Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist, the central figure in ragtime music.
His syncopated piano compositions—especially "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer"—defined the genre in the early twentieth century.
Joplin sought recognition as a serious composer, writing the opera *Treemonisha*, but died in obscurity in 1917.
His work was revived in the 1970s through the film *The Sting*.
Stressed unexpected beats
- Maple Leaf RagPioneering ragtime composition
- The EntertainerOne who performs for audiences
- strideExtended single footstep
- cakewalkEffortless task or promenade
two-step · St. Louis · Missouri · sheet music · piano rolls · jaunty
Of ancient Greece/Rome
- operaTheatrical art combining song
- scoreNumerical standing in competition
- notationSystem of written symbols
- arrangementOrdered configuration or agreement
harmony · melody · musicianship · composition · manuscript · published works · folk opera · orchestration
Array of input keys
- ivoriesPiano keys, informally
- recitalSolo musical performance
- accompanimentSupplementary support element
- arpeggioSuccessive chord tones
octaves · pedals · staccato · legato · dynamics · polyphony · virtuosity · fingerwork
First to forge ahead
- innovatorCreator of new methods
- groundbreakerInnovator, first to act
- Black excellenceCelebrated achievements of African-descended people
- racial barriersRace-based social obstacles
syncopation
Stressed unexpected beats
- Maple Leaf RagPioneering ragtime composition
- The EntertainerOne who performs for audiences
- strideExtended single footstep
cakewalk · two-step · St. Louis · Missouri · sheet music · piano rolls · jaunty
classical
Of ancient Greece/Rome
- operaTheatrical art combining song
- scoreNumerical standing in competition
- notationSystem of written symbols
arrangement · harmony · melody · musicianship · composition · manuscript · published works · folk opera · orchestration · musical legacy
keyboard
Array of input keys
- ivoriesPiano keys, informally
- recitalSolo musical performance
- accompanimentSupplementary support element
arpeggio · octaves · pedals · staccato · legato · dynamics · polyphony · virtuosity · fingerwork · piano technique
trailblazer
First to forge ahead
- innovatorCreator of new methods
- groundbreakerInnovator, first to act
- Black excellenceCelebrated achievements of African-descended people
racial barriers · genre-defining · influence · legacy · rediscovery
- Music PioneersElvis Presley, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan
- Pianistspianist, concert pianist, Lang Lang, Thelonious Monk, Franz Liszt
- Americana Musicspirituals, folk ballads, hymn books, Camptown Races, Beautiful Dreamer
- Early 20th Century MusiciansLouis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Enrico Caruso, George Gershwin
- MissouriGateway Arch, St. Louis, Kansas City, Ozarks, Branson
- MissouriansHarry S. Truman, Mark Twain, Walt Disney, Harry Truman, Jesse James
Scott JoplinJohn Cage
Prepared piano inventor
Johann Sebastian Bach · Ludwig van Beethoven · Igor Stravinsky · Philip Glass
Scott JoplinJohn Philip Sousa
Richard Wagner · Aaron Copland · Leonard Bernstein · Johannes Brahms · Franz Liszt