Scott Joplin and the Age of Ragtime

In his book "Scott Joplin and the Age of Ragtime," author Ray Argyle paints a fascinating picture of an African-American musical genius in the evolution of popular American culture. Born on a farm near the town of Marshall Texas in 1868, Joplin's was an unlikely success story forged against great odds in an era of racial prejudice. Growing up in a musical family, he mastered the banjo by age seven. His mother cleaned house for a white music teacher in return for piano lessons and eventually was able to buy young Scott the piano which launched his musical career. Joplin's big break came when he and his "Texas Medley Quartet" played at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. He went on to become the leading proponent and face of the ragtime era which spread across America and around the world. We owe the ever-popular Maple Leaf Rag, which, according to a contemporary, "blew the lid off the musical world," to him. What makes this book fascinating is the author's technique of weaving what is essentially a musical story into the events of turn-of-the-century America. Race, science, politics, war are juxtapositioned with developing musical trends to form a cultural mosaic of the times. Tragically, Joplin died in 1917 at 49, a victim of syphilis - perhaps a legacy of his time playing the piano in gritty saloons and brothels. Scott Joplin was not only an innovative musician, he had a dignity and grace about him which helped him to overcome almost insurmountable odds. But most of all he had soul. As a result, his music, and the America musical legacy he spawned, is with us still.