Ragtime 2
Improvised piano practices standard in the South and Midwest predated published rags and found a broad and enthusiastic audience at the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, an event that drew performers of all kinds to its many entertainment venues within the exposition and throughout Chicago. Among those who attended was the twenty-five-year-old Scott Joplin. A native of Texas, Joplin appears to have performed first as a singer and as part of ensembles before becoming a pianist and composer. In 1894, he relocated to Sedalia, Missouri, an important railroad town whose many entertainment venues provided lucrative opportunities for performers. There, he came into contact with Sedalia's local music publisher John Stark, who, with his daughter, Eleanor, recognized Joplin's piano works as suitable for a growing domestic music market fueled by the continued demand for and development of the piano.
As a result, Joplin published some fifty-three works, including well-known compositions such as " Maple Leaf Rag" (1899), marches, waltzes, songs, his "School for Ragtime," and the opera Treemonisha (1911). Stark, who later moved his business to St. Louis and then New York City, also published the works of Joseph Lamb and several others.
Stark's publication of "Maple Leaf Rag" only netted "one penny per copy in royalties" for Joplin. But, according to Harer, "Stark was selling three thousand copies a month," and the work "had become the most popular and best-selling rag of all time." The incredible success of "Maple Leaf Rag"-a half-million copies were sold by 1909-inspired other music publishers to produce hundreds of rags.
Before launching into the listening activities related to the prominent three ragtime composers, watch "The Incredible Story of America's First Pop Star," which outlines classic ragtime, the music contributions, and legacy of Scott Joplin, and then answer the questions below the video.
The Incredible Story of America's First Pop Star [ 00:00-00:00 ]
- Scott Joplin is known as the __________ of Ragtime.
- The "Maple Leaf Rag" was composed in what year?
- How many copies did "Maple Leaf Rag" sell over Joplin's lifetime?
- How many years after the end of the Civil War was Joplin born?
- Name four influences on ragtime music?
- Name two early works written by Scott Joplin.
- Name two of Joplin's signature trademarks to his rags.
- According to Joplin, what is the best speed (tempo) to use when playing ragtime?
- Give the name of the opera written by Joplin.
- Sixty-one years after Joplin's death, name the work that was premiered by the Atlanta Symphony and give the name of the distinguished composer who conducted that work.