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Maple Leaf Rag
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Song
On 10 August 1899, the Black pianist Scott Joplin signed a contract in Sedalia with the publisher John Stark for his Maple Leaf Rag. Ragtime is piano music with a displaced, hopping rhythm. Joplin did not receive a one-off fee, but one cent for every copy sold: royalties. That was highly unusual for a Black composer at the time. The sheet music sold well for years and made ragtime popular all over America.
Listening
Listening tip. Hear how the left hand stays firmly on the beat, while the right hand keeps jumping just off it. That displaced rhythm is called syncopation.
Maple Leaf Rag · Scott Joplin, 1916Apple Music ↗
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