Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. He is credited with helping to develop the musical style known as ragtime. His best-known compositions include “The Entertainer”, ” Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Rose of Ragtime”. During his lifetime, Joplin achieved commercial success with his music, but he was later forgotten by mainstream America. In the late 1960s, however, there was a revival of interest in his work, and he is now recognized as one of the most important composers in American history.

Joplin was born in 1868 in Texarkana, Texas. His parents were African Americans who had been slaves before the Civil War. Joplin showed an early interest in music, and he began to teach himself to play the piano when he was seven years old. When he was 11 years old, his family moved to Sedalia, Missouri, where he continued to study music. In 1890, Joplin entered the newly established Grieg Conservatory of Music in Kansas City, Missouri. He studied there for two years before leaving to pursue a career as a musician.

Joplin’s first published composition, ” Maple Leaf Rag”, was an instant success, and it helped to establish him as one of the leading ragtime composers of his day. In 1899, he relocated to New York City in hopes of finding greater success. He did find work there composing and performing music, but he also struggled with poverty and racism. In 1907, he published his most famous composition, “The Entertainer”.

Joplin continued to compose and perform until his health began to decline in the 1910s. He was diagnosed with syphilis, which was then a incurable disease. Joplin died in 1917 at the age of 49.

Despite his relatively short life, Scott Joplin left a lasting legacy. His music was unique and innovative, and it helped to shape the sound of American music for generations to come. Today, Joplin is recognized as one of the most important American composers of all time.

His Legacy

Scott Joplin’s music was largely forgotten after his death in 1917. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that his work began to be rediscovered and appreciated once again. In 1971, Joplin’s opera “Treemonisha” was finally staged, more than 50 years after it had been composed. The following year, the film “The Sting” was released, featuring a ragtime soundtrack that included several of Joplin’s compositions. These events helped to spark a renewed interest in Joplin’s music, and he is now recognized as one of the most important American composers of all time.