Solace: A Mexican Serenade was written by Scott Joplin in 1909, one of the last of the classic ragtime piano pieces he published through John Stillwell Stark’s company, before turning his attention to more extended art music composition. It is unique in his music for its use of a stately, underlying contradanza (”habanera”) rhythm, more commonly associated with popular Cuban dance music of that era. This and the work’s achingly beautiful melodies have made this one of Joplin’s most beloved compositions. In this arrangement for guitar, I have tried to preserve the piece’s slow drive and sophisticated harmonic structure, much of which depends on maintaining the habanera rhythm, played by the left hand in the original piano work. This requires some tricky fingerings in a few measures throughout the piece, but with careful attention to finger preparation and functional tension in the hand, they are quite playable. Perhaps more than any other piece of his, it is important to bear in mind Joplin’s admonition: “Do not play this piece fast. It is never right to play ragtime fast.” This version (February 4, 2025) incorporates substantial revisions to the first section, in order to incorporate some of Joplin's original contrapuntal motion. This necessitated revised fingerings throughout this section, as well.