Noor Chahal
20 November 2018
Ethnomusicology 50A
Discussion 1A
Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime
Before the prevalence of the jazz era in American culture was another distinct, but just as impactful genre of music. It was called ragtime. Ragtime can be considered the humble beginnings of jazz, and it swept the United States around the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth century. It may seem as a simple piano piece on the surface, but if we delve deeper we can explore all the elements of ragtime that allowed it to become as successful as it did. The basis of all ragtime was the implementation of syncopation, however the ways in which this syncopation was reached gave rise to the different flavors of ragtime throughout the era. Among the most well-known and most successful composers of ragtime was Scott Joplin, nicknamed the ‘King of Ragtime’ by both public and critical acclaim (Martin, Essential Jazz, p.36). The genre of ragtime and the name Scott Joplin became virtually synonymous. Although it did not survive to the present-day, Scott Joplin used ragtime to construct a unique genre of music which in turn laid the foundations for the development and popularization of jazz in the near and distant future.
To explore the impact of ragtime, we must first identify what ragtime is. The formal definition of ragtime stated by the United States Library of Congress is “A genre of musical composition for the piano, generally in duple meter and containing a highly syncopated treble lead over a rhythmically steady bass” (History of Ragtime 2000). Not only was ragtime its own distinct genre, it was able to incorporate other genres and bring them into the ragtime umbrella. This process was known as “ragging”. Ragging involved taking a piece of music and chopping the melody up into syncopated rhythms, while maintaining an overarching, steady beat. This type of style allowed ragtime to spread to diverse areas and attracted emerging musicians (Martin, Essential Jazz, p.35). Scott Joplin, however, was the pioneer of classical ragtime: the syncopated style composed for piano. Critics claimed that Joplin’s classic ragtime was “highly formed, graceful, delicate, and deliberate” and drew many parallels with “baroque era music” (James 1975). In truth, ragtime was developed in the late nineteenth century brothel culture. The elegance of ragtime and its usually upbeat rhythms allowed ragtime to reach transient prominence, especially for Joplin’s critically acclaimed greatest masterpiece: “Maple Leaf Rag”. This was the first piece of sheet music to sell over a million copies, gave rise to the “ragtime boom” and made Joplin a celebrity. “Maple Leaf Rag” was composed in 1897 and published in 1899, and Joplin received one penny per every sold copy the rag.
The “Maple Leaf Rag” was considered by critics as ahead of its time and placed Scott Joplin’s name among the most influential artists of the era. Critics had great respect for Joplin and his craft, claiming that he was “head and shoulders above the rest” (James 1975). They viewed “Maple Leaf Rag” as a piece that had successfully mastered syncopation: it is a piece in which the music is “walking in two different directions at once”, it is like “walking up the down escalator, you are walking forward but moving backwards”. This illustrates how Joplin was able to manipulate syncopation to create a smooth and graceful sound to the ear. After hearing “Maple Leaf Rag” for myself, I would have to agree with the critic. The piece instinctively feels like it is moving in a forward direction, but I would not compare it to an escalator. I would compare it to a solid trail that occasionally has forks in the road and splits into two, before converging into the same trail. At times it may feel like this path diverges, before it comes together again on the chords, but I still feel the forward motion of the music. After the three chords hit, the new strain begins, and the music diverges onto different paths again. The fact that Joplin is able to convey this idea of motion within the piece only reinforces Joplin’s musical creativity and craftsmanship.
