"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated December 08, 1907:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (SEPTEMBER 17, 2020):
This is another one of those strips that I find pretty narratively boring. Maybe I'm unfairly judging the strip because it follows one of the greats, but there isn't a ton here… - 1/21
The boys waddle their way into the ballroom to find that, just like everywhere else, the Slumberlandians are all off searching for them. - 2/21
It is interesting that Nemo is the one who suggests going into the empty ballroom and seeing what "fun" they can get up to. This is something I'd assume Flip would suggest, so it looks as though he's rubbing off on our titular hero. - 3/21
I think it's interesting that their idea of fun is to play some music together… When I first saw that big empty ballroom the potential trouble they could get into sliding across the floor or racing around flashed in my mind. - 4/21
The music also, of course, sets up the gag of the strip. Interestingly, there are two sleepy Slumberlandians hiding in the bandstand: a sleeping police office (same one we saw back on April 15, 1906?) and (presumably) a sleeping member of the Orchestra. - 5/21 [INSERT IMAGE]
Somehow the police officer is awakened by the music , but goes right back to sleep attributing it to the snoring of the Slumberlandian across the bandstand. The other fellow is not so dim and quickly realizes that it isn't the snoring policeman who woke him up... - 6/21
When he sees the trio playing the instruments though, he doesn't recognize them because of their ballooned size! We don’t see how this plays out (because Nemo is woken up), but this fellow has found who everyone is looking for! He's a hero! But will he realize it? - 7/21
The fact that his father has woken him up with his snoring is a neat (and novel) wake-up gag that plays into the music theme of this strip really well; though it does insinuate that the boys music is a little rough… keep practicing, boys! - 8/21
I really like the conversation that Nemo and Flip have in panel 4. Nemo suggests that the boys play a "Waltz" or a "March"… both of which are Classical compositions that follow a strict set of dictums in their design. - 9/21
The Waltz, a German dance music in triple meter (3 beats per measure), and the March, frequently written in duple meter (2 beats per measure), are very old musical forms that exist primarily in the Classical music repertoire. - 10/21
Though American Marches have become quite popular, they date back much further than America and probably originated sometime during the Baroque period (1600s). This means that the music Nemo suggests can't be really said to be "American" music, but "European". - 11/21
Flip on the other hand wants nothing to do with Nemo's suggestions. He wants to play Ragtime! - 12/21
Ragtime was a musical form popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It's primary musical structure was very loose but got it's name form the way that it incorporated syncopation, or "ragged", rhythms. - 13/21
One of my favourite ragtime pieces, "The Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin (1902) for your consideration: - 14/21
Ragtime was a distinctly American music. Heavily influenced by early jazz, what began as a form of piano music ("stride piano") quickly evolved to incorporate music for Orchestra and Big Band, as well. It was, for a time, an American popular music phenomenon. - 15/21
Knowing McCay's absolute admiration for American culture, it makes total sense to me that he'd want to highlight a distinctly American music in this strip. - 16/21
I'm also fascinated that it was Flip who suggested the ragtime and not Nemo; it subtly reinforces that dichotomy between them through the (imaginary) hierarchal nature of European music and American music. - 17/21
Waltzes and Marches belonged to Classical music; a snooty and more bougie type of music than the American popular Ragtime. Simply by the musical suggestion that each boy makes, we're reminded of their social status and positions (which we've discussed many times before). - 18/21
That Nemo very quickly, and without hesitation plays the music Flip suggests (that's how I read it anyway), signals to me that Nemo is all in with Slumberland. He's no longer hesitant (recall panel 1) and is really ready to explore all that it has to offer. - 19/21
This may have been happening for a while. but I really just started overtly noticing it recently. I like it. - 20/21
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #113. What's yours? - 21/21
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