Ragtime and Its Impact                    Back to Pop Music 101

I. The Meanings Of Ragtime (3 )
    A. A body of music (i.e. compositions by Scott Joplin and others)
    B. A style of playing (harmonize the melody & appeggiate the chords to syncopate notes)
    C. its influence on another style (songs that are syncopated like ragtime)

II. The Ragtime Years
    A. First Ragtime music published in 1890s
    B. Around 1900 rag & ragtime were used to identify the style (1899 Maple Leaf Rag publ.)
    C. John Phillip Souza performed Ma Ragtime Baby  at Paris World Fair
    D. In 1912, That Mesmerizing Mendelssohn Tune  was a big hit
    E. From 1900 - 1910 dancing to ragtime became popular - turkey trot & others
    F. In the teens, blues and jazz superseded ragtime

III. The Impact of Ragtime (3 ways)
    A. it left a musical legacy (composers of an art form)
    B. its responsible for a number of first in popular music & African-American music
        1. beginning of movement to preserve the African-American musical heritage
        2. 1st documented instance of African-americans filtering through their own music the European music to which they had been exposed
    C. it influenced a wide range of music & reshapes popular music
         1. Ragtime had a widespread impact on other styles                         
        2. Ragtime made music more lively (its beat had more bounce)
        3. contributed to early models of jazz

IV. The Sound of Ragtime
    A. Scott Joplin’s classic piano rags are the most enduring (see pg. 87, Table 6.1     Style profile.)    
    B. The cakewalk precursor to the ragtime sound - march based w / rhythmic conflict
    C. Ragtime Song - successors of the “coon songs” of the 1890s but with syncopation
    D. Ragtime dances developed into the foxtrot era which had:    
        1. A  faster tempo  
        2. different instrumentation  
        3. Slightly different form
        4. Less syncopation than earlier rags

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