Although Joplin, received great critical praise for his ragtime pieces such as “Solace” and “The Entertainer” in addition to the already established “Maple Leaf Rag”, he was not entirely satisfied. He had a burning ambition to show the world that he was a great composer. Joplin began to explore the realm of ballets and operas. In the earlier portion of the twentieth century, he began to devote much of his time on developing a full opera called “Treemonisha”. In the opera, Treemonisha is an 18-year-old girl who is taught to read by a white woman. She embarks on a journey to free her community from superstitions, conjurers, and magicians. At one point, Treemonisha is abducted and on the verge of being killed before getting saved by her friend, Remus. By the end of the opera, the community recognizes that Treemonisha was right, and select her as their teacher and leader. Ultimately, the opera is about pro-education, and the importance of think for yourself instead of believing everything we hear (Martin Essential Jazz). After Joplin had completed the opera, he faced many troubles getting anyone to stage the piece. The drama industry did not view Treemonisha favorably: they believed the opera was in a region where it was “beyond the reach of unsophisticated listener” but also “too simplistic for experienced opera-goers” (James 1975). Livid and unwilling to let this stop him, Joplin gathered a few actors and performed an under-budgeted version of Treemonisha in 1915 in Harlem. This version lacked costumes, scenery, and an orchestra. Harlem’s public opinion of this opera was far from encouraging. Viewers were “bored and puzzled” and was found “sitting on their hands”. Similarly, critics claimed that Treemonisha was an “unusual work” with “childlike quality”. (James 1975). This harsh public and critical opinions of the opera set Joplin’s world into ruins. Unfortunately, Joplin was unable to see a complete performance during his lifetime due to his untimely death in 1917 due to syphilis complications.
The death of Scott Joplin also signified the death of ragtime. Jazz had taken over the 1930s and 1940s, and ragtime was slowly thrown out of the picture. However, the 1970s saw a revival of ragtime and Joplin’s music. For example, in 1970, Nonesuch Records became “the first classical label to issue an album of ragtime: ‘Piano Rags by Scott Joplin’, performed by composer, conductor, and musicologist Joshua Rifkin” (History of Ragtime 2000). This album received remarkable success and quickly became a bestseller. “The Sting”, a 1974 motion picture, also incorporated virtually only Joplin’s music. This introduced Joplin’s music to the widest audience. Additionally, Treemonisha was finally given the full performance that it deserved in 1972. This time, it was met with great critical praise. Critics claimed that Treemonisha had “a charm that was indestructible” and loved the “introspective style” that it conveyed. Additionally, this opera had some of the “most beautiful music Joplin ever wrote” (James 1975). In 1976, Treemonisha was rightfully awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 1976. Finally, Joplin’s works were getting the recognition and praise they deserved.
Joplin’s musical mastery is even more impressive given his success in both ragtime and opera. There is a unique quality of Joplin’s pieces that make them special and unforgettable in their own ways. Many critics agree that Joplin’s work was individually “mysterious and always remained fresh”, and that his “work will never disappear”. His influence during and beyond his lifetime is something that will never be forgotten, and that is something I can agree with wholeheartedly. Although ragtime has gained and lost popularity in terms of the contemporary time-scale, I still enjoy listening to Joplin’s pieces and have grown a new appreciation for Scott Joplin and ragtime as a whole.
Annotated Bibliography
History of Ragtime. (2000). Online Text. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200035811/
This document from the Library of Congress provided an in-depth look at the history and different aspects of ragtime. It is important to understand the nature of ragtime to contextualize the success of Scott Joplin. This document provided us the information with geographic regions of which ragtime emerged and where it spread, gaining a unique feature from each region it was able to set up in. This puts into context the wide-reaching impact of Scott Joplin and ragtime as a whole.
James, L. C. (1975, Sep 21). The Scott Joplin Rag. New York Times (1923-Current File). Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/120668761?accountid=14512
This newspaper article reflects on the works of Scott Joplin, especially his works in ragtime and opera later on. Given its time period, it exemplifies the brief resurgence of ragtime in the 1970s due to the incorporation of Scott Joplin’s music in the popular cinematic film The Sting. This caused the public and critics to once again react to Joplin’s works, from strictly ragtime to the eventual full-time operas, such as “Treemonisha”.
Martin, Henry. “Essential Jazz.” VitalSource, Little Brown Bks Young Readers, www.vitalsource.com/en-uk/products/essential-jazz-henry-martin-v9781285415536.
This is the textbook for the Ethnomusicology 50A course at UCLA. This source provided us with valuable background information and important key points in the evolution of ragtime and jazz. It is important to understand what events occurred around the same time as the musical revolution to identify possible influences from different areas of the country.