</ref> in five different [[Key (music)|keys]];<ref name=B&J76>[[#BleshJanis|Blesh & Janis (1950)]], p. 76.</ref> G major, B-flat major, F major, B minor, and D major respectively. The sections are linked by "transitional passages"<ref name=JoplindeChiaro>[[#Chiaro|Joplin & De Chiaro (2001)]], p. 4.</ref> which enable the work to change key between the strains by means of a [[chromatic]] interlude or [[Modulation (music)|modulation]].<ref name=sibelius>{{cite web |url=http://www.sibeliusmusic.com/index.php?sm=home.score&?scoreid=53090 |title=Sibelius music - notes about Bethena, arranged for String Quartet |publisher=Sibelius Music |access-date=30 May 2010}}</ref> Each of the themes is written with the instruction "[[Cantabile]]", which means "songlike and flowing in style".<ref>{{cite web | title=Dictionary.com | url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cantabile | access-date=2009-04-30}}</ref>

The piece is notated in 3/4 time with the main theme repeated three times in the work as well as in the introduction and the coda. The "sadly poignant",<ref name=Berlin96,p146 /> "graceful, wistful" and tenderly nostalgic<ref name=sibelius /> mood is partly dictated by this main theme, which starts with the melody note A [[Harmony|harmonised]] against a G major chord thus creating a [[Consonance and dissonance|dissonance]]. In the next measure the theme is set against a different harmony before Joplin creates variations. There are variants of the theme in the "haunting" B minor key of the D strain and in the E strain's D major key which "brightens the mood".<ref name=sibelius /><ref name=Berlin148>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], p. 148.</ref><ref name=Chase418>[[#Chase|Chase (1992)]], p. 418.</ref>

Joplin combines the waltz' "oom-pa-pah" rhythm and its conventionally accented three [[quarter notes]] in the [[Clef#Bass clef|bass]], with a [[syncopation|syncopated]] melody in the [[Clef#Treble clef|treble]]. The main melody line used in the introduction and then repeated regularly throughout, with its alternate unaccented [[eighth notes]] and accented quarter notes, is the rhythm of the [[Cakewalk]] minus the final note.<ref name=CUP/> The Cakewalk was a popular African-American dance which originated in [[Slavery in the United States|plantation slave]] communities in nineteenth century America, and ultimately contributed to the musical style Ragtime.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3cake1.htm |title=Streetswing.com |last=Watson |first=Sonny |access-date=2009-09-19}}</ref> The simultaneous sounding of the two independent rhythms, the combination of the waltz in the bass and the syncopation of the main theme in the treble, is an example of a [[Polyrhythm#Examples|4 against 3 polyrhythm]]. There are many subtle variations of this sequence which occur throughout the work.<ref name=B&J76/>

The left hand follows the standard approach of classical [[waltz]]es, with a bass note followed by two mid-range chords, and in addition there are some [[Counterpoint|contrapuntal]] passages<ref name=Scivales>[[#Scivales|Scivales (2005)]], p. unknown.</ref> where two melodies move independently but complement each other harmonically.<ref>[[#Miller|Miller (2005)]], p. 195.</ref> For example, the B and C themes are examples of Joplin employing counterpoint in [[octaves]].<ref name=Berlin148/><ref name=Scivales/> The B theme in the key of B-flat major is closely related to the main theme<ref name=sibelius /> presenting its counterpoint with the bass and the treble melody lines moving in opposite directions (in [[contrary motion]]), to each other and then exchanging their melodies (bars 29-30 and 31–32). This pattern repeats itself during the theme. In the opening phrase (bars 77–81) of the "rag-like"<ref name=sibelius /> C theme in the key of F major, counterpoint is evident with the harmony of the treble moving in contrary motion to the bass line in a similar way to that used in the B section. In the treble, the harmony falls from F to D, while the bass rises from F to G-sharp<ref name=Berlin148/>

==Critical reception==

It is not clear what the composition's reception was at the time, and the piece's publication by a company which had little previous experience of this endeavour indicate that there was little positive impact on the composer's financial problems. Joplin wanted to be considered as a serious artist, and spoke of his preference for "classical music". Compositions such as ''Bethena, A Concert Waltz'' and his operas ''[[A Guest of Honor (opera)|A Guest of Honor]]'' and ''[[Treemonisha]]'' indicate that he was trying to be taken seriously as a composer.<ref>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], p. 184, 149.</ref> Like many of his other works, ''Bethena'' was largely forgotten after Joplin's death from syphilis in 1917. The slow revival and re-discovery of Ragtime and Joplin started in the 1940s, although it concentrated on the rags such as the ''Maple Leaf Rag'', rather than ''Bethena''.

