Description
This melody marks the fifty-third destination in the ongoing series Ragtime at the Red-Light District. Set in Basel’s Ochsengasse, it captures the restless energy and emotional renewal of a man caught between duty and desire.
The protagonist is a 31-year-old decathlete, currently on approved family leave from the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The leave itself stirred controversy—whispers circulated that he had been neglecting his familial responsibilities in favor of relentless training. Now, with time to reflect and recharge, he sought not only rest but a deeper appreciation of Basel’s cultural pulse.
His journey through the city was anything but idle. He explored the whimsical halls of the Puppenhausmuseum, absorbed the architectural elegance at the Schweizerisches Architekturmuseum, and was electrified by the precision and spectacle of the Top Secret Drum Corps at the Basel Tattoo. Later, he cheered through a high-stakes relegation-promotion playoff at St. Jakob Park, where the tension of sport mirrored his own internal conflict.
After the match, he set out on a brisk walk, eventually arriving at Ochsengasse. There, on the fringes of the street, he spotted a collection of disused sports equipment—forgotten relics of past competitions. Fueled by a spontaneous spirit and a need to reconnect with his athletic roots, he began to perform impromptu feats for the locals. His energy was magnetic, and among the crowd, one person in particular was drawn to his vigor and charm.
The piece itself follows a 4AABBCC4A'DDB' structure, echoing the layered complexity of the protagonist’s emotional arc. It draws inspiration from Scott Joplin’s New Rag (1912) and James Scott’s Hilarity Rag. The A section, rooted in C major, dances through modulations—A major, G major, F major, and C again—while venturing into A minor, D-flat major, B-flat minor, and F minor 7. A striking harmonic moment features a chord composed of E-flat, F-sharp, A, and C-sharp—possibly an augmented German or Swiss sonority—before resolving into G and C major.
The B section, set in G minor, introduces a more impetuous character, relying heavily on chordal textures to convey urgency and drive. The C section shifts to A-flat major, offering a moment of lyrical contrast, while the D section in F major brings the piece to a spirited and triumphant close.