Original Rags
in G major
Scott Joplin 1868–1917
G major
Key
Tempo di marcia
Tempo
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Difficulty
Our estimate Intermediate
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Themes & character
His first published rag·Arranged by another hand·Multi-strain form·Published 1899
At a glance
- Key
- G major
- Tempo / character
- Tempo di marcia
About the piece
Published in March 1899, this was the first of Joplin's rags to reach print, some months before Maple Leaf Rag made his name. The cover credited it as "picked by Scott Joplin" and "arranged by Charles N. Daniels," a common arrangement at the time and one that gave away part of the credit.
It is a looser, more episodic piece than the tightly built rags that followed, closer to a medley of strains than the disciplined structure Joplin would soon perfect.
The composer
Scott Joplin
1868–1917
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became the genre's first and most influential hit, later being recognized as the quintessential rag. Joplin considered ragtime to be a form of classical music meant to be played in concert halls and largely disdained the performance of ragtime as honky tonk music most common in saloons.
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