Maple leaf rag scott joplin

A pulsating piano solo by a black composer published 125 years ago this fall became an unexpected bestseller, drew droves of young people to the piano, and became an enduring classic of American music. That piece, “Maple Leaf Rag,” crowned Scott Joplin the “King of Ragtime Writers.”

Born near Texarkana, Texas, likely in 1867, Joplin studied music with local teachers and became, like contemporary blues pioneer W.C.

Handy, an itinerant musician and then a composer.

The work showcases Joplin’s gifts for originality, dynamic and melodic contrast, and propulsive rhythms. From the outset, it surprises with a left hand that diverges from the typical boom–chick, boom-chick pattern, instead offering seldom-heard boom-chick chick-boom figures.

Joplin piques interest by varying the register (high or low) of the two hands and by mixing chords with single-note banjo-like melodies. The fourth and final theme goes out in a blaze of energy, leaving the pianist and listener with a feeling of