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1902 scott joplin piano rag7/23/2023 Some music reference books incorrectly state that Scott Joplin only wrote one opera, Treemonisha. Second, playing them too fast would obscure some of their melodic and rhythmic subtleties. First, piano rags were used for dancing in his time and would become undancable if played too fast. Joplin probably had two gripes with this practice. Apparently it was common for musicians of his day, as it is today, to play rags really fast in order to wow an audience. Joplin said that he was strongly influenced by the piano music of Chopin.Joplin always published a note at the top of his rags to remind the pianist not to play them too fast. Thus he wrote four part rags with sophisticated harmonies, key changes, and rhythmic structures more complex than those of the standard rags of his day. Joplins goal with his rags and other works for piano was to write works for the piano that were on the level of the European classics. As a youth Scott Joplin took lessons from a German musician who taught him how to read and write music and introduced him to classical piano works from Europe. Most ragtime pianists played by ear and were entirely self-taught. ![]() The standard rag of his day had three parts and an unsophisticated harmonic structure. ![]() When Joplin started writing his piano rags, the "rag" was a style of popular music known for its ragged rhythms and catchy melodies. ![]() These were also popular styles in his day. Besides rags, Joplin also wrote waltzes and marches for the piano. The "Maple Leaf Rag" sold over one million copies during Joplins life and continues to be one of the most popular works for piano in our time. Joplins biggest success, by far, was his still famous "Maple Leaf Rag." In the days before radio and records, music popularity was judged by sheet music sales.
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