Scott Joplin was know as the kings of ragtime. I will explain also explain how he grew up and what type of music he played. I will also write about why I believe he deserves the title that he has been bestowed upon him. The first thing I will talk about is the type of music he is know for which gave him that name. Most people listen to the type of music he composed but next to none know who or how it was composed. There seems to be an abundance of music fans who know little or nothing about the origin of their music. By discussing what he has accomplished it will explain why he is considered to be so important to his type of music.
Rag time as it is most commonly know was the type of fast paced music played around 1885 in St. Louis. Scott Joplin was born in 1868 and lived until 1917, but has done a lot in his life span. He was one of the first African Americans to be know as a composer. Born in Texarkana, Texas to a large family with musical background, he began learning to play the guitar and beagle, and gained free piano lessons by showing such fast progression to his teachers. After death of his mother, he left the house at age fourteen. He learned much form traveling through Mississippi playing in local spots and learning form what was offered to him.
In 1885 he arrived in St. Louis, at the time a center for a new music phenomenon called ragtime. Ragtime, also called ragged rhythm, was first a piano style know for its fast paced beats. It first came into the publics eye in 1893 when he performed an instrumental ensemble at the World Exposition in Chicago. His originally developed style of rag time know as Maple Leaf Rag First came on the scene in a club in Sedalia, Missouri as his own form of ragtime. In 1899 He gained nationwide popularity after selling over one million copies worldwide.
After this Joplin tried to make this new from of piano style he had grown to love more widely know form of music In 1911 he finished an opera called Treemonisha, designed to reach this status. Sadly this opera was not well accepted by the public and caused him to slip into a state of depression. Shortly after this he died on April 1, 1917. In 1972 his opera was played once again by the Houston Grand Opera and met with its most success since first being released. Nearly sixty years later, after the death of Joplin his Opera was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
I believe the story of Scott Joplin is a tragic one. He may have lived a life that any man would want but he did not reap the fruits of his labor due to his tragic death. Its is said he suffered a great deal of depression before his death and that is no way for anyone, especially a great think like himself to pass after all of those accomplishments. Scott Joplin leaves a great legacy however, His original play on the piano made him know worldwide. Its Continuous play almost one hundred years later proves how far ahead his thinking was.
You can witness all the influence it has one blues and jazz today in the works on Maya Angelou as he quotes all riddles and blues, and all blues are sad and Im only mentioning, some blues Ive had , after the death of Scott Joplin. I believe in these new days Scott Joplin completed his goal even after his death as people respect his late works as he wished time to. Duke Ellington also says I Believe if William Shakespeare where alive, he might be a Jazz fan himself. Not only was Scott Joplins Music limited to his own ragtime but it spanned to a variety of other works.
Obviously It is noted what he has done for the jazz music of today by influencing the music and artist alike. Also as a young man it is noted of his work with the guitar, banjo and other widespread instruments aside form his famed piano. And not only is he plain historical figure but other artists of today are compared to his late works. He was truly a man before his time as you can still hear his music not only on the lips of older men but on television as the most popular type of music played in newly released moves such as life and Pear Harbor.
