Lecture 2
Origins of Jazz: Ragtime
The first truly American genre of music, predating jazz
Peak popularity between 1899-1918
Began as popular dance music years before being published as popular piano
sheet music
The History of Ragtime
The heyday of ragtime predated the widespread availability of sound recording
Originally called ragged time which later became corrupted to ragtime
Began as a modification of the march, which was popular in that day
Ragtime originated in African American musical communities, in the late 19th
century
It descended from the jigs and marches played by all-black bands common in all
Northern cities with black populations
By the start of the 20th century it became widely popular throughout North
America and was listened and danced to, performed, and written by people of
many different subcultures
A distinctly American musical style, ragtime may be considered a synthesis of
African-American syncopation and European classical music, though this
description is oversimplified
What is Ragtime?
It was usually written in 2/4 or 4/4 time
It contained a predominant left hand pattern of bass notes on odd-numbered beats
and chords on even-numbered beats
This accompanied a syncopated melody in the right hand
A composition in this style is called a rag
A rag written in 3/4 time is a ragtime waltz
Ragtime served as the roots for stride piano, a more improvisational piano style
popular in the 1920s and 1930s
The Credibility of Ragtime
Some authorities consider ragtime to be a form of classical music
Like classical music, and unlike jazz, classical ragtime was and is primarily a
written tradition, being distributed in sheet music rather than through recordings
or by imitation of live performances
By the 1890s, ragtime had developed into a more sophisticated theme structure of
AABBACCDD
Ragtime and the Piano
By the 1890s, the piano was becoming the most popular instrument in America
Sales of pianos grew from 100,000 a year in 1890 to an astounding 350,000 in
1909
The introduction of the Pianola (player piano) in 1897 helped to increase its
popularity
Ragtime music was distributed via piano rolls for player pianos
The Missouri School
Ragtime had its center of development in the Missouri cities of St. Louis, Sedalia,
and Carthage
In these cities, a number of talented young performers and composers gathered
and began exchanging ideas in the 1890s
These included Scott Joplin, Tom Turpin, James Scott, Scott Hayden, and Louis
Chavin
Scott Joplin (1867-1917)
Born ca. 1867-68 in East Texas near Linden
Known as The King of Ragtime
One of the three most important composers of classic ragtime
James Scott (1886-1938)
Joseph Lamb (1887-1960)
The Early Years
After 1871, the Joplin family moved to Texarkana, Texas and Scott's mother
cleaned homes so Scott could have a place to practice his music.
Showing musical ability at an early age, the young Joplin received free piano
lessons from a German music teacher, Julius Weiss, who gave him a well rounded
knowledge of classical music form, which would serve him well in later years and
fuel his ambition to create a "classical" form of ragtime.
He would later further his musical education by attending George R. Smith
College in Sedalia, Missouri, studying music theory, harmony, and composition.
Compositions
By 1898 Joplin had sold six pieces for the piano. Of the six, only Original Rags,
a compilation of existing melodies that he wrote collaboratively, is a ragtime
piece. The other five were Please Say You Will, A Picture of Her Face, two
marches, and a waltz.
In 1899, Joplin sold what would become one of his most famous pieces, Maple
Leaf Rag to music publisher John Stark & Son. Joplin received a one-cent royalty
for each copy and ten free copies for his own use, as well as an advance. It has
been estimated that Joplin made $360 per year on this piece in his lifetime.
Maple Leaf Rag boosted Joplin to the top of the list of ragtime performers and
moved ragtime into prominence as a musical form
The St. Louis Years (1900-03)
The Entertainer
Elite Syncopations
March Majestic
Ragtime Dance
Something Doing
Treemonisha (1911)
Opera completed in 1910
While it contains a wide variety of musical styles other than ragtime, some
historians incorrectly refer to it as a ragtime opera
It was not performed in its entirety until 1970 when the score was rediscovered
Joplin biographer Edward A. Berlin, has stated that Treemonisha may have
mirrored details from Joplin's own life. Specifically, that Joplin taught himself
music fundamentals on a piano in the white home where his mother worked, just
as in the opera, the title character receives her education in a white woman's home
Later Years & Death
Illnesses
Terminal Syphilis
Dementia
Paranoia
Paralysis
Died in New York City on April 1, 1917
Death did not make headlines
Ragtime waning in popularity
US entry into World War I on April 6th
Joplins Legacy
Joplin never made an audio recording, however he recorded several piano rolls in
1916
Maple Leaf Rag
Something Doing
Magnetic Rag
Ole Miss Rag
Weeping Willow Rag
Pleasant Moments/Ragtime Waltz
Ragtime revival in 1970s
Most notable was the use of Joplins The Entertainer in the soundtrack to
the 1973 film The Sting
1974 ballet Elite Syncopations based on compositions by Joplin and other
composers
Awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his special contribution to
American music
James Scott (1886-1938)
Born February 12, 1886 in Neosho, Missouri
Learned piano by listening to his mother play folk, blues and gospel songs
His diligence and perfect pitch made him a quick study
The Composer
Beginning in 1903, Scott composed close to 40 rags
After Scott Joplin heard Scotts rags, he helped him land a publishing deal
James Scotts Frog Legs Rag sold almost as well as Joplins Maple Leaf Rag
By 1921, Scott had published two dozen popular rags
Famous Works
Climax Rag
Frog Legs Rag
Grace and Beauty
Ophelia Rag
The Ragtime Oriole
Scott and the Decline of Ragtime
Jazz began to eclipse ragtime in popularity in the 1920s
In protest, Scott wrote a song entitled Dont Jazz Me Rag in 1921
By the late 1920s, Scott could not find a publisher for his new compositions
Joseph Lamb (1887-1960)
Born December 6, 1887 in Montclair, New Jersey
Had no formal musical training
Learned the piano by watching his sisters who were classical pianists and
studying musical scores
Never performed professionally
The Composer
A chance meeting with Scott Joplin in the offices of John Stark, Joplins
publisher, led to Joplins sponsorship and Starks publication of 12 of Lambs
rags
Stark published Lamb's music for the next decade, starting with Sensation
Lamb, of Irish descent, was the only one of the Big Three composers of
classical ragtime with European ancestry
Famous Compositions
Sensation
American Beauty Rag
Ragtime Nightingale
Cleopatra Rag
The Top Liner Rag
Bohemia Rag
Sources
History and Tradition of Jazz by Thomas E. Larson
Jazz for Dummies by Dirk Sutro
[Link]
Discography
1. Pine Apple Rag, The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag, and Something Doing
by Scott Joplin
from the album Scott Joplin: The Entertainer
Biograph DK 30155
2. Overture and The Bag of Luck by Scott Joplin
from the album Joplin: Treemonisha (Gunther Schuller)
Deutsch Grammophon B0004589-02
3. Grace and Beauty, The Ragtime Oriole, and Dont Jazz Me-Rag by James
Scott
from the album James Scott: The Complete Works (Guido Nielsen)
Basta Records 30-91002
4. Top Liner Rag, and Ragtime Nightingale by Joseph Lamb
from the album Joseph Lamb: The Complete Stark Rags
(Guido Nielsen)
Basta Records
