Ragtime music was basically the father of jazz. It is a style of piano music that was extremely popular from the 1890s until about 1915.The term ragtime comes from “ragged time”, which is syncopated beats that were uneven sounding to waltz-accustomed ears back in the early 1900s. Ragtime as a musical genre was popular between 1897 and 1918, and began as dance music in the red-light districts of New Orleans and St. Louis before being published as sheet music for piano. The genre fell out of favor as jazz became popular after 1917, but there have been many revivals since as the music has been re-discovered. Ragtime even influenced 20th century art musicians including Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky, with its flavorful melody lines, harmonic progressions, and complicated metric patterns. It was basically composed by African American pianists who traveled in the Midwest and south. After it originated, it nationally flourished. Ragtime music is usually in duple meter. The right hand of the pianist plays a syncopated melody while the left hand steadily maintains the beat with an “oom-pah” accompaniment. Ragtime pieces generally consist of several melodies that are similar in character. It takes such forms as AA BB A CC DD. The rhythms of ragtime are rooted in African American folk music.
Early jazz musicians such as George Gershwin and Duke Ellington used ragtime melodies as a springboard of sorts for their improvisations. Ellington was well known for his usage of syncopation, steady beat, and ragtime piano style. These are all key parts of the ragtime style. It was an essential link between earlier forms of "Negro music," European ("classical") music, and jazz. It was defined at the time by its then-revolutionary use of syncopation. Syncopation is when musical and rhythmic accents are placed where unexpected and then taken away from where they are expected. Ragtime originated in African American music in the late 19th century, descending from the jigs and march music played by black bands. By the start of the 20th century, it became widely popular throughout North America. A distinctly American musical style, ragtime may be considered a synthesis of African syncopation and European classical music, especially the marches made popular by John Philip Sousa. Some early piano rags are entitled marches, and "jig" and "rag" were used interchangeably in the mid-1890s.
Ragtime was one of the main influences on the early development of jazz (along with the blues). Some artists, like Jelly Roll Morton, were present and performed both ragtime and jazz styles during the period the two genres overlapped. Jazz largely surpassed ragtime in mainstream popularity in the early 1920s, although ragtime compositions continue to be written up to the present, and periodic revivals of popular interest in ragtime occurred in the 1950s and the 1970s.Ragtime (with Joplin's work in the forefront) has been cited as an American equivalent of minuets by Mozart, Mazurkas by Chopin, or waltzes by Brahms. Ragtime influenced many different classical composers. (Kamien)
Early jazz musicians such as George Gershwin and Duke Ellington used ragtime melodies as a springboard of sorts for their improvisations. Ellington was well known for his usage of syncopation, steady beat, and ragtime piano style. These are all key parts of the ragtime style. It was an essential link between earlier forms of "Negro music," European ("classical") music, and jazz. It was defined at the time by its then-revolutionary use of syncopation. Syncopation is when musical and rhythmic accents are placed where unexpected and then taken away from where they are expected. Ragtime originated in African American music in the late 19th century, descending from the jigs and march music played by black bands. By the start of the 20th century, it became widely popular throughout North America. A distinctly American musical style, ragtime may be considered a synthesis of African syncopation and European classical music, especially the marches made popular by John Philip Sousa. Some early piano rags are entitled marches, and "jig" and "rag" were used interchangeably in the mid-1890s.
Ragtime was one of the main influences on the early development of jazz (along with the blues). Some artists, like Jelly Roll Morton, were present and performed both ragtime and jazz styles during the period the two genres overlapped. Jazz largely surpassed ragtime in mainstream popularity in the early 1920s, although ragtime compositions continue to be written up to the present, and periodic revivals of popular interest in ragtime occurred in the 1950s and the 1970s.Ragtime (with Joplin's work in the forefront) has been cited as an American equivalent of minuets by Mozart, Mazurkas by Chopin, or waltzes by Brahms. Ragtime influenced many different classical composers. (Kamien)