Gina Allomong
EDP 380H, Fall, 1995
18 December, 1995
Not only was he a genius in the musical frame of mind, he also displayed strong talents in other areas. He had a kinesthetic gift, as seen in the movements he created for his dramatic productions. It was often said that if times were different and not so segregated, he could have been a great choreographer. He was also talented in the interpersonal field, as his music touched so many people throughout the years. Through his efforts ragtime is now a respected form of music in our history, although he did not live to see this fulfillment of his dreams.
The Joplins were not a close family. It is said that the men "had traveling in their blood." Scott, the second of five children, was born on November 24, 1868. When he was a preschooler, they moved to the wild frontier town of Texarkana, Texas.
Both Jiles and Florence were musically inclined and talented. Jiles played the violin, while Florence played the banjo and sang. They encouraged musical interest in the children, and all five had talent.
Scott stood out above the rest. At an early age, he could pick out songs on his mother's banjo, on which he was proficient by age seven. He had perfect pitch and could duplicate any chord he heard. He had the ability, which he retained until the end of his life, to remember tunes and fragments he heard years before. He incorporated them with his own elements into original compositions.
His talent did not go unnoticed. Area music teachers were impressed and offered instruction. Perhaps his most influential teacher was J.C. Johnson, also known as the "Professor." Johnson gave Scott lessons on piano, violin, and horn. Scott learned to read music, and developed a knowledge of Western European musical forms. Because of his extraordinary ability, the lessons were often free.
The relationship between Jiles and Florence, however, was deteriorating as Scott's skill was improving. They had many arguments over Scott, as Jiles did not think a black man could make a decent living as a musician. Florence did not agree, and continued to encourage Scott's music.
Jiles left the family when Scott was twelve or thirteen, although Scott was not the reason. Florence continued to be the major influence on young Scott. She scraped together money to buy him a used upright piano, and he practiced constantly.
He was very ambitious about his music, practicing it even when the other neighborhood children would be playing or attending parties. Most of the money he earned from doing odd jobs went to buy sheet music.
He was known as a serious and intense boy. Not wanting to spend his life serving whites, he knew he would have to work hard. Older blacks in the neighborhood nodded and knew he would go far.
Education of her children was the most important thing to Florence. She drilled into them the significance of being well educated, and this notion was in Scott's thoughts throughout his life. He started attending the black high school when he was eighteen, for there was not one built previously. He stayed for a few years, and got a decent education.
Religion was also important in the Joplin household. Jiles's former master was a very religious man, who imparted his beliefs on Jiles, who in turn passed them on to his family. They attended the Mount Zion Baptist Church, where Scott learned that a persistent, staccato clapping accompaniment could intensify the sadness. He also came to recognize that his people, whenever possible, turned song into dance.
His culture was a mixed environment. He did not have to learn rhythm and blues; they were an integral part of it. The influential church combined superstitions, African past, and white European myths. The town of Texarkana was exciting, with bars and shootouts everywhere. This all united to make Scott Joplin the man he would become.
Joplin began his career as an itinerant pianist when he was twenty. He traveled about playing music that was not acceptable in higher social circles. Low-class crowds came to hear him in the bars of the Red Light Districts. Despite the area's reputation for serving those of a vile nature, there was little segregation there, and talent counted. He did not make much money, though, and lived hand to mouth.
He settled down in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1890. There he played ragtime at brothels and boardinghouses. Becoming friends with fellow musician and composer, Tom Turpin, he was a regular performer at Turpin's bar, Silver Dollar Saloon. (Turpin later became famous for being the first black man to have a rag published.)
A turning point in Joplin's career happened in 1893, when he went to Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition. Later this festival became the World's Fair. This broadened his perspective as black musicians came from all over to play, and were treated with same respect by the racially mixed crowd as white musicians were.
He formed his first band in Chicago, where he met Otis Saunders. Saunders was his closest friend in his young adulthood, and remained his friend for the remainder of his life. It was said that you never saw one of them without the other close by.
Joplin and Saunders went back to St. Louis in 1895. They traveled with Scott's brothers and others in a band they formed called "Texas Medley Quartet." This was a bit of an anomaly as there were actually eight members in the band!
