Scott Joplin (c. 1867/1868? – April 1, 1917) was an African-American compos… Read Full Bio ↴Scott Joplin (c. 1867/1868? – April 1, 1917) was an African-American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, he wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became ragtime's first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag.[2]
Joplin was born into a musical family of laborers in Northeast Texas, and developed his musical knowledge with the help of local teachers, most notably Julius Weiss. Joplin grew up in Texarkana, where he formed a vocal quartet, and taught mandolin and guitar. During the late 1880s he left his job as a laborer with the railroad, and travelled around the American South as an itinerant musician. He went to Chicago for the World's Fair of 1893, which played a major part in making ragtime a national craze by 1897.
Joplin moved to Sedalia, Missouri, in 1894, and earned a living as a piano teacher, continuing to tour the South. In Sedalia, he taught future ragtime composers Arthur Marshall, Scott Hayden and Brun Campbell. Joplin began publishing music in 1895, and publication of his "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1899 brought him fame. This piece had a profound influence on subsequent writers of ragtime. It also brought the composer a steady income for life. Joplin did not reach this level of success again and frequently had financial problems.
Joplin moved to St. Louis in 1901, where he continued to compose and publish music, and regularly performed in the St Louis community. By the time he had moved to St. Louis, he may have been experiencing discoordination of the fingers, tremors, and an inability to speak clearly, as a result of having contracted syphilis. The score to his first opera, A Guest of Honor, was confiscated in 1903 with his belongings, owing to his non-payment of bills, and is considered lost by biographer Edward A. Berlin and others.[3]
He continued to compose and publish music, and in 1907 moved to New York City, seeking to find a producer for a new opera. He attempted to go beyond the limitations of the musical form which made him famous, without much monetary success. His second opera, Treemonisha, was not received well at its partially staged performance in 1915.
In 1916, suffering from tertiary syphilis and by consequence rapidly deteriorating health, Joplin descended into dementia. He was admitted to a mental institution in January 1917, and died there three months later at the age of 49.
Joplin's music was rediscovered and returned to popularity in the early 1970s with the release of a million-selling album of Joplin's rags recorded by Joshua Rifkin, followed by the Academy Award–winning movie The Sting, which featured several of his compositions, such as "The Entertainer". The opera Treemonisha was finally produced in full to wide acclaim in 1972. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize.
Joplin was born into a musical family of laborers in Northeast Texas, and developed his musical knowledge with the help of local teachers, most notably Julius Weiss. Joplin grew up in Texarkana, where he formed a vocal quartet, and taught mandolin and guitar. During the late 1880s he left his job as a laborer with the railroad, and travelled around the American South as an itinerant musician. He went to Chicago for the World's Fair of 1893, which played a major part in making ragtime a national craze by 1897.
Joplin moved to Sedalia, Missouri, in 1894, and earned a living as a piano teacher, continuing to tour the South. In Sedalia, he taught future ragtime composers Arthur Marshall, Scott Hayden and Brun Campbell. Joplin began publishing music in 1895, and publication of his "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1899 brought him fame. This piece had a profound influence on subsequent writers of ragtime. It also brought the composer a steady income for life. Joplin did not reach this level of success again and frequently had financial problems.
Joplin moved to St. Louis in 1901, where he continued to compose and publish music, and regularly performed in the St Louis community. By the time he had moved to St. Louis, he may have been experiencing discoordination of the fingers, tremors, and an inability to speak clearly, as a result of having contracted syphilis. The score to his first opera, A Guest of Honor, was confiscated in 1903 with his belongings, owing to his non-payment of bills, and is considered lost by biographer Edward A. Berlin and others.[3]
He continued to compose and publish music, and in 1907 moved to New York City, seeking to find a producer for a new opera. He attempted to go beyond the limitations of the musical form which made him famous, without much monetary success. His second opera, Treemonisha, was not received well at its partially staged performance in 1915.
In 1916, suffering from tertiary syphilis and by consequence rapidly deteriorating health, Joplin descended into dementia. He was admitted to a mental institution in January 1917, and died there three months later at the age of 49.
