Ragtime

Ragtime is a musical style with a special "ragged" rhythm. It started 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 famous. Joplin, known as the "King of Ragtime," was well-known for songs such as "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer."

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

Ragtime had a big effect 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 had revivals, especially in the 1970s when some of Joplin's songs were used in the movie The Sting.

Etymology

The word ragtime started being used in 1896. It probably came from dance events called "rags" that enslaved black people held long ago on plantations. A musician named Ben Harney used the word ragtime to talk about the piano music he played. He got his ideas from watching banjo and fiddle players.

History

Ragtime music started long before it was written down. It began with music played for dancing, using just a banjo and fiddle to create its special rhythms.

The first published ragtime pieces came out in 1895. Early hits included work by Ben Harney and Ernest Hogan. Scott Joplin became famous with songs like "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer."

Ragtime grew popular all over America and even in Europe. It influenced early jazz and many dance bands. People became interested in ragtime again in the 1940s, 1950s, and especially in the 1970s after a movie called The Sting used Joplin's music.

Historical context

Ragtime started as a style of music in African American communities in the late 1800s. It came from rhythms used 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 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 how 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.

The famous musician Scott Joplin was called the "King of Ragtime." He told players to find the right swing to make the music come alive. Ragtime pieces often had several different parts and followed certain patterns.

Related forms and styles

Ragtime music had many styles and names when it was popular. It is linked to older music and also to newer styles, and it was sometimes mixed with other dances like the foxtrot. Many names for ragtime music mean different things to different people. Publishers often used popular names instead of the true style of the music. Even the meaning of the word "ragtime" can vary.

• Cakewalk – a dance form used in early ragtime pieces.
• Characteristic march – a type of march with special rhythms, often linked to African American culture.
• Two-step – a dance form used in many ragtime pieces.
• Slow drag – a dance form linked with early ragtime.
• Coon song – an older style of song sometimes linked with ragtime.
• 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 from small towns or folk traditions.
• Classic rag – the style of ragtime made famous by Scott Joplin.
• Foxtrot – a dance style that started in 1913 and 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. Some think this style followed ragtime. Johnson wrote the famous song "Charleston".

American ragtime composers

Main article: List of ragtime composers

Ragtime music began in 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 liked ragtime music. Antonín Dvořák was one of the first to notice this style. The French composer Claude Debussy wrote pieces that sounded like ragtime, like Golliwog's Cake Walk from his suite Children's Corner.

Other composers, such as Erik Satie, Arthur Honegger, and Darius Milhaud, also used ragtime in their music. Satie wrote a piece called Parade (Ragtime du Paquebot) in 1917. Igor Stravinsky made a piano piece named Piano-Rag-Music in 1919. These composers helped bring ragtime rhythms to classical music.

Revivals

In the early 1940s, jazz bands began playing ragtime music. Old piano pieces were changed for jazz instruments, giving ragtime a new sound. A famous recording 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 pieces were written and recorded. Some recordings used "prepared pianos" to mimic old pianos.

In the 1970s, several events helped bring ragtime back. Pianist Joshua Rifkin released a collection of Scott Joplin’s work. The New York Public Library also released a collection of Joplin’s works. The New England Ragtime Ensemble recorded Joplin’s music, and the movie The Sting featured his rags. 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. In 1998, a stage version of Ragtime was shown on Broadway.