“Nola” is a 1915 piano composition by American pianist and composer Felix Arndt.
It is widely regarded as the first major example of the “novelty piano” style, a virtuosic, playful offshoot of ragtime that later influenced early jazz pianists
Arndt composed Nola as an engagement gift for his fiancée (later wife), Nola Locke, in 1915
Nola is subtitled “A Silhouette for Piano.” It features: Light, sparkling right‑hand figurations Syncopated rhythms reminiscent of ragtime A bright, cheerful character typical of novelty piano pieces It became Arndt’s best‑known work and a defining piece of the novelty piano genre
