Scott Joplin Research Paper

Viewed as the king of Ragtime, as it was the main genre this african american pianist was known for. Scott Joplin was one of the most famous composers of the early twentieth century. Most known for his pieces such as “The Maple Leaf Rag”,“The Entertainer”, and “Solace” he immersed himself in music at a very young age, learning to play the piano as a child and becoming a travelling musician as a teenager. Scott Joplin truly is an important individual to not only the african american history but history in itself. Scott Joplin’s exact place and date of birth are unknown. Many believe he was born in the summer sometime between June, 1867, and January, 1868, in Texarkana, which is a town in between the border of Texas and Arkansas. He came from a musical family as his father, Florence Joplin, sang and played the banjo, and his mother, Giles Joplin, was a violinist. He learned how to play the guitar as a child, but later took a liking to the piano. He eventually showed a talent for the instrument. A german music teacher who lived in his hometown, Julius Weiss, further instructed him. Joplin eventually left home to become a travelling musician as a teenager. He began working in bars and dance halls where new musical features were shown that formed a basis for ragtime. In the 1880s, Joplin …show more content…
Sales of the piece at first were not very high, but its popularity grew and it eventually became known as the biggest ragtime song of all time with over a million copies sold. With the genre of ragtime growing in popularity, Scott Joplin decided to put his main focus on the genre, continuing to create songs such as “The Entertainer”, “Solace”, and “The Ragtime Dance.” With these songs, Scott Joplin secured his place as one of the most important and famous composers in history, changing the way we listen to music forever, as ragtime is the basis for a multitude for other