Scott Joplin Biography - A Very Quick Guide
Artist:
Scott Joplin
Born:
1868, Texarhana, Texas
Died:
1917, New York
Who was Scott Joplin?
American composer and pianist Scott Joplin was born in 1868 or 1867 (sources vary) near Texarkana, Texas. His father, Giles Joplin, had been enslaved and worked as a labourer on the railroads; his mother, Florence, was a free-born African American who cleaned houses and played the banjo and sang. Both parents encouraged his musical interests, and his mother’s employers sometimes allowed the young Joplin to use their piano.
What was his early life like?
Joplin grew up in modest circumstances in the Reconstruction-era South. His early exposure to both African American folk traditions and European classical music gave him a broad musical background. Recognizing his talent, local teachers helped him study piano and theory. By his late teens, he was travelling across the southern United States as an itinerant musician, performing in saloons and dance halls.
How did he become successful?
In the 1890s, Joplin settled for a time in Sedalia, Missouri, where he studied music formally at the George R. Smith College for Negroes. There he composed and taught piano. His breakthrough came in 1899 with the publication of Maple Leaf Rag, issued by the Sedalia publisher John Stark. The piece became a major success, selling over a million copies in sheet music and establishing Joplin as the leading figure of the new ragtime style.
What types of music did he write?
Joplin wrote mainly piano rags, but he also composed waltzes, marches, and two operas: A Guest of Honor (now lost) and Treemonisha (completed 1910)
Treemonisha was a serious stage work combining elements of opera and African American folk tradition—an early example of what would later develop into the American musical theatre.
His piano rags, such as The Entertainer, The Easy Winners, and Elite Syncopations, remain the foundation of the ragtime repertoire.
What made his music distinctive?
Joplin’s compositions combined syncopated rhythms typical of African American dance music with balanced classical forms such as the march and the waltz. He referred to his pieces as “classic rags” to distinguish them from the cruder popular imitations of the time. His insistence that ragtime be performed with precision and dignity, rather than as fast dance music, reflected his belief in its artistic value.
Why did his career decline?
After the peak of ragtime’s popularity around 1905, changing musical tastes and financial difficulties affected Joplin’s career. He moved to New York City in 1907, hoping to stage Treemonisha, but was unable to secure a production. Disappointed and in poor health, he continued to compose and teach privately but received little recognition.
What were the circumstances of his death?
Joplin’s health deteriorated due to syphilis, and he was admitted to a mental institution in January 1917, where he died a few months later on April 1st, 1917, aged about 49. He was buried in an unmarked grave in New York, and his music was largely forgotten for decades.
How was his reputation restored?
Interest in Joplin’s work revived in the 1970s, sparked by the release of the film The Sting (1973), which featured The Entertainer. Around the same time, a full production of Treemonisha was staged for the first time, and recordings of his piano rags became popular again. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his contribution to American music.
What are his greatest works?
Some of Joplin’s best-known compositions include:
Maple Leaf Rag (1899)
The Entertainer (1902)
The Easy Winners (1901)
Elite Syncopations (1902)
Bethena (A Concert Waltz) (1905)
Treemonisha (opera, 1910)
Useful resources:
Wikipedia — Scott Joplin
Encyclopaedia Britannica — Scott Joplin | Biography, Works, & Facts
Library of Congress —
Smithsonian — The King of Ragtime
PBS — Scott Joplin: The Ragtime Legend
8notes Collection — Free Scott Joplin Sheet Music
American composer and pianist Scott Joplin was born in 1868 or 1867 (sources vary) near Texarkana, Texas. His father, Giles Joplin, had been enslaved and worked as a labourer on the railroads; his mother, Florence, was a free-born African American who cleaned houses and played the banjo and sang. Both parents encouraged his musical interests, and his mother’s employers sometimes allowed the young Joplin to use their piano.
What was his early life like?
Joplin grew up in modest circumstances in the Reconstruction-era South. His early exposure to both African American folk traditions and European classical music gave him a broad musical background. Recognizing his talent, local teachers helped him study piano and theory. By his late teens, he was travelling across the southern United States as an itinerant musician, performing in saloons and dance halls.
How did he become successful?
In the 1890s, Joplin settled for a time in Sedalia, Missouri, where he studied music formally at the George R. Smith College for Negroes. There he composed and taught piano. His breakthrough came in 1899 with the publication of Maple Leaf Rag, issued by the Sedalia publisher John Stark. The piece became a major success, selling over a million copies in sheet music and establishing Joplin as the leading figure of the new ragtime style.
What types of music did he write?
Joplin wrote mainly piano rags, but he also composed waltzes, marches, and two operas: A Guest of Honor (now lost) and Treemonisha (completed 1910)
Treemonisha was a serious stage work combining elements of opera and African American folk tradition—an early example of what would later develop into the American musical theatre.
His piano rags, such as The Entertainer, The Easy Winners, and Elite Syncopations, remain the foundation of the ragtime repertoire.
What made his music distinctive?
Joplin’s compositions combined syncopated rhythms typical of African American dance music with balanced classical forms such as the march and the waltz. He referred to his pieces as “classic rags” to distinguish them from the cruder popular imitations of the time. His insistence that ragtime be performed with precision and dignity, rather than as fast dance music, reflected his belief in its artistic value.
Why did his career decline?
After the peak of ragtime’s popularity around 1905, changing musical tastes and financial difficulties affected Joplin’s career. He moved to New York City in 1907, hoping to stage Treemonisha, but was unable to secure a production. Disappointed and in poor health, he continued to compose and teach privately but received little recognition.
What were the circumstances of his death?
Joplin’s health deteriorated due to syphilis, and he was admitted to a mental institution in January 1917, where he died a few months later on April 1st, 1917, aged about 49. He was buried in an unmarked grave in New York, and his music was largely forgotten for decades.
How was his reputation restored?
Interest in Joplin’s work revived in the 1970s, sparked by the release of the film The Sting (1973), which featured The Entertainer. Around the same time, a full production of Treemonisha was staged for the first time, and recordings of his piano rags became popular again. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his contribution to American music.
What are his greatest works?
Some of Joplin’s best-known compositions include:
Useful resources:
Wikipedia — Scott Joplin
Encyclopaedia Britannica — Scott Joplin | Biography, Works, & Facts
Library of Congress —
Smithsonian — The King of Ragtime
PBS — Scott Joplin: The Ragtime Legend
8notes Collection — Free Scott Joplin Sheet Music
Top Pieces on 8notes by Scott Joplin