MUSC 1800: Popular MusicRagtime and Its Afterlife

Dr. Matthew C. SaundersLakeland Community College

C-1078

Ragtime

Scott Joplin

• Scott Joplin (1868-1917)– Born in Texarkana, Texas– Received classical instruction in

composition and piano– Saloon pianist in St. Louis– Maple Leaf Rag (1898) was

ragtime’s first big hit– Later moved to New York,

becoming an important precursor to the Harlem Renaissance

Musical Characteristics of Ragtime

• Joplin, “Maple Leaf Rag,” 1898 (recorded by composer, 1916)

Ragtime’s Afterlife• Ragtime craze ended around World War I (1917-18)

– Rationing– Propaganda– Phonograph– Prohibition

• Periodic revivals of interest in the genre– 1950s: Ragtime accepted into “classical” piano canon– 1970s: Film: The Sting, 1973

• Seen as one of the roots of jazz

• Tin Pan Alley songs based on ragtime– Irving Berlin: “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911)– George M. Cohan: “You’re a Grand Old Flag” (1917)

The Life Cycle of a Style

1. Gestation2. Birth3. Discovery4. Mainstream Peak5. Decadence6. Institutionalization7. Revival8. Death?