Joplin's music was rediscovered and returned to popularity in the early 1970s with the release of a million-selling album of Joplin's rags recorded by Joshua Rifkin, followed by the Academy Award–winning movie The Sting, which featured several of his compositions, such as "The Entertainer". The opera Treemonisha was finally produced in full to wide acclaim in 1972. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize.
Paragon Rag
Joplin Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Joplin:
Maple Leaf Rag I came from ole Virginy from the county Acomac I have…
Move Over You say that it's over baby, Lord You say that it's…
Piece Of My Heart Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on Didn't I…
summertime Summertime, time, time, Child, the living's easy. Fish are…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Robert Lynch
Late to the party...
I have been playing PARAGON for about 20 years now...
Never quite as fast as this (pretty exciting!)
My left hand isn't up to the job.
But at a tempo a bit down, I've also added a lot of flourishes to the right hand; walking chords, reflected in the bass clef, octave changes, runs between octaves and so on. It is definitely a song that is well suited to player interpretation, much tho' Joplin himself eschewed the practice.
That is the glory of the Ragtime Era though.
The wild-and-crazy composers of the day often took other well known pieces such as Paragon and then totally re-adapted them over the course of months to something of their own. And not to ill effect.
The problem that Joplin and Lamb both worked against though was the proclivity of Ragtime music to become formulaic and cheapened by loose-and-often-lazy adaptation, especially for brothels, gambling saloons, and other public houses of ill repute.
But his was only a 3-man army.
Bars and Saloons always had able-players arriving unannounced, to have competitions, or just to play-for-whiskey or more exotic favors of the Denizens of The House. After all, Joplin died of 3rd stage syphilis. Didn't get that from a mosquito bite... ahem... ahem...
Great playing.
Thank you again.
Erlend Gerhard
This piece- and your interpretation of it makes me so happy every time I listen, thank you<3
Al Anton
I love how I never hear a slurred note in a bass octave from you. That is hard to avoid over any period of time. Way to go !!!
John Remmers
Recently added "Paragon" to my own repertoire. Your tempo is significantly faster than most of the performances of "Paragon" I've heard, and I *really* like it. Brings the piece to life!
walter estulin
Cory, I have become addicted to your performance. To EVERYTHING you play. Thanks a lot !!
Matt White
I never purchased ragtime music because I didn't think I could stand to listen to it continuiosly but I believe I could listen to you play rag for an hour or two.
Robert Lynch
Late to the party...
I have been playing PARAGON for about 20 years now...
Never quite as fast as this (pretty exciting!)
My left hand isn't up to the job.
But at a tempo a bit down, I've also added a lot of flourishes to the right hand; walking chords, reflected in the bass clef, octave changes, runs between octaves and so on. It is definitely a song that is well suited to player interpretation, much tho' Joplin himself eschewed the practice.
That is the glory of the Ragtime Era though.
The wild-and-crazy composers of the day often took other well known pieces such as Paragon and then totally re-adapted them over the course of months to something of their own. And not to ill effect.
The problem that Joplin and Lamb both worked against though was the proclivity of Ragtime music to become formulaic and cheapened by loose-and-often-lazy adaptation, especially for brothels, gambling saloons, and other public houses of ill repute.
But his was only a 3-man army.
Bars and Saloons always had able-players arriving unannounced, to have competitions, or just to play-for-whiskey or more exotic favors of the Denizens of The House. After all, Joplin died of 3rd stage syphilis. Didn't get that from a mosquito bite... ahem... ahem...
Great playing.
Thank you again.
Mark Meyer
Very exciting! Well done!!!! It is such a neat rag and you brought it to life perfectly.
August H.
wow, in my opinion this is the best video you uploaded! of course they are all great...do you ever record a cd full of joplin cover songs?
TzviErez
Well done. I like the tempo.
Steve M
brilliant interpretation. Love the inversion in the trio. Cory, is there any reason Joplin chose different keys for different rags? I felt the G gave a 'plantation' happy go lucky feel to Paragon and Weeping Willow. how does the key affect the end result? Love your Czerny but don't lose your momentum on the Joplin, only another 30 or so to go!Thanks as always. Best wishes.