Scott Joplin is often referred to as the "King of Ragtime music". He was born in 1868, the second of six children in Linden, Texas. He was born to music parents: his mother Florence Givens sang and played the banjo while his father Jiles played the violin. Scott learned to do all three in addition to playing the piano. Early on, Scott showed great talent for music. He was encouraged by his parents to study music further so he was tutored by Julius Weiss on style and harmony.
After working several jobs such as dance musician, and itenerant pianist in saloons and brothels, Scott settled in St. Louis, MO in around 1890. This is where he began studying and cultivating the style he would be forever known for: ragtime. Ragtime is a combination of classical European style and African American rhythm and harmonies.
After relocating to Sedalia, MO Scott went on tour with an eight member group called Texas Medley Quartette around the country. Scott began composing during this time. One of the first pieces he composed was The Great Crushinspired by an actual crash in Waco Texas in 1896. While in Sedalia Scott worked at the Maple Leaf Club, the name from which he got his most popular song <>Maple Leaf Rag. Soon after came The Entertainer which is also still very well known today. He continued to compose, totally 60 compositions over the span of his lifetime.
Although his rags were popular and successful, Scott wasn't as successful when it came to opera. Treemonisha, which he wrote after moving to New York City, was the first opera composed by an African American. The opera was unsuccessful because there was no spoken dialogue and the lyrics were difficult to understand. After the failed opera Scott's health began to deteriorate due to syphilis. He died on April 1st 1917.
Joplin's music lost its popularity after he died mostly due to the fact that ragtime was loosing popularity to jazz. He wasn't even given recognition as a serious composer until the late 60s. His music gained popularity after it was featured in The Sting. The score to the film won an Academy Award. This was followed by Treemonisha receiving the Pulitzer Prize three years later.
