Scott Joplin 100 Years -- April 1, 2017

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One hundred years ago today, on 01-April-1917, the father of ragtime, Scott Joplin, died at the age of 49.  Joplin had played piano at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.  In 1894 he settled in Sedalia, Missouri, home of the Maple Leaf Club, and taught piano. I could not find a reference to his passing in any contemporary newspapers that are online.

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In 1899, he published his first ragtime composition, "Original Rags."

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"Maple Leaf Rag," also published in 1899, was Scott Joplin's most famous and influential composition.  I once put together a mix tape made up entirely of recordings of this tune.

In 1911, Joplin published Treemonisha, an opera.  Joplin was able to produce it once, in 1913.  Since 1975, it has been staged several times.