Scott
JOPLIN
c.1865 - 1917
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The "King of Ragtime".
Son of a Missouri ex-slave, the musical gifts of Scott JOPLIN were remarked at a very early age. After
studying music and piano with a local german professor, JOPLIN left his family in Texarkana
to play piano in the hot red - light districts of the Midwest towns.
In 1897 JOPLIN met in Sedalia the music publisher and dealer John STARK who became his main publisher.
He still played in several important cities before establishing himself definitively in New York towards 1907.
He marked the Ragtime history with major compositions.
Extracts :
Maple Leaf Rag - 1899
The Entertainer - 1902
The Silver Swan - 1914
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James
SCOTT
1886 - 1938
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SCOTT was also born from an emancipated slaves family,
settled in the region of Missouri.
His mother taught him the rudiments of the piano and he later perfected his piano playing with John COLEMAN,
a local classical pianist. We did not have many
biographical informations about him, but he was also published by John STARK in Saint-Louis,
MO. After the "Ragtime Era", he kept composing and accompanying the silent films in
his resident town of Kansas City, MO.
Extracts :
Kansas City Rag - 1906
Climax Rag - 1914
Pegasus - 1920
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Joseph
LAMB
1887 - 1960
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The greatest White Ragtime composer lived his childhood in Canada, and nothing predestined
him to become a major Ragtime composer.
One day he purchased some Ragtime sheet music at STARK's New York store and there he was presented to Scott JOPLIN who quickly helped him
to publish his works with John STARK. LAMB became
afterward a leader of a Ragtime orchestra and continued to compose until his death, but as a leisure activity.
Extracts :
Ragged Rapids Rag - 1905
Ethiopia - 1909
Patricia - 1916
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Charles
JOHNSON
1876 - 1950
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JOHNSON learnt the piano very early thanks to a local professor of classical music.
He spent his entire life in Kansas City,
which was at that time a big center of Ragtime activities. After having played his compositions with his small instrumental
bands, he began to publish numerous rags by using occasionally pseudos so as to "not flood the market with [his] own
compositions".
Extracts :
Black Smoke - 1902
Powder Rag - 1908
Teasing The Cat - 1916
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Tom
TURPIN
1873 - 1922
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Tom TURPIN is a self-taught pianist but became nevertheless an accomplished musician. He had not the same vision of Music
contrary to other important composers. For him, Music was above all a source of incomes. He settled down in Saint Louis as a saloon owner and operated there the Rosebud Café until 1906.
The Jerusalem of the ragtime, the Rosebud Café quickly became the meeting point for several talented ragtime players.
Extracts :
Harlem Rag - 1897
The Saint Louis Rag - 1903
Pan-Am Rag - 1914
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Artie
MATTHEWS
1888 - 1958
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Born in the Illinois state, MATTHEWS learnt piano playing at a very young age thanks to his mother and then as a pupil of
two local pianists. He continued his music studies at Saint Louis, MO. He arranged the first blues ever published in 1912,
before composing his own 5 Pastime rags. These pieces are highly sophisticated. In 1916, he became organist in a Cincinnati
(Ohio) church. Conscious that racism and segregation were a important issue at that time, he opened the first conservatory for Blacks in this
town.
Extracts :
Pastime 1 - 1913
Pastime 3 - 1916
Pastime 4 - 1920
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Percy
WENRICH
1887 - 1952
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Even if WENRICH is better known as a popular song writer for Vaudeville shows
especially, he's nevertheless well-known as a great composer of Classic Ragtime.
He spent his early years in the little mining town of Joplin located in Missouri, the cradle of Classic Ragtime.
He's been a pianist for the different town's saloons and for several music events.
Later he married a vaudeville dancer, moved to New-York and continued to work as a professionnal musician for the rest of his life.
His compositions are folk or popular, but some of his fine rags, like The Smiler, has a very good " Black Ragtime " flavour.
Extracts :
Ashy Africa - 1903
The Smiler - 1907
Ragtime Chimes - 1911
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