[[Joshua Rifkin]]'s 1970 LP ''[[Scott Joplin: Piano Rags|Piano Rags by Scott Joplin]]'' played a part in the Joplin revival of that decade, with sales of over 100,000 in the first year and subsequently becoming [[Nonesuch Records]]' first disk to sell over 1 million copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nonesuch.com/about |title=Nonesuch Records |access-date=2009-03-19}}</ref> ''Bethena'' was one of the pieces performed on the 1972 follow-up, ''Volume 2''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/keefer/rp05.htm |title=Folk Music Performer Index |work=Folk Music - An Index to Recorded Resources |author=Jane Keefer |date=11 Nov 2008 |access-date=30 May 2010}}</ref><ref>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], p. 244, 249–251.</ref> The [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] "Best-Selling Classical LPs" chart for 28 September 1974 has the first record at number 5, with the follow-up "Volume 2" at number 4, and a combined set of both volumes at number 3. Separately both volumes had been on the chart for 64 weeks.<ref>{{harvnb|Billboard magazine|1974|p=61}}</ref> In 1979 ''[[New York Magazine]]'' wrote that by giving artists like Rifkin the opportunity to put Joplin's music on disk [[Nonesuch Records]] "created, almost alone, the Scott Joplin revival".<ref>''New York Magazine'', December 24, 1979, p. 81.</ref>

The composition was featured on the soundtrack to the [[2008 in film|2008]] Hollywood film ''[[The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)|The Curious Case of Benjamin Button]]''.<ref name=IMDB>{{cite web |title=The soundtrack listing for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421715/soundtrack |publisher=IMDB.com |access-date=2009-06-28}}</ref> The performance of the composition by the pianist [[Randy Kerber]] was described by one critic on National Public Radio as "letting the inherent wistfulness of the music emerge", with the piece "perfectly suited" to the movie as it was a "tender and heartfelt remembrance of a love lost".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98327739|title=NPR Music, Song of the Day|last=Silver|first=Marc|date=2008-12-16|publisher=NPR Music|access-date=2009-06-28}}</ref>

Joplin biographer Edward A. Berlin believed that ''Bethena'' was "an enchantingly beautiful piece that is among the greatest of ragtime waltzes" because of the repeated main theme in G major, the contrapuntal passages, and the harmonies.<ref name=Berlin96,p149>[[#Berlin|Berlin (1996)]], p. 149.</ref> Another biographer, [[Rudi Blesh]], wrote that the work was a "masterpiece", thanks to its rhythmic variations, the beauty of each strain's melodies and the richly scored harmony, especially when considered in comparison to the unsyncopated light salon style of ''Binks Waltz'' published in the same year.<ref name=BleshJanis,p77>[[#BleshJanis|Blesh & Janis (1950)]], p. 77.</ref> In another publication, Blesh described the work as "Joplin's finest waltz".<ref name=Blesh>[[#Blesh|Blesh (1981)]], p. xxiii.</ref>

Other critics have praised the piece, with the author of a survey of American music noting that the rhythms of the waltz and ragtime combined to produce an "ingenious and delightful example of such a stylistic accommodation", showing that the composer was an "adventurous classicist par excellence" because he was able to combine tradition and innovation in a consistently inventive way.<ref name=Chase418/> Another critic, the arranger of Joplin's music for solo Guitar, wrote that Bethena displayed Joplin's characteristic syncopated style in a "seductive" manner even in the waltz's 3/4 time signature.<ref name=JoplindeChiaro/>

