Report by Tiffany Chang
Ragtime is considered the first completely American music, and became popular around the
end of the 19th century and the first few decades of 20th century. Ragtime is a type of jazz
music, syncopated in a uniquely American way, and is used in many musical compositions,
entertainment, and scholarships. The popular demand for ragtime music boosted the sale of
piano and also a huge increase in demand for recording industry. Ragtime music first
started from southern and midwestern states, and then slowly diffused into European
culture. The majority of the compositions in this genre were for piano, in duple meter, and
also had highly syncopated treble leads over a rhythmically steady bass. It is usually
sectioned off to three or four contrasting parts and each about 16 to 32 measures long.
Ragtime music was mainly composed for an audience to listen to, but over a period time, it
became more syncopated and was later used to accompany dancing. Ragtime music
wasn’t just syncopated peppy music; in fact, it had a wide range of styles. They were so
different from what people normally heard at that time, that it was frequently described as
non-musical. The syncopated beat created excitement and threatened both America’s youth
and the society back then. Syncopation allowed one to feel propulsion, swing, and a general
musical looseness. Missouri was the center of ragtime, and many young, spirited people
created an environment there for ragtime to flourish. Missouri was home to many famous
ragtime composers including Arthur Pryor and John Stark. Ragtime soon became a fad in
the early 1900s appearing everywhere. From sheet music, piano rolls, phonograph records,
ragtime piano playing contest, music boxes, vaudeville theaters and bordellos. The
technical demands needed to play some of the ragtime music demanded a lot of expression.
What was left of it in the 1920 was the virtuosic, technical aspects of piano ragtime. later
which became known as “novelty piano” or nor referred to as “novelty ragtime”. Many of
ragtime music by Joplin, James Scott etc.. had been nearly forgotten by the 1920s. But it
was only because it was replaced by jazz for some time, but ragtime did not disappear
completely and appeared later on.
Ragtime is considered the first completely American music, and became popular around the
end of the 19th century and the first few decades of 20th century. Ragtime is a type of jazz
music, syncopated in a uniquely American way, and is used in many musical compositions,
entertainment, and scholarships. The popular demand for ragtime music boosted the sale of
piano and also a huge increase in demand for recording industry. Ragtime music first
started from southern and midwestern states, and then slowly diffused into European
culture. The majority of the compositions in this genre were for piano, in duple meter, and
also had highly syncopated treble leads over a rhythmically steady bass. It is usually
sectioned off to three or four contrasting parts and each about 16 to 32 measures long.
Ragtime music was mainly composed for an audience to listen to, but over a period time, it
became more syncopated and was later used to accompany dancing. Ragtime music
wasn’t just syncopated peppy music; in fact, it had a wide range of styles. They were so
different from what people normally heard at that time, that it was frequently described as
non-musical. The syncopated beat created excitement and threatened both America’s youth
and the society back then. Syncopation allowed one to feel propulsion, swing, and a general
musical looseness. Missouri was the center of ragtime, and many young, spirited people
created an environment there for ragtime to flourish. Missouri was home to many famous
ragtime composers including Arthur Pryor and John Stark. Ragtime soon became a fad in
the early 1900s appearing everywhere. From sheet music, piano rolls, phonograph records,
ragtime piano playing contest, music boxes, vaudeville theaters and bordellos. The
technical demands needed to play some of the ragtime music demanded a lot of expression.
What was left of it in the 1920 was the virtuosic, technical aspects of piano ragtime. later
which became known as “novelty piano” or nor referred to as “novelty ragtime”. Many of
ragtime music by Joplin, James Scott etc.. had been nearly forgotten by the 1920s. But it
was only because it was replaced by jazz for some time, but ragtime did not disappear
completely and appeared later on.