May Frances Aufderheide- "The Thriller Rag" 1909

This light and energetic rag was one of Aufderheide's most notable rags, and said to be her most famous composition, and it is easy to see how the stylistic elements of the piece made it so. A lot can be credited to the thick texture, created by a lot of strength and difference between the treble and bass notes. Additionally, the constantly fast tempo, which spikes and drawls at certain times, only adds to the intensity of the song and technical skill of the performer. The song is played loudly with emphasis on the bass clef octaves and chords. However, the song tends to return to a medium level volume when it is not at an area of crescendo. The tempo is very lively, and as a listener I could imagine the performer's hands jumping off the keys to reach the next chord. Another image that entered while I was listening, was that of a large group of people dancing quickly and vivaciously to the duple meter. Aufderheide, despite training in various types of music style, used her passion for the style to create a composition with an upbeat theme and fitting "ragged" sound.

Aufderheide was the daughter of a wealthy German pawnbroker who encouraged and fostered his daughters talent as a pianist and composer. Aufderheide was known to be a fan of the rag style, and so it makes sense that a large number of her compositions were rags. Her fame and acknowledgment resulted not only from her talent, but also from her fathers desire to spread her music. He formed his own publishing company exclusively for her works. Thanks to a financially and emotionally supportive family, Aufderheide was able to compose many pieces and exceed her great potential.