![]() ![]() Reed, for example, claimed in 1975 that Joplin had ‘finally found his place in the sun and been accorded his rightful position as one of the first truly American composers’ (Reed 1975: 45). ![]() The revival of these works in the 1970s, prompted in part by classical pianist Joshua Rifkin’s 1970 recording Scott Joplin: Piano Rags, emphasised the classical nature and high-art status of Joplin’s compositions, and other classical musicians began to perform them, including orchestras and ensembles. Despite writing within this first category, Joplin’s ragtimes had been regarded as popular music, influenced by traditional jazz and ‘honky-tonk’ styles (Berlin 2013a). ![]() The first group, to which The Entertainer belongs, was ‘less popular with the public than the simpler, more accessible rags