Scott+Joplin+by+Rose



By Rose

Scott Joplin is most famous for playing ragtime music. Ragtime is a type of jazz that would be played with pianos, horns and banjos. It is a combination of polka, marching band music and African folk music. It gets its name from the ragged rhythm of the music. He is known as the King of Ragtime. Scott Joplin was born in 1867 in northeastern Texas to former slaves. He was one of six children. His family taught him to appreciate and play music. He was also taught to play the piano by Julius Weiss, a music professor from Germany. He would practice his piano every day after school. In the 1880s, Scott Joplin traveled the country playing his music. He ended up in Chicago, where he formed his first band. He played at the 1893 World’s Fair, and ragtime became popular all over the country. After the World’s Fair, he moved to Missouri. He kept traveling and playing music, and he also taught lessons to children. Scott Joplin moved to New York City in 1907. He hoped that he could become more famous there. He wrote an opera called Treemonisha, but it failed, then he suffered from a collapse and followed by a nervous breakdown. He lived in New York until he died in 1917,one year after his nervous breakdown and collapse at the age of 49. He never made an album, but he made several rolls for player pianos. His music influenced jazz musicians in the 1930s. His music became popular again in the 1970s. Joshua Rifkin made an album of Scott Joplin’s music, which sold over one million records. His opera Treemonisha was finally played on Broadway. Scott Joplin is most famous for his song Maple Leaf Rag. It has been called the best example of ragtime music, and many other musicians tried to copy his style. The sheet music for Maple Leaf Rag was published in 1899. His song The Entertainer was part of the movie The Sting. He is also famous for the song Pineapple Rag. Refrences: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Joplin