Ragtime: the beginnings of jazz

“The Entertainer” 1902 By: Scott Joplin

Joplin created music in the pop style of early jazz called ragtime as a son of a slave in Texas. Joplin is more famous for his “Maple Leaf Rag”, but I find this one to be equally iconic. This particular song ,you may recognize, was used in the movie “The Sting” in 1973 and brought the tune to the public’s attention. As a fun fact, you may be more likely to recognize this tune from the music played by ice cream trucks (citation).

This new style of music was derived from the African American influence brought over by the slaves. They created a faster paced music that incorporated the same instruments as a formal orchestra, but left behind the formality.Ragtime its self uses mostly the tinny piano found in bars and other clubs compared to jazz which incorporates more of its own orchestra. The music itself was defined by the player using the left hand playing the beat while the right hand creates a syncopated rhythm. The entire piece is a balance of swing notes and a quick waltz tempo.

Ragtime is much more laid back and refuses to follow the strict guidelines of classical and romantic music composition. The theme of ragtime seems to be limited to up-beat, fast paced music that can easily be listened to or danced to. However, it lacks the emotion and word painting that previous music styles and jazz seem to create. Pretty much, the African American slaves disregarded the rules of music and created the music they knew, and that was a music to have fun with.

I personally have more of an appeal to the ragtime than its cousin jazz. The quick, up-beat music seems to be more lively and captivating. The improvisational jazz or deep emotional jazz just doesn’t strike a cord of fancy in me.