Description
Like the Maple Leaf Rag, this one was published by John Stark — in 1901, the year Joplin moved from Sedalia to St. Louis. With the publishing relationship intact his rags were marketed as classic rags: works for the concert room rather than popular songs, a claim the pieces of these years all quietly make.
Smoother in its melodic writing than most of his rags, this E-flat major piece keeps its syncopation free of sharp edges. The left hand keeps its regular tread of bass and chord while the right flows above it. Both its length and its note count are modest for Joplin, and the form is easy to follow.
A good door into ragtime at an intermediate level. Practise the left hand alone until bass and chord match in volume and spacing; only then lay the right hand over it, and the off-beat figures read as lift rather than as slippage. There is no need to raise the speed at any point.
Ragtime pieces centered on Scott Joplin's syncopated rhythms — a lively American genre that helped pave the way for jazz.
Browse all songs in Ragtime →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Scott Joplin (1868-1917)
Scott Joplin was an African American composer born in Texas, known as the "King of Ragtime." Blending syncopated, buoyant rhythms with sophisticated harmony, he brought the genre to national prominence with the enormous success of "Maple Leaf Rag." This site includes 18 of his works, such as "The Entertainer" and "Elite Syncopations."
View all works by Joplin →