The Ragtime King

Throughout the centuries, music has become a prime component of our lives. It provokes, relaxes and provides an in-depth experience no other form of media does. Whether it's a jazz song or a classical music piece, music has an undoubted effect, on who we are as individuals and in society as a whole. Certain composers have had a profound impact and resonance in the realm of American music. One such composer is Scott Joplin. Scott Joplin often considered the king of ragtime, echoed greatness for his talents and his unrivaled contribution to music's aroma and presence.

The birth of the ragtime composer began in Linden, Texas in the late 19th century and was illustrated through the works of Baldwin and Hughes. A serious and studious individual, Joplin at an early age found studying music to be an achievable goal. His family was musically inclined, having a father who was a violinist and a mother that played the banjo. Joplin essentially understood at an early age that music was to be his ambition and there was an indelible craft which he set out to further in addition to studying. Joplin gained a notable amount of early music education from a German-Jewish professor of the art form named Julius Weiss (Scott Joplin).

Joplin began performing at many events throughout the southern states as a young adult perfecting his skills and furthering the music that would ultimately further ragtime. Early forms of his presentation of this inviting and rhythmic style were on display in a variety of churches and clubs. It was in 1893 that Joplin would perform at the World's Fair in Chicago and thus, the riveting cascade of his form of ragtime amidst the general population gained steam (Scott Joplin).

A Move to Sedalia

Joplin's remarkable passion for music would lead him to move to the city of Sedalia, Missouri in 1894. It was in Sedalia where Joplin would strengthen his deftness and learn the skill of writing music. Joplin was noted as a fast learner understanding even the most intricate of melodies that he began developing his own compositions. Most accounts of Joplin's life begin in Sedalia. Perhaps this was the center piece or focal point of a musician bent on altering the landscape of the term. Despite the historical record on Joplin's essential and vital part in music beginning in Sedalia, many have tried to understand why Joplin opted for a small city rather than the larger metropolises such as Los Angeles or New York City. The city of Sedalia provided an abundant number of conceptualizations for his compositions, which he started while attending George R. Smith College, which was a Methodist college specifically, noted for its colored tapestry. One of the very first compositions of Joplin, "Please Say You Will" would arise from his experiences as a Black musician (Berlin 207-208). The particular piece stated Joplin to be the main performer, with an accompanying band known as The Texas Medley Quartette.

When historical accounts have been provided on Joplin, most if not all of them overwhelmingly add that Joplin was an exception to the norm with regard to piano playing. While there were several good pianists whom could be noted as virtuosos, it was Joplin following his eloquent and elegant performance at the Chicago World's Fair and the exceedingly perfection of his own rags that skyrocketed him to prominence. Even though he was rhythmic and quite powerful on the keys, critics of Joplin's music in their biographical accounts added that Joplin was slow and often stationary in his playing. Sam Peterson, a friend of Joplin's added that "he could not play continuously. He would not finish one piece without stopping to make changes and work things out" (Berlin 213). One critic stated, "Joplin was [more of a] compos[er] on paper rather than at the piano," (Berlin 214) which was the complete opposite of ragtime players in his day. It can be said then that much of Joplin's compositions were more or less worked and reworked prior to becoming masterpieces as a result of Joplin's diligence to perfect his skills and talents.

Joplin’s Music

Joplin's music can be described as magical, an expression of high-spirited melancholy. His musical pieces are heavy to a certain extent and immediately grab a listener's attention. Much of Joplin's career emerged following the release of "Please Say You Will" in addition to four other pieces. Published around 1895, these particular pieces offered a stark contrast to his predominant piano rags. In 1898, Joplin would produce two rags that he submitted for publication in Kansas City, Missouri: "Maple Leaf Rag" and "Original Rag." The former is quite possibly considered his most known track but was initially rejected by the public; and the latter was accepted into publication. By 1899, Joplin began playing "Maple Leaf Rag" continually at clubs throughout the Missouri area and it became a legendary rag among the Black community. "Maple Leaf Rag" would catch the ear of an agent named John Stark, who would essentially assist Joplin in becoming even more well-known than he had been with the quartette. Further publications would follow such as "Harlem Rag," but the success of "Maple Leaf Rage" was unprecedented and this would cause Joplin to move to St. Louis and marry a woman named Belle Hayden. Financial security would cement Joplin as a result of the success of "Maple Leaf Rag." Joplin would travel throughout the country performing the noteworthy rag piece (Reed 272-274). Over the years spanning 1899-1910, Joplin would produce a significant amount of piano rags including the extremely popular "The Entertainer," used famously in the movie, The Sting; and an opera "Treemonisha."

