Classic Banjo Composers
An excellent short biographical summary of the main composers for the Classic Banjo can be found here.
The notes below are my own reflections from studying the music. This page is regularly updated. If you have more accurate info, especially birth/death dates, please let me know - robmackillop@gmail.com
A.J.Weidt (1866-1945)
Weidt wrote some of the most charming, straight forward, memorable and enjoyable early 20th-century banjo pieces, such as Pink Lemonade and That Banjo Rag.
Emile Grimshaw (1880-1943)
Grimshaw's How To Excel On The Banjo contains some of the most tuneful 'exercises' in the repertoire - great for technique but also for learning the language and syntax of early 20th-century banjo music, with style ranging from Ragtime to Music Hall.
Frank Converse (1837 - 1903)
Frank B. Converse
Born: Westfield, Mass, June 17, 1837
Died: New York City, New York, Sept 5, 1903
Described by some as the grandfather of the classic banjo, converse started his banjo life in the minstrel 'stroke' style, in which he clearly excelled, but he also became the first to describe the new-fangled 'guitar' style of plucking the banjo. He described the techniques and also provided a large amount of repertoire, some of it similar in style to the minstrel repertoire, but much of it pointing towards a parlor style of European-related dances suchas the polka, mazurka, and selections from popular operas.
A. Baur (?-?)
From Carl Anderton: "Baur was from New York, soldiered in the Civil War, was badly wounded in Georgia during Sherman's "March to the Sea," and spent the next 9 years recovering his health. He practiced banjo constantly during his convalescance and became one of America's leading players. His "Reminiscences of a Banjo Player" published in S.S. Stewart's Banjo and Guitar Journal are quite insightful."
Baur's The Banjoist's Budget is a collection of pieces encompassing Irish reels, minstrel walkabouts, and selections related to works by Gilbert and Sullivan. His fingerings are excellent, and often include ornaments which are well worth studying as they could be applied in works of the period by other composers.
