KING OF RAGTIME: THE
STORY OF SCOTT JOPLIN
Written by STEPHEN
COSTANZA
Book Review by Eric Plaut
INTRODUCTION
If you enjoy listening to Ragtime, you will like reading this
biography of Scott Joplin.Dubbed as the “King of Ragtime”, Joplin composed such
hits as “The Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer” to name a few.His music
makes me think of those silent-film comedies from around a century ago.I can
picture Charlie Chaplin—dressed as his most-famous persona the “Little Tramp”—walking
about and twirling his cane around.Or the Keystone Cops ineptly chasing down a
bad guy or a Model T Ford zooming down the road and barely miss getting hit by
a speeding train.
“JUNETEENTH”
Scott Joplin was the second-oldest of six children born to Giles
and Florence Joplin in Texarkana, Texas.Scott’s birthdate varies though most
historians believe it was on November 24, 1868.Giles was a former slave from
Texas while Florence was born in the free state of Kentucky.The Joplin family
moved to nearby Texarkana, Arkansas in 1880.
(Note: “Juneteenth” marked the end of slavery on
June 19, 1865 and, a year later, would become the oldest holiday celebrated in
the African-American community in the United States.Kentucky was admitted to
the Union in 1792 as the 15thstate and had outlawed slavery in
1833.Meanwhile, in 1865, the U.S. Constitution’s 13th Amendment
declared slavery to be illegal in America.)
A SEED IS PLANTED
Scott inherited his talents through a musically
inclined family.Before he played piano, Scott could perform a tune on the
cornet.Florence sang and strummed the banjo while Giles played a mean
fiddle.Since Scott was a quiet and introverted lad, he would listen to sounds
while he worked or played outside, trying to replicate them back as best as he
could.
During the 1880’s, Giles left his family behind
to work on the railroad—laying tracks for a dollar a day.Work was scarce for
African-American men back then, and the railroad paid good money. Giles hoped that Scott would follow in his footsteps,
but the younger Joplin had other plans.Florence was soon hired as a cleaning
woman for the Cooks, a wealthy white family who had a piano.She would take
Scott along to help her with the chores.He discovered the Cooks’ piano and
wanted to play it.Once he completed his share of housework, Florence and the
Cooks allowed Scott to play their piano.
But Florence saw potential in her son.Even
amongst five other siblings, Scott’s talents stood out.Florence and Giles
searched for a long while before locating a piano for him.Around the same time,
Scott takes piano lessons from Julius Weiss, who taught the lad about music and
parts of the piano.Dr. Weiss would teach Scott for free in exchange for
Florence cleaning his house.She accepted the deal, and Ragtime fans will always
be grateful for this.
TAKING THAT TRAIN TO THE END OF THE LINE
Unlike his father Giles, Scott Joplin didn’t
want to lay railway tracks for the rest of his life.Scott, however, did take
the train to the end of another line.While still a teenager, he moved to St.
Louis and began playing piano with a band in saloons and bars to earn a
living.Scott’s material on the piano was all original music.He didn’t like
performing “covers” (as they were known long after his passing.)
Though Scott Joplin attended the 1893 World’s
Fair in Chicago, he and other black performers were prohibited in playing music
within the central venues there.But this didn’t deter Scott, and word did get
out about this amazing performer.He also felt that attending the 1893 World’s
Fair helped inspire him and his music. Joplin
moved to the thriving music town in Sedalia, Missouri a year later.
“THE KING OF RAGTIME”
“Do not play this piece fast. It is never right
to play Ragtime fast”—Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin thrived in Sedalia, Missouri.To
supplement his income, he gave piano lessons as well as played piano at the
local Maple Leaf Club.He also attended the nearby (and now defunct) George R.
Smith College where he studied harmony and composition.Scott’s first and one of
his most popular ragtime pieces was titled “The Maple Leaf Rag” (1899)—named in
honor of the local piano bar that gave him one of several breaks during his
lifetime.
But just like the melodies and rags he composed
on the piano, Scott Joplin was never one to sit still.It would take him almost
five years before he hit it big.John Stark, a music publisher, signed Scott to
a contract in 1899 upon hearing “The Maple Leaf Rag” and seeing people dancing
to his music.Joplin’s other ragtime hits included “Easy Winners” (1901), “Weeping
Willow” (1903) and one of his most popular hits—1902’s “The Entertainer”.
A JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES
Scott was also a jack-of-all-trades with his
1909 habanera “Solace” and two operas: A
Guest of Honor (1903) which told of Booker T. Washington’s visit to see
President Theodore Roosevelt at the White House; and Treemonisha (1911) in which the title character was inspired by
Florence Joplin, Scott’s mother.Joplin collaborated with fellow ragtime
composers, too.
Scott Joplin passed away in 1917 at the age of
48.His work was largely forgotten for decades.
However, a revival of his music emerged during the 1970’s.The Sting, which won the Oscar for Best
Picture in 1973, contained several piano rags of Joplin’s.There was also a 1977
film starring Billy Dee Williams as the King of Ragtime.Joshua Rifkin released
a 1970 album on Scott’s piano rags. (Joplin
did not record his music within his lifetime; instead they were printed on
piano rolls.)
It is a shame that a lot of artists and
musicians do not get the recognition they deserve during their
lifetime.Posthumous honors for Scott Joplin include: the special Pulitzer Prize
during America’s bicentennial year (1976); a stamp printed of him in 1983; and
a star on the St. Louis (Missouri) Walk of Fame in 1989.Joplin’s House on
Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis, where he wrote “The Entertainer”, is a national
historic landmark while a crater on the planet Mercury in 2012 was named “Joplin”
in his memory.There is no doubt that Scott Joplin’s music and talents will live
on forever.
CONCLUSION
This book is a great read to those who enjoy the history of
Ragtime and its most famous composer Scott Joplin.Stephen Costanza writes and
illustrates a great book on the King of
Ragtime.I also think that Costanza should have received the Caldecott Prize
or an Honorary Medal for his symbolic use in his illustrations. I recommend this book to both music fans and
historians alike!
Rating: *****
Comments
Post a Comment