Knowra Scott Joplin Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (c. 1868–1917) was an American composer and pianist who helped establish ragtime as a major popular style. His best-known works include “Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer.”
Ragtime : A popular musical style marked by syncopated melodies, usually set against a steady duple-meter accompaniment. Joplin became ragtime’s leading composer and helped define its sound.
Maple Leaf Rag : A 1899 piano rag by Scott Joplin, published by John Stark and Sons. Its commercial success established Joplin as a nationally recognized composer.
African-American music : Music created within African American communities, spanning diverse traditions, genres, and historical periods. Joplin’s ragtime drew on and extended African American musical practices.
Ragtime revival : A renewed public interest in ragtime music that grew during the 1970s. Recordings and performances brought Joplin’s compositions back to broad attention.
Syncopation : The placement of musical accents on beats or parts of beats that are normally unaccented. Its displaced accents give Joplin’s ragtime melodies their characteristic rhythmic lift.
The Entertainer : A 1902 piano rag by Scott Joplin, revived for a wide audience through the film The Sting. Its later popular revival became Joplin’s most familiar music for many listeners.
Sedalia, Missouri : A city in central Missouri that became an important center of ragtime activity in the late nineteenth century. Joplin studied and performed there, and the city shaped his early professional career.
The Sting : A 1973 American film whose soundtrack featured Scott Joplin rags arranged by Marvin Hamlisch. The film’s use of Joplin’s music helped drive the ragtime revival.
Stride piano : A piano style in which the left hand alternates bass notes and chords beneath a more mobile right-hand part. It developed from ragtime-era piano practice, though Joplin’s written rags favor precise notation.
The Cascades : A 1904 piano rag by Scott Joplin, composed for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Its flowing figuration displays Joplin’s command of piano writing beyond his best-known rags.
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