Saunders is an important figure in Joplin's life as he provided the affective support Joplin needed to get his breakthrough. He, along with Turpin and other admirers, convinced Joplin that he needed to write his compositions down, and that they were good enough for publication.
Joplin's first two songs were published in Syracuse, New York, at the end of 1895. Both were slow waltzes of the style popular in that day. Entitled "A Picture of Your Face" and "Please Say You Will," they were not very successful. After three other attempts at ballads, Joplin ventured wholeheartedly into ragtime.
In those times, royalties were unheard of for an unknown composer. Scott was paid a small fee for his work, and was not much better off than before. He and his inseparable friend, Saunders, moved to the prosperous black community of Sedalia, Missouri.
In writing his early compositions, Joplin realized that although he was a fine improvisor, he had difficulty notating his music. Enrolling at the Smith College of Music, part of the George R. Smith College for Negroes, he studied piano, theory, and composition.
While he attended school, he supplemented his income by joining Sedalia's Queen City Concert Band. He played first B flat cornet in this all-black band, and under his influence the band became one of the first in the area to play ragtime.
In 1898, he sent out to publish his ragtime piece, "Maple Leaf Rag," again. (Previously published, the work did not sell well, perhaps due to the racist "coon cover," showing an old "darkie," that was popular at the time.) The name may have been inspired by the Maple Leaf Club, of which he was a charter member. In the club, he was the resident pianist and was known as "The Entertainer." His work was rejected by many publishers, until in the summer of 1899 he went to see a man named John Stark.
Stark was a savvy businessperson who started with nothing and built his name through hard work. His publishing company was small, and located in Sedalia. Joplin took "Maple Leaf Rag" and "Sunflower Slow Drag" with him for Stark to hear. He also took along a small black boy who would dance to the tunes. Joplin thought that by demonstrating how danceable they were, it would make Stark more likely to publish them.
Stark knew ragtime would become a national craze. He accepted "Maple Leaf Rag" and published it with a tasteful cover, which pleased Joplin. Stark and Joplin dealt with each other with mutual respect, which was remarkable for a white publisher and a black composer at that time. Understanding the significance of the piece, Stark gave Joplin the cognitive support he needed for his breakthrough.
"Maple Leaf Rag" was indeed Joplin's breakthrough. It did not sell well at first, because people thought it was too hard or not interesting. Otis Saunders and other friends went around the Midwest playing the piece, talking it up, and giving it exposure.
The ragtime national craze truly began in 1900, and all of Joplin's friends' hard work paid off. That fall, sales of "Maple Leaf Rag" skyrocketed. Stark had to hire a staff just to produce copies of it, demand was so great. To get more business, he relocated to St. Louis. To capitalize on the demand for Joplin works, he also published"Swipesy Cake Walk," a collaboration between Joplin and one of his proteges, Arthur Marshall. He also worked on a piece entitled"Sunflower Slow Drag - A Ragtime Two-Step," with another one of his proteges, Scott Hayden.
Joplin spent much time at Hayden's, but it was not just to work on music. He was interested in Hayden's widowed sister, Belle. Joplin was a shy man when it came to such matters, and was not one to declare himself openly. But with the success of"Maple Leaf Rag," this "King of Ragtime," so called by his admirers, gained the confidence and asked for her hand in marriage.
Scott and Belle were married in 1900, and moved to St. Louis. Though she did not share his interest in music, they loved each other and thought they could make it work. He began a quieter life in St. Louis, rarely performing. He concentrated on composing.
Scott chose to move to St. Louis after meeting Alfred Ernst of the St. Louis Choral Symphony. Ernst became a strong promoter of Joplin's work, and encouraged Joplin to move to St. Louis to further his career. Well respected in the community, his opinion carried much weight. He took Joplin's work with him to his native Germany, and showcased it there. As Ernst put it,"his talent will develop into positive genius . . . The work Joplin has done is so original, so distinctly individual, and so melodious withal, that I am led to believe he can do something fine in compositions of a higher class when he shall have been instructed in theory and harmony." Not only did these comments excite Joplin, they enhanced his growing desire to make ragtime music accepted as a higher class of music.
A child was born to Scott and Belle in 1902. They hoped the birth would bring them closer together. They were not getting along. Belle did not understand Scott's drive to compose music, and resented him for all the time he spent away from her. Scott, in turn, criticized her often of her lack of musical talent. He forced her to take violin lessons, and, when she proved a poor student, degraded her all the more. The baby girl died a few months after birth, and with her so did their relationship.
