Classic Rag

Classic Rag (or classical ragtime) is a term used to describe the style of ragtime composition pioneered by Scott Joplin and the Missouri school of ragtime composers. The term "classic" was first applied to these compositions by Joplin's publisher, John Stark, as a way to distinguish them from what he considered the "common" rags of other publishers, but today the term is often used to describe a particular structural form used in ragtime composition.

Related Topics:
Ragtime - Scott Joplin - John Stark

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the earliest days of ragtime, there was little consensus on how to print the syncopated melodies of ragtime, so there was considerable variety in the formatting of sheet music. Pieces appeared in common meter, in 4/4 time, and in 2/4 time, and often followed conventions of earlier musical forms such as the march. As the twentieth century dawned most composers, arrangers, and publishers began to settle on a common set of notational and structural conventions, and since Scott Joplin was the best-selling ragtime composer in that era, it was his conventions that eventually predominated. The "classic rag" form can thus be considered the typical form of a ragtime piano composition, though it is by no means the only form.

Related Topics:
Syncopated - March

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~