"Treemonisha," would become a piece Joplin was known for posthumously. "As the first folk opera written by a [Black] American composer, Treemonisha [is an] utterly charming ragtime" (Southern 124) piece that has "historical importance [due to its] black folksong idioms" (Southern 124). The theme of the opera was the salvation of Black people represented by the main heroine, Treemonisha (Southern 124). Joplin would also begin mentoring other piano players and move to New York. His relationship with John Stark became estranged as Joplin could not capture the same prolific success of "Maple Leaf Rag" with his other rags despite some of the other rags' popularity. Their business relationship and friendship would diminish by 1910 after Joplin sought to have another opera "Ragtime Dance" published (Reed 274).

After their separation, Stark would publish two additional Joplin pieces known as "Felicity Rag" and "Reflection Rag." In 1914, Joplin would self-publish "Magnetic Rag" through a company, The Scott Joplin Music Company, which he had formed following the separation between him and Stark. Joplin began to face harsh financial burden after he tried to publish "Treemonisha." In 1915, he tried unveiling the opera in front of a different audience but because it was opposite what the general public had been accustomed to from Joplin, it failed significantly. As a result, Joplin suffered a severe breakdown mentally (Reed 274-276). The lack of public appreciation and a seemingly abrupt career end led Joplin to be committed to a mental hospital and ultimately, death in 1917.

Joplin’s Legacy

Dubbed the King of Ragtime, Joplin was a genius and has continued to be recognized as such. Reed (1975) noted that Scott Joplin "once lost to obscurity, has finally found his place in the sun and been accorded his rightful position as one of the first truly American composers. Not only was he one of America's pioneers, he was the first to develop a pianistic form now described as the initial American art form, the piano rag" (pg. 45). Joplin's presence in music for most was and is formidable, especially given his skin color and the running undercurrent of racism.

It was widely known that the life of Black people, especially men was challenging to say the least. The Negro people were more or less commodities that were bought and sold. While the Emancipation Proclamation altered the landscape on paper, the slavery construct still existed in society. Joplin was able to catapult himself above the proverbial plight that still plagued the Black race (Reed 46). Much of Joplin's music irrespective of "Maple Leaf Rag" defined the genre of ragtime after his death. Specifically, the piece that drove him to the edge of insanity "Treemonisha," has continually been given its due.

Barrymore Scherer of the Wall Street Journal, noted in 2011 that "New World Records releas[ed] an entirely new recording of ‘Treemonisha’ that places it into a clear ragtime perspective [and that Joplin’s music will finally be unveiled as] a rare artifact of a vanished culture: an opera about African Americans of the Reconstruction era-created by a black man who actually lived through it. It is the product of a great American genius" (Scherer). In addition to the prominence of “Treemonisha,” other pieces of Joplin’s are continually remembered for the outstanding and breathtaking works of art that they are.

The depth of music is in its passionate premise. Its aim is in its ability to move and evoke the listener, through brilliant innovation. Scott Joplin's ragtime ingenuity of the late 19th and early 20th century achieved that aim and his stylistic offerings are forever woven into the tapestry of music.

Works Cited

Berlin, Edward A. "Scott Joplin in Sedalia: New Perspectives." Black Music Research Journal 9.2 (1989): 205-223.

Reed, Addison W. "Scott Joplin, Pioneer." The Black Perspective in Music 3.1 (1975): 45-52.

----------------------. "Scott Joplin, Pioneer: Part 2." The Black Perspective in Music 3.3 (1975): 269-277.

Scherer, Barrymore L. "'Treemonisha' as It Was Intended to Be ." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 6 Dec. 2011. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203833104577070683505219416.html.

"Scott Joplin." Classic Cat, 2011. http://www.classiccat.net/joplin_s/biography.php.

Southern, Eileen. "Milestones of Black-American Composition." Black Music Research Journal 10.1 (1990): 1223-124. Print.