In the fall of 1903, Scott left St. Louis. He took his drama company, called the"Scott Joplin Ragtime Opera Co.", on tour with his first opera,"A Guest of Honor." This tour did not last long as there were many disagreements within, and the work was not well received.
He returned to Sedalia in 1904, perhaps to relive the good times. He produced many fine works, including one written for the St. Louis Fair. The pattern that developed for Joplin's works in 1905 was that many were named for women. He lived a bit on the edge, probably on the rebound from Belle. He hit a dry spell at the end of 1905, and, jilted by women, left Sedalia and traveled, seeing old friends. It seems that whenever his self-esteem was low, he could not produce. Perhaps he had ideas for songs, but had no confidence in them.
He went to his old home in Texarkana, Texas, in 1907. Welcomed as a hero, he taught and performed there. His ego was built up somewhat by the strong support he had from his relatives and neighbors. He even visited his old mentor, J. C. Johnson, and reminisced about his childhood. After a few months, he left, never to return.
Although he had a pleasant visit in Texarkana, he still was in low productive spirits when he returned to St. Louis. It may be because the city held so many painful memories for him. He even listed himself in the directory as a"laborer." This may have been because he labored at writing music, or he labored in love, or labor work was all he could do. It does seem odd that he would call himself that for the last reason as he was so determined not to be a manual laborer. He entered a new period in his life when he moved to New York City in 1907. Becoming a mature composer, he began to travel and perform again. While he was in Washington, D.C., he met a woman named Lottie Stokes.
A single woman, Lottie was thirty-three years old, five younger than Scott. He was looking for stability and peace, not a passionate love affair. He had that once with Belle and it did not work out. Lottie was very committed to him, and they were married. She was always supportive of him even when they were penniless. One wonders if their relationship worked better because Scott had matured not just in his composing but in his personality. Regardless, Scott became a productive composer again.
Their relationship was a lasting one. They seemed to be truly devoted to one another. He treated her as the lady she was, and their relationship was described as a"warm and gentle relationship." Unfortunately, just as Scott found happiness and productivity, classic ragtime's popularity started to decline. Tin Pan Alley rags, which were a commercialized and cheap version of classic ragtime, soared in popularity. They were played fast, and were not difficult to perform.
Joplin's rags were not selling well. Unlike others, he did not abandon classic ragtime. Instead, he decided to educate the public on what was good music and how to play it. He published a book teaching the"correct" way to play ragtime. Called"The School of Ragtime," he was the first black composer to publish such a manual.
Although Joplin's dedication to classic ragtime could be viewed as noble, it was more likely due to his stubbornness. He would not admit committing himself to a form that would not last. He would do everything in his power to make it last. It is interesting to think about how Scott's emotions seemed to rule his music. Women appeared to greatly affect him. As long as things were going fine, he composed productively. But when trouble started, he lost his creative spark. It suggests that he was a very sensitive person, though on the outside few could tell.
Joplin had strong determination. He was a quiet man, who rarely spoke above a whisper, because he did not feel it was necessary to. He wanted to write and publish an elevated type of music. Never caring about what the current trend was, he continued to write in his own style. In his mind, it was the best, and he did not understand why other people did not always see it his way. He was dedicated to his work, and was referred to as"ornery" until he got his own way concerning its production.
He began to work feverishly on his ragtime opera,"Treemonisha." As in 1910 he only produced two rags, he and Lottie had to travel about and he would perform for money. They were living hand to mouth, reminiscent of his early years as an itinerant musician. "Treemonisha," though hailed by modern day critics as his greatest musical accomplishment, was only reviewed by one critic, though he gave a raving report. Armed with this report and the score, Joplin scoured the streets of Manhattan in 1911 looking for a theater that would put it on.
In 1913, the Lafayette Theater said they would present it in the fall. Sadly, it was never performed, perhaps due to a change in the management. Joplin was in deep despair over this, and was morose and inconsolable for weeks. As he always seemed to do, he pulled himself out of it in 1914. My feeling is that he did so out of necessity, in order to survive. At any rate, he completed a few very fine rags during that year. He and his career, however, were slowly fading. He taught music for money, and performed as well. Starting to become forgetful and erratic, his students started to leave him. By early 1916, his mind and physical dexterity were deteriorating rapidly, and he could not remember his own compositions.
