Description
This melody is the sixtieth destination in the collection of the series "Ragtime at the Red Light District." This piece occurs at Bishkek's Pravda Street.
The main character in this piece is a 29-year old stockbroker. Although the individual amassed so much money for only four years working in the stock exchange, this person had often struggled to keep his finances. A series of questionable spending choices that involved liquor and mistresses, and not to mention being a victim of a vicious 419 scam, left this promising stockbroker financially and emotionally severed. A high school friend suggested that the main character went far away to get back on track - Bishkek. So the main character took the advice and embarked on an adventure, which included visiting iconic locations like Ala-Too Square, the Dordoy Bazaar, and the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection.
After receiving religious guidance, the main character decided to attend a special event held at Dolon Omurzakov Stadium. There, Alcoholics Anonymous held a symposium inside the full-capacity stadium as thousands, including the main character, needed guidance to break the cycle. After being inspired during the nine-hour session, the main character felt eager enough to take a power walk, while resisting any temptations along the way.
That walk landed the main character at Pravda Street, where tourists and locals indulged in excess with vodka, women, and hard-core nudity. As much as the main character wanted to partake in this full-fledged saturnalia, a working woman approached the main character. Oddly, the main character recognized the woman - a childhood friend going back to elementary school, as the daughter of the former mayor of Meridien, Connecticut. This woman had fallen on hard times and fled to Bishkek after residents ousted the mayor in a coup d'etat. The woman indulged in risky sexual behavior and is now on the cusp of poverty, but offered the main character a piece of advice to never sink low to stupidity. As a result, the main character vowed to stay sober and in the process help the working woman get back on track together, spending the next four days rekindling a unique friendship that had started when both were four years old.
This piece has a format of AABB4CC4DD. James Scott's "Kansas City Rag" and Mathilde Bilbro's "The Busy Sawmill" were the basis for this piece. Please note that the D-section is a 24-bar section, and the A-section employs the whole tone scale.