Ragtime
Historical fiction musical
Ragtime is a style of American music that emerged in the late 19th century, characterized by syncopated or "ragged" rhythms against a steady bass line.
Originally composed for piano, ragtime was a precursor to jazz: Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" became the genre's most famous piece.
The term also describes the era when this music flourished, roughly 1895–1920.
Stressed unexpected beats
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- pianoKeyed percussion instrument
- strideExtended single footstep
- cakewalkEffortless task or promenade
Scott Joplin · Tin Pan Alley · vaudeville · sheet music · two-step · marches · polka · minstrelsy
Final Victorian years
- Gilded AgeLate 1800s American prosperity
- pre-warBefore a conflict
- VictorianOf a prim era
- EdwardianOf early twentieth-century Britain
gaslight · nickelodeon · World's Fair · St. Louis · Missouri · bordello · riverboat · segregation
Body's sinister appendage
- oom-pahRepetitive brass rhythm
- broken chordChord tones played successively
- walking bassStepwise rhythmic low accompaniment
- countermelodySecondary melodic line
improvisation · embellishment · raggy · ragging · pianistic · fingerwork · sight-reading
Orchestrated deception for profit
- repertoireWorks ready to perform
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- musicologyScholarly study of compositions
- rediscoveryFinding something previously known
syncopation
Stressed unexpected beats
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- pianoKeyed percussion instrument
- strideExtended single footstep
Scott Joplin · cakewalk · Tin Pan Alley · vaudeville · sheet music · two-step · marches · polka · minstrelsy · player piano
1890s
Final Victorian years
- Gilded AgeLate 1800s American prosperity
- pre-warBefore a conflict
- VictorianOf a prim era
Edwardian · gaslight · nickelodeon · World's Fair · St. Louis · Missouri · bordello · riverboat · segregation · Jim Crow
left hand
Body's sinister appendage
- oom-pahRepetitive brass rhythm
- broken chordChord tones played successively
- walking bassStepwise rhythmic low accompaniment
countermelody · improvisation · embellishment · raggy · ragging · pianistic · fingerwork · sight-reading
The Entertainer
One who performs for audiences
The Sting
Orchestrated deception for profit
- repertoireWorks ready to perform
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- musicologyScholarly study of compositions
- Historical PlaysHenry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Henry VIII, Richard II
- St. LouisGateway Arch, Cardinals, Anheuser-Busch, Arch, Budweiser
- Stravinsky WorksThe Firebird, Apollo, Oedipus Rex, Orpheus, The Nightingale
Ragtimeclassical music
Western orchestral tradition
Gregorian chant · minimalism · ambient music · heavy metal · bebop
Ragtimecontemporary
Of the present age
modern-day · present-day · futuristic · twenty-first century · postmodern
Ragtimemetronomic
Precisely regular in tempo
arrhythmic · rubato · four-on-the-floor · legato · flowing