Scott Joplin was born in 1868 in Texas to Giles and Florence Joplin. Joplin was able to overcome the battle against his skin color to produce some of the greatest ragtime compositions. Ragtime had a “strong connotation to the low class Negro music in brothels and saloons” (History of Ragtime). The rising and aspiring musicians in ragtime were African America which intimated white musicians. There were high tensions between negroes and whites in the United States. On the other hand, many Americans associated the missed beats with the African American population. Composers use loose boundaries which made the music exciting. What distinguishes ragtime from other American music is that it has misplaced beats. It requires a high standard of pianistic ability. Instead ragtime syncopation had more of an animal dance to it, such as the grizzly bear, bunny hug, and turkey trot (History of Ragtime). Ragtime is composed for listening not for dancing. It spread rapidly in the southern and Midwestern states. Ragtime began prominently in the 1890s and throughout the 1900s. The syncopated rhythms found in the best rags were meant to evoke a looseness, natural flow, and drive recreated by reading and performing the music exactly as written” (History of Ragtime). Ragtime is syncopated music, which means that the beats in the music follow an irregular beat or rhythm, or are “ragged”. A ragtime composition is usually composed three or four contrasting sections or strains, each one being 16 or 32 measures in length” (History of Ragtime). Ragtime can be defined as “musical composition for the piano, generally in duple meter and containing a highly syncopated treble lead over a rhythmically steady bass. Ragtime, unlike jazz and other genres, has a distinctiveness of its own. Joplin especially had his influence over the ragtime industry. From the infectious melody to the challenges it poses for performers, this archetypal rag will keep putting smiles on faces for years to come.Scott Joplin is a renowned musician from the late 19 and early 20 th century. Maple Leaf Rag is still one of Scott Joplin’s most popular works. As the main melody is repeated near the end as the music moves back into the home key of Ab major, the hands unite for the final chords to create a bold conclusion. The frivolity of the work masks the serious concentration and dexterity required from the performer. The suspended melody line trickles down the scale as Joplin’s chromatic writing grows into fruition. This athletic rag requires focused coordination for both hands to make sure each off-beat inflection and bass line motif meet and part at the right time. Joplin’s persistent use of seventh chords also creates that archetypal sound for a ragtime piece. The four sections of this rag create diversity in the melody and show the development of the bassline. With Maple Leaf Rag Joplin writes bounding leaps for the bass line and off-beat melodies on the other hand. The march-like style paired with the cakewalk-inspired melody creates the archetypal ragtime composition. The quick tempo and huge leaps for both hands makes this a difficult rag for any pianist. This quintessential rag brings together many aspects of a rag into one neatly packed piano work. It is often known as the most famous ragtime piece that has gone on to inspire a number of composers. Maple Leaf Rag was one of Joplin’s earliest rags for the piano. A number of his piano rags and his opera Treemonisha have become some of the most recognisable music of the genre. It wasn’t until some ground-breaking recordings done in the 1970s that Joplin’s music found a new lease of life. Joplin’s music went out of fashion, with only a small number of ragtime aficionados keeping his music alive. After Joplin’s death in 1917, ragtime music came out of the ‘mainstream’ line and started to form into the likes of jazz, big band swing and the blues. Scott Joplin is remembered for being one of the most memorable ragtime composers of the turn-of-the-century during his lifetime (1868-1917).
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