Who Pioneeered Classical Ragtime Music?

Ragtime music is a style of music that was popular in the early 1900s. It was characterized by its syncopated, or “ragged,” rhythm. Scott Joplin is considered the father of ragtime music. He was a classically trained musician who began experimenting with the style in the late 1800s.

Scott Joplin

Ragtime music was pioneered by African American musician Scott Joplin in the late 19th century. Joplin was born in 1867 in Texarkana, Texas. His father, Giles Joplin, was a runaway slave who found work as a laborer, while his mother, Florence Givens Joplin, was a domestic worker. Scott Joplin showed an interest in music from an early age and began to play the banjo and piano.

Joplin’s Life

Scott Joplin was born in Texarkana, Texas, on November 24, 1868, and was named after Revolutionary War general James Scott. Joplin’s father, Giles, was a railroad laborer and his mother, Florence, was a housemaid. Jesse Binga, a successful African American businessman in Texarkana, took an interest in Joplin and helped him get started in the music business.

At the age of 14 or 15, Joplin began touring with minstrel shows. In about 1888 he settled in Sedalia, Missouri, where he worked as a guitarist and mandolinist in bands and as a piano teacher. It was there that he began to develop his own style of music, which he called “ragtime.”

In 1899 Joplin wrote “Maple Leaf Rag”, which quickly became ragtime’s most famous piece. Over the next few years he wrote dozens of other rags. He also wrote two operas—A Guest of Honor (1903) and Treemonisha (1911)—but neither was financially successful.

Joplin married Belle Hayden on January 1, 1901; they had one child who died soon after birth. The couple divorced in 1907. In 1908 Joplin married Freddie Alexander; they too had one child who died shortly after birth. Freddie Alexander also became interested in other men, and the couple divorced in 1911.

Joplin continued to write ragtime pieces and operas until his death from syphilis on April 1, 1917.

Joplin’s Music

Ragtime music was pioneered by African American composer Scott Joplin in the late 19th century. Joplin’s compositions were characterized by their syncopated (or “ragged”) rhythms, which were adapted from the Marching tunes of the military brass bands that Joplin often heard while growing up in Texarkana, Texas. The most famous of Joplin’s ragtime pieces is his Maple Leaf Rag, which was published in 1899 and quickly became one of the most popular tunes in America.

Joplin also wrote several operas, including Treemonisha (1911), which tells the story of an African American woman who is abducted by ghosts and then rescued by a witch doctor. AlthoughTreemonisha was not a commercial success during Joplin’s lifetime, it is now recognized as one of the first important works of American classical music.

Joseph Lamb

Joseph Lamb was an American composer of classical ragtime music. He was born in New York City and grew up in a musical family. His father was a violinist and his mother was a piano teacher. Lamb was a self-taught musician and taught himself how to play the piano, violin, and trombone.

Lamb’s Life

Joseph Francis Lamb (December 24, 1887 – April 15, 1960) was an American composer of ragtime music. He is credited for helping to refining ragtime and developing the classic rag sound. He wrote some of the most famous and well-regarded works in the genre including “Ragtime Nightingale”, “Raggedy Ann”, and “American Beauty Rag”. In addition to his work as a composer, he was also a respected performer and music educator.

Lamb was born in Richmond, Indiana in 1887. His father, Joseph Lamb Sr., was a violinist and his mother, Bessie, was a pianist. From a young age, he showed interest and aptitude for music. His first published composition, “March Majestic”, appeared in 1902 when he was just 15 years old. He went on to study music at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he earned his degree in 1908.

After graduating from the conservatory, Lamb moved to New York City where he became involved in the fledgling ragtime scene. It was here that he met James Reese Europe who would become a major influence on his musical development. Lamb’s first major success came with the publication of his composition “Ragtime Nightingale” in 1909. The following year, 1910, saw the publication of two more of his most famous rags: “Raggedy Ann” and “American Beauty Rag”.

Lamb continued to compose and perform throughout his life. In addition to ragtime, he also wrote works in other genres including jazz and blues. He died in 1960 at the age of 72.

Lamb’s Music

Joseph F. Lamb (December 24, 1887 – September 4, 1960) was an American composer of classic ragtime music, as well as the author of several books on the subject. He was one of the three most important composers of classic ragtime, along with Scott Joplin and James Scott.

Lamb was born in Clinton, Massachusetts, and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a German immigrant and his mother was Irish. He began playing piano at the age of six and by his teens was playing in local vaudeville houses. He left home at the age of eighteen to pursue a career in music.

Lamb’s first big hit was “The Phantom Rag” (1914), which he composed while working as a staff pianist for a New York music publisher. This ragtime classic enjoyed great popularity both in America and Europe, and has been recorded by many artists over the years. Other notable Lamb compositions include “Ragtime Annie” (1915), “Ragtime Melody” (1916), and “Cleopatra’s Needle” (1918).

Lamb was also a prolific author on the subject of ragtime music. His most famous work is probably Classic Ragtime: From its Origins to the Present Day (1949), which is still considered one of the definitive books on ragtime. He also wrote Ragtime: Its History, Composers, and Music (1945) and Give That Piano Some Teeth! (1959).

In addition to his work as a composer and author, Lamb also served as president of ASCAP from 1941 to 1946. He died in New York City in 1960 at the age of seventy-two.

James Scott

James Scott was born in Neosho, Missouri, on March 11, 1885. He was a classically trained pianist and composer who is considered to be one of the pioneers of classical ragtime music. Scott’s most famous composition is “The Maple Leaf Rag”, which was published in 1899.

Scott’s Life

James Scott (1885-1938) was an African-American composer and pianist who achieved fame in the early years of the twentieth century for his classical ragtime compositions. Scott was born in Neosho, Missouri, and began playing piano at an early age. He studied music at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, and later at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. In 1908, he moved to New York City, where he quickly established himself as a leading figure in the city’s musical life.Scott’s most famous composition is “The Entertainer”, which was used as the theme music for the 1973 film “The Sting”. Other well-known Scott compositions include ” Maple Leaf Rag”, ” Elite Rag”, and ” Frog Legs Rag”. Scott was one of the first composers to successfully blend classical and popular music styles, and his work had a profound influence on American popular music. He died in New York City in 1938.

Scott’s Music

James Scott (composer) (1885–1938), American pianist and composer of classical ragtime music
James Scott (musician) (born 1967), English rock musician, songwriter and producer
Jimmy Scott (1925–2014), American jazz vocalist