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Scott Joplin, b. Texas--possibly in Texarkana,
where he was raised--Nov. 24, 1868, d. Apr. 1, 1917, was the
most celebrated composer of instrumental RAGTIME. Although
his family was poor--his parents had been slaves--the young
Joplin studied classical piano as a child; he later worked
as a dance musician, and at about the age of 20 he became
an itinerant pianist, traveling throughout the Midwest. He
published his first composition, the song "Please Say
You Will," in 1895; other sentimental songs and marches
followed. His "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899) became the
most popular piano rag of the period, securing for Joplin
a modest lifetime income from royalties and the title "King
of Ragtime." Altogether, he published some 60 compositions,
of which 41 are piano rags; the balance consists of songs,
marches, and the opera Treemonisha (1911), produced unsuccessfully
in concert form in 1915 but revived successfully 57 years
later. During his lifetime, Joplin was never acknowledged
as a serious composer. Recognition came posthumously, however,
with the republication (1972) of his music, a Pulitzer Prize
(1976), and acclaim from both the popular and the scholarly
communities.
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