Maple Leaf Rag about the sales of the "Maple Leaf Rag", for example that 1 million copies of the sheet music were sold in the composer's lifetime, making Scott Joplin the first musician to sell 1 million copies of a piece of instrumental music. Joplin's first biographer Rudi Blesh wrote that during its first six months the piece sold 75,000 copies, and became "the first great instrumental sheet music hit in America". However, research by Joplin's later biographer Edward A. Berlin demonstrated that this was not the case; the initial print-run of 400 took one year to sell, and under the terms of
The Maple Leaf Forever Leaf Forever!, Long may it wave and God defend, The Maple Leaf Forever!, O land where season's gifts abound, Earth's own bounties rich embrace, Where flowing waters' majesty, Sing the hymn of freedom's grace, From oceantide to northern light, All bound as One Together!, Dominion blessed from sea to sea, The Maple Leaf Forever!, The Maple Leaf, our emblem dear, The Maple Leaf Forever!, Long may it wave and God defend, The Maple Leaf Forever!, The Canadian vocal harmony trio "Finest Kind" (Ian Robb, Ann Downey and Shelley Posen) recorded "The Maple Leaf Forever" on their 2003 CD "Silks &