Ragtime

Ragtime is a musical style known for its special "ragged" rhythm. It began in African American communities in the late 1800s and became very popular in the 1890s and 1910s. Famous composers like James Scott, Joseph Lamb, and especially Scott Joplin helped make ragtime well-known. Joplin, called the "King of Ragtime," became famous for songs such as "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer."

Ragtime music is closely related to marches and usually has several different parts that repeat in patterns. These pieces, often called "rags," were mostly written for and played on the piano, but they were also adapted for many other instruments and styles. At first, people could enjoy ragtime by buying sheet music or piano rolls.

Ragtime had a big influence on later music, including early jazz, stride piano, and Piedmont blues. It also inspired famous European classical composers like Erik Satie, Claude Debussy, and Igor Stravinsky. Though jazz became more popular in the 1920s, ragtime experienced revivals, especially in the 1970s when some of Joplin's songs were used in the movie The Sting.

Etymology

The word ragtime was first used in 1896. It likely comes from dance events called "rags" that were held by enslaved black people on plantations a long time ago. A musician named Ben Harney used the word ragtime to describe the piano music he played. He got his ideas from watching banjo and fiddle players.

History

Ragtime music began long before it was written down. It started from music played by people for dance events, with just a banjo and fiddle making the special rhythms that make ragtime unique.

The earliest published ragtime pieces appeared in 1895. One early hit was by Ben Harney, and another by Ernest Hogan. Scott Joplin became very famous with songs like "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer."

Ragtime became popular across America and even reached Europe. It influenced early jazz and many dance bands. Interest in ragtime grew again in the 1940s, 1950s, and especially in the 1970s after a film called The Sting used Joplin's music.

Historical context

Ragtime began as a style of music in African American communities in the late 1800s. It grew from rhythms in dances and marches played by bands. By the early 1900s, ragtime became very popular across North America. It mixed African rhythms with European classical music, especially the lively marches made famous by John Philip Sousa.

Important early pieces of ragtime were published starting in 1897. In 1899, Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” became a huge hit. Ragtime helped shape early jazz and influenced many kinds of American music. Though jazz became more popular in the 1920s, people still write and enjoy ragtime today. The music was mainly shared through sheet music and piano rolls for player pianos. Some musicians used ragtime ideas in other styles, like stride piano and Piedmont blues.

Musical form

Ragtime was a special kind of music that changed the way marches were played. It added rhythms from African music and used a mix of strong and weak beats. The main feature of ragtime is a rhythm that makes the melody feel like it’s dancing around the beat, making the music more lively and fun to move to.

The famous musician Scott Joplin was called the "King of Ragtime." He described the music as "weird and intoxicating" and told players to find the right swing to make it come alive. Ragtime pieces often had several different parts, usually four, and followed certain patterns in how they were played.

Related forms and styles

Ragtime music had many different styles and names during its popular years. It is connected to earlier music styles and has links to later styles, and was sometimes mixed with other dance fads like the foxtrot. Many names used for ragtime music can mean different things to different people, because publishers often used popular names of the time instead of the true style of the music. Even the meaning of the word "ragtime" itself can vary among experts.

• Cakewalk – a dance form popular before ragtime, often used in early ragtime pieces.
• Characteristic march – a type of march with special rhythms, often linked to African American culture, used in many early rags.
• Two-step – another dance form popular before ragtime, also used in many rags.
• Slow drag – a dance form sometimes linked with early ragtime.
• Coon song – an older style of song that was sometimes linked with ragtime but is not considered part of it today.
• Ragtime song – the singing style of ragtime, made famous by composers like Irving Berlin with his hit "Alexander's Ragtime Band".
• Folk ragtime – ragtime pieces that came from small towns or folk traditions.
• Classic rag – the style of ragtime made famous by Scott Joplin and others.
• Foxtrot – a dance style that started in 1913 and was sometimes mixed into later ragtime.
• Novelty piano – fast and complex piano music that came after World War I.
• Stride piano – a piano style that developed after World War I, led by pianists like James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, and Willie 'The Lion' Smith. This style is considered a successor to ragtime by some, though not everyone agrees. Johnson wrote the famous song "Charleston".

American ragtime composers

Main article: List of ragtime composers

Ragtime music came from African American communities in the late 1800s. It became very popular in the 1890s and 1910s. Famous composers like James Scott, Joseph Lamb, and Scott Joplin helped make ragtime well-known. Scott Joplin, called the "King of Ragtime," was especially famous for songs such as "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer."

Influence on European composers

In the early 1900s, some European classical composers were inspired by ragtime music. One of the first to notice this style was Antonín Dvořák. The famous French composer Claude Debussy wrote pieces that copied the ragtime sound, like Golliwog's Cake Walk from his suite called Children's Corner.

Other composers, such as Erik Satie, Arthur Honegger, and Darius Milhaud, also showed love for ragtime in their music. For example, Satie wrote a piece called Parade (Ragtime du Paquebot) in 1917. Even Igor Stravinsky created a piano piece named Piano-Rag-Music in 1919. These composers helped bring the exciting rhythms of ragtime to classical music.

Revivals

In the early 1940s, jazz bands started playing ragtime music. Old piano pieces were changed for jazz instruments, giving ragtime a fresh sound. A famous recording from this time was Pee Wee Hunt’s version of Euday L. Bowman’s "Twelfth Street Rag".

A bigger revival happened in the 1950s. More ragtime styles became available on records, and new ragtime pieces were written and recorded. Some recordings used "prepared pianos", which had tacks on the hammers or were slightly out of tune, to mimic old pianos in places called honky tonks.

In the 1970s, several events helped bring ragtime back into popularity. Pianist Joshua Rifkin released a collection of Scott Joplin’s work, which showed Joplin’s music as serious and respected. The New York Public Library also released a collection of Joplin’s works, leading to new performances of his opera Treemonisha. The New England Ragtime Ensemble recorded Joplin’s music, and the movie The Sting featured Joplin’s rags in its soundtrack. The movie’s theme, “The Entertainer,” became very popular.

In 1980, a movie based on Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow was released, with music by Randy Newman. Later, in 1998, a stage version of Ragtime was shown on Broadway, featuring ragtime music and other songs.