Exhibiting symptoms of dementia paralytica, he was in the last stage of terminal syphilis. As syphilis can lay dormant for eight to twenty years before signs of dementia start, it is conjectured that he contracted the disease during the years immediately following his breakup with Belle.
Joplin knew his time was running out. During his lucid periods, he worked frantically at his music. He took treatment, but it was too late, and he died on April 1, 1917. In looking at his life, evidence of a Faustian bargain did not readily present itself. What part of a rounded existence did he sacrifice? Although he had his problems with women, in the end he found happiness. Though he highly promoted his works and was overly determined to produce everything he wanted to, regardless of the salability, he got on well with others, both in his field and outside it.
People felt attracted to Joplin. One felt as if he or she could trust this charismatic individual. He was so confident of his own ability that he did not mind helping other struggling ragtime composers. Race did not seem to matter, as he launched the careers of the two other great classical ragtime composers. James Scott was black while Joseph Lamb was white. Jelly Roll Morton, jazz pianist, was influenced by the classic ragtime style of Joplin. Pianist Jess Williams was motivated by just a chance meeting with Joplin.
So if he did not have the"combative relationship with others" that Stravinsky had, then what was his Faustian bargain? He undertook no self-imposed isolation from others like Einstein or Graham. Perhaps his lifestyle was a bit ascetic, like Freud, Einstein, and Gandhi. He did always put his music before anything else, but not to the extent that the others did.
The only possible Faustian bargain is that he lacked the ability to see that his music was not what the public wanted. As a consequence, this highly talented individual died almost a pauper. But perhaps this is really not a bargain, as he was doing what he wanted to. A bargain might have been for him to change his style to keep with the times. It could be argued that his relationship with Belle was soured because he put music first, but his relationship with Lottie disproves the theory that he could not get along with women. So, in conclusion of this point, it seems that he had no Faustian bargain, at least not one like the other geniuses we have studied.
The term"ragtime" comes from a syncopation term,"ragged time." The emphasis in the melodic line in on straight beats in one hand, varied beats in the other. It is a collection and integration of little melodies played in a manner similar to the way black plantation and church songs were sung and black plantation dances were performed.
This style of music is all about improvisation, yet Joplin, ironically, only played his own pieces, and always exactly as they were written. Perhaps he felt they could not be improved upon, or did not want anyone to mess with his formula. His rag formula consisted of five parts: brief introduction, three sections of melodies, a short transitional phrase, and a concluding melody. The first section is commonly referred to as the"chorus," and it has an upbeat melody. The second section has a different melody. It is a more complex and exciting version of the chorus. The third section not only is a new melody, but is in a new key. In the transitional phrase, usually lasting four measures, the piece is taken back to the original key. The closing melody is the conclusion. One of Joplin's great gifts was taking his formula and being able to put different types of music into it.
Joplin knew for the majority of Americans, ragtime was associated with"low-life Negroes" and red-light districts. This pained him, and he wanted black music to be respectable and understood for all its possibilities.
His first piece of ragtime music was"Original Rags," but is not considered to be his best work by far. Perhaps he was still trying to get his style down on paper.
"Maple Leaf Rag" was his next produced piece, and its success was phenomenal. It was said that Stark had so much trouble keeping up with the demand that he had to put on hold other pieces by Joplin until the"Maple Leaf Rag" orders were filled. A logical early step in the development of a full-length opera was"The Ragtime Dances." This had a vocal introduction, followed by dance themes directed by the vocalist. It was considered highly pretentious for a black composer to try to print such a thing. Stark knew that it would not sell, but Joplin did not care. He had little head for business, and would always push for his pieces to be produced. This piece caused the first rift in Joplin and Stark's relationship. Joplin blamed Stark for his lack of foresight, and Stark was angered by Joplin's impracticality.
Joplin formed the Scott Joplin Dance Company in 1899 specifically to perform"The Ragtime Dances." After one performance, it closed. It was too far ahead of its time. In the spring of 1901, fine pieces such as"Sunflower Slow Drag,""Peacherine Rag," and "Augustan Club Waltz" were produced. They were very successful.
