Terra Verde
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Terra Verde is a relatively new style of syncopated piano music, which originated in the USA. The term "Terra Verde" (meaning "green earth") was coined in 1995 by modern ragtime composer David Thomas Roberts (in conjunction with Scott Kirby).
Terra Verde is strongly rooted in ragtime (examples: Scott Joplin, James Scott (musician), Joseph Lamb), New (or Contemporary) Ragtime (David Thomas Roberts, Frank French, Scott Kirby), Latin American music (Ernesto Nazareth, Ernesto Lecuona) and Romantic music of the 19th century (Frédéric Chopin, Louis Moreau Gottschalk).
Most of the Terra Verde works have been written between early 1980s and up to this date. Some of the most significant compositions in this genre are "Maria Antonieta Pons" (David Thomas Roberts, 1986/87), "Ravenna" (Scott Kirby, 1993), "At Midnight" (Hal Isbitz, 1991), "The Big Man" (Tom McDermott, 1990), "La Cumbia" (Frank French, 1992) and "North Star" (Brian Keenan, 1994/95).
The prime venue for Terra Verde music (since 2002) is the Rocky Mountain Ragtime Festival, which is being held in July every year in Boulder, Colorado.
In July of 2002 a Terra Verde Society was formed by Gina Tiernan together with David Thomas Roberts, Frank French and Scott Kirby, and was active until 2004. The Terra Verde Corner (created in 1997 by Oleg Mezjuev and Mary Haley) was the official website of the society, and it still continues to be a good starting point for those who want to know more about this music.
