Louis Dispatch, one of the city’s daily newspapers, referred to the music as a “veritable call of the wild, which mightily stirred the pulses of city bred people.” People enjoyed listening to rags not only for their technicality and artistry, but also because they could dance to them.Īt this point, it’s important to mention that ragtime was not without “criticism” (read: racism). Joplin was able to combine elements of American music with elements of European classical music in a novel way, and it resulted in a genre that was refreshingly accessible and lively. Regardless of specifics though, it is documented that within five years following the World’s Fair, ragtime had exploded nationally.Īnd what’s important to realize is that at the turn of the century, piano was still closely tied to ideas of elegance and high-class. So playing music on it that had swing and syncopation was almost unheard of and certainly shocking to many. Although the event didn’t put the spotlight on any black artists and performers, their music was very popular with many in attendance.Īnd while no source can 100% confirm this, it is thought that ragtime was one of those genres, and that it caught its break here. The World’s Fair was attended by 27 million people. However, in 1893, he made his way up to Chicago for the World’s Fair, where he reinvented his “jig piano” repertoire and popularized it as ragtime. He struggled to get by during this time since very few people were willing to pay a black pianist to perform. Sometime in his 20s, Joplin left Texas to become a traveling musician. This thought would eventually lead Joplin towards discovering his signature playing style. Weiss is credited for teaching Joplin music not only as a form of art, but also as entertainment. Given his background, Weiss was no stranger to racism, and recognizing Joplin’s situation and passion, he taught him for free for five years. He received lessons from local teachers, his most significant mentor being Julius Weiss, a German-born Jewish American. His father, a former slave, played fiddle at plantation parties his mother, a freeborn woman, played banjo and sang.īy the time Joplin was seven, he began learning to play piano, and he quickly became very serious about music. Joplin was raised in Arkansas by a family of railway workers. Details about his birth aren’t exactly agreed upon, but it known that he had a musical upbringing from the very start. Scott Joplin was born sometime in 1868 somewhere in Texas. Arguably more significantly, he was one of the first African Americans to be accepted in Western music, paving the way for other black musicians and many music genres to come. I don’t think it’s possible to have never heard “The Entertainer” or “Maple Leaf Rag” - even if some non-musicians only identify with them as ice cream truck songs or music that comes on during a bar fight in a silent movie. Scott Joplin wasn’t just an inspiration to us though, he is a commemorated figure musically and historically. But we still have good memories of those old days! We ended up closing Joplin’s Java around 2013 to focus on. Our co-founder, Mark McLeod, was a big fan of his, and he used many of Joplin’s rags as demos when tuning and selling pianos. This of course, was named after the same Scott Joplin. If you are a pianist or a ragtime fan - or into music in general - this definitely isn’t surprising.Īnd if you’ve been friends of ours for a while, you’re probably even familiar with our old side hustle as a coffee shop: Joplin’s Java. The second mention of the list was Scott Joplin. Two weeks ago, we highlighted 6 Black Pianists You Should Know About.
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