Joplin punished Stark for refusing to produce his"The Ragtime Dances." He published his own works, or sent them to other publishers. These works included"March Majestic." It is said that this piece shows Joplin's coming to maturity as a composer of marches. Another piece produced was perhaps his most famous work,"The Entertainer." Many people recognize this piece today from the movie,"The Sting."
Finally, in 1902, Stark consented to publish"The Ragtime Dances." As he had predicted, the piece was not a success. Joplin did not lose his determination to raise ragtime music up to a more respected level. He began his first ragtime opera that year.
Called"A Guest of Honor," it was not a very popular work. In fact, Joplin himself did not care much for it as the score was lost, and he was not bothered by that fact. He was busy working on the first true ragtime waltz,"Bethena: A Concert Waltz." This began the period when he had many pieces named for women. When he returned to Sedalia in early 1904, he wrote"The Cascades" in honor of the beautiful cascades at the St. Louis Fair. Experts consider this work to be a peak of classic ragtime and one of the best Joplin works. It shows his rare ability to adapt the essence of ragtime in a continually creative and refined manner. He was always trying something new. He wrote"The Chrysanthemum" after a dream he had, following his reading"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." There is a fantasy aura about it, and it is written in more of a classic form than a syncopated one. He was searching into the classical possibilities of rag.
The ten-year rule comes into effect here. If we assume that "Maple Leaf Rag," his first breakthrough, was written in 1897-98, then almost exactly ten years later there is a definite break in his work. The pieces written from 1907 on, though still ragtime music, show the mark of a mature composer.
His new, mature era started in New York with several works that did not really stand out. He started to creative produce again when he met Lottie, and wrote six pieces about the happiness and peace he found with her. They are distinctive in their variety, and include rags based on: the tango, classic rag, waltzes, and song and ballet.
"Euphonic Sounds," produced in that happy year, was his most forward-looking piece. It was a legitimate rag although it did not have the ragtime stride bass. It was considered now and then one of his finest pieces.
Despite the significance of his other works, his most important piece during his mature years was his ragtime opera,"Treemonisha." It was his most lengthy work by far, spanning 230 pages with 27 songs. Unable to find a publisher, he printed it himself.
"Treemonisha" is his masterpiece; it used all the ragtime forms he had developed and created throughout his career. It is the first truly American opera that is not imitative of the European form.
The opera deals with the birth and rise of a black woman leader, and raises questions about black-self determination and self-government. The young black woman, Treemonisha, attains a position of leadership within the black community, by virtue of education. She works to remove beliefs in superstition held within her post slavery world.
The opera is in many ways autobiographical. Scott's mother placed great emphasis on education, as did Treemonisha's. Scott, too, wanted to raise black music out of the red-light districts just as Treemonisha wanted to raise her people out of ignorance and superstition.
His heart and soul were in this opera. When it did not meet with the acceptance he felt it should have, it may very well have hastened his death.
Scott Joplin was the principal black composer of ragtime, and one of the premier American composers. He was the leader in making black music acceptable in so-called"polite" society. He was a great improvisor, and had remarkable creative genius.
His drive could best be explained in the words of his widow, Lottie Joplin. "You might say he died of disappointments, his health broken mentally and physically. But he was a great man, a great man! He wanted to free his people from poverty and ignorance, and superstition, just like the heroine of his ragtime opera, Treemonisha'. That's why he was so ambitious; that's why he tackled major projects. In fact that's why he was so far ahead of his time . . . You know, he would often say that he'd never be appreciated until after he was dead."
Curtis, S. (1994). Dancing to a Black Man's Tune: A Life of Scott Joplin. Columbia: University of Missouri Press. (Bio)
Gardner, H. (1993). Creating Minds. New York: BasicBooks. (Model info)
Haskins, J. (1978). Scott Joplin: The Man Who Made Ragtime. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc. (Bio)
Jasen, D. (1988). Scott Joplin Complete Piano Rags. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. (Music, School of Ragtime)
Preston, K. (1988). Scott Joplin. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. (Bio)
Scott Joplin Biography. Available Netscape: http://www.st-louis.mo.us/st-louis/walkofame/ inductees/joplin.html.