ragtime history
A pre-jazz American genre of the 1890s–1910s characterized by syncopated ("ragged") melodies over a steady march-like bass, pioneered by African American pianist-composers.
In Depth
Ragtime emerged in the 1890s from African American musical communities in the Midwest, particularly St. Louis and Sedalia, Missouri. The style combines syncopated melodies (the "ragged time" that gave the genre its name) with a steady, march-like left-hand accompaniment in 2/4 time. Scott Joplin, the "King of Ragtime," elevated the genre from barroom entertainment to a sophisticated compositional form with works like "Maple Leaf Rag," "The Entertainer," and the opera Treemonisha.
Ragtime was the first African American musical genre to achieve mainstream commercial success, selling millions of sheet music copies and dominating popular music from about 1895 to 1920. It directly influenced the development of jazz, stride piano, and early boogie-woogie. After decades of obscurity, ragtime experienced a massive revival in the 1970s when the film The Sting used Joplin's music in its soundtrack, sending his compositions back to the top of the charts over 60 years after his death. The genre's formal sophistication and rhythmic vitality continue to earn respect from classical and jazz musicians alike.
Scott Joplin died in 1917, penniless and forgotten, of syphilis-related complications. Fifty-seven years later, his music was used in The Sting, won an Oscar, and sent "The Entertainer" to No. 3 on the Billboard charts — one of the longest posthumous comebacks in music history.