The frivolity of the work masks the serious concentration and dexterity required from the performer. The suspended melody line trickles down the scale as Joplin’s chromatic writing grows into fruition. This athletic rag requires focused coordination for both hands to make sure each off-beat inflection and bass line motif meet and part at the right time. Joplin’s persistent use of seventh chords also creates that archetypal sound for a ragtime piece. The four sections of this rag create diversity in the melody and show the development of the bassline. With Maple Leaf Rag Joplin writes bounding leaps for the bass line and off-beat melodies on the other hand. The march-like style paired with the cakewalk-inspired melody creates the archetypal ragtime composition. The quick tempo and huge leaps for both hands makes this a difficult rag for any pianist. This quintessential rag brings together many aspects of a rag into one neatly packed piano work. It is often known as the most famous ragtime piece that has gone on to inspire a number of composers. Maple Leaf Rag was one of Joplin’s earliest rags for the piano. A number of his piano rags and his opera Treemonisha have become some of the most recognisable music of the genre. It wasn’t until some ground-breaking recordings done in the 1970s that Joplin’s music found a new lease of life. Joplin’s music went out of fashion, with only a small number of ragtime aficionados keeping his music alive. After Joplin’s death in 1917, ragtime music came out of the ‘mainstream’ line and started to form into the likes of jazz, big band swing and the blues. Scott Joplin is remembered for being one of the most memorable ragtime composers of the turn-of-the-century during his lifetime (1868-1917).
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