==See also==
*[[List of compositions by Scott Joplin]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|author1-link=Edward A. Berlin |last=Berlin |first=Edward A. |title=King of Ragtime - Scott Joplin and his Era|year=1996 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-510108-1 |ref=Berlin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=akWdAVXFmAsC }}
*{{cite magazine |title=Best Selling Classical LPs |magazine=Billboard |date=28 September 1974 |page=61 |location=New York |publisher=Billboard Publications Inc |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1974/Billboard%201974-09-28.pdf |ref=CITEREFBillboard_magazine1974}}
*{{cite book|author1-link=Rudi Blesh|last=Blesh|first=Rudi |title=Scott Joplin: Black-American Classicist, Introduction to Scott Joplin Complete Piano Works |year=1981 |publisher=New York Public Library |isbn=0-87104-272-X |ref=Blesh}}
*{{cite book | last1=Blesh |first1=Rudi |last2=Janis | first2=Harriet |title=They All Played Ragtime: The True Story of an American Music | year=2007 |publisher=Read Books |orig-year=1950 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSBNQfwW4Q4C&q=bethena&pg=PA76 |access-date=2009-04-17 |isbn=978-1-4067-7326-2 |ref=BleshJanis}}
*{{cite book |last1=Chase |first1=Gilbert |title=America's Music |url=https://archive.org/details/americasmusicfro0000chas_l7r2 |url-access=registration |quote=America's Music. |access-date=2009-04-12 |year=1992 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=0-252-06275-2 |ref=Chase }}
*{{cite book |last1=Jasen |first1=David A. |last2=Jones |first2=Gordon Gene |title=Black Bottom Stomp |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m4twdLJLGa4C&pg=PA29 |access-date=2009-04-17 |year=2002 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-93641-1 |ref=Jasen}}
*{{cite book |last1=Joplin |first1=Scott |last2=De Chiaro |first2=Giovanni |title=Complete Works of Scott Joplin for Guitar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=koBl8NSk_Q0C&q=chiaro+joplin |access-date=2009-05-17 |year=2001 |publisher=Mel Bay |isbn=0-7866-3279-8 |ref=Chiaro }}
*{{cite book |last1=Magee |first1=Jeffrey |editor1-first=David |editor1-last=Nicholls |title=The Cambridge History of American Music |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-pbKjje254AC&q=cambridge+history+of+american+music |access-date=2009-04-30 |edition=Illustrated |year=1998 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn= 0-521-45429-8 |ref=Magee}}
*{{cite book |last1=Miller |first1=Michael |title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sTMbuSQdqPMC&q=counterpoint+miller&pg=PA195 |access-date=2009-09-19 |edition=2nd |year=2005 |publisher=Alpha Books |isbn=1-59257-437-8 |ref=Miller }}
*{{cite book |last1=Scivales |first1=Riccardo |title=Jazz Piano, the Left Hand |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9NwZ6wi5Oj0C&q=jazz+piano+the+left+hand+bethena&pg=PT215 |access-date=2009-04-30 |year=2005 |publisher=Shacor, Inc. |isbn=1-929009-54-2 |ref=Scivales |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107134549/http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9NwZ6wi5Oj0C&pg=PT215&dq=jazz+piano+the+left+hand+bethena |archive-date=2012-11-07 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite web | url=http://www.sibeliusmusic.com/cgi-bin/show_score.pl?scoreid=53090 | title=SibeliusMusic concert notes for Bethena (1905) | access-date=2009-04-27 }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

==External links==
*[http://www.ragtimepiano.ca/images/bethena.pdf Copy of the original edition score]
*[http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=463 "Bethena" - from the Mutopia Project; musical score and MIDI file]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP69-iS4GzU Youtube video of "Bethena" being played.]

{{Scott Joplin}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Good article}}

[[Category:Compositions for solo piano]]
[[Category:1905 compositions]]
[[Category:Waltzes]]
[[Category:Rags by Scott Joplin]]
[[Category:Piano compositions by American composers]]
[[Category:Music of St. Louis]]
[[Category:African-American music]]

Bethena - Revision history

imported>Haruhi8: Added a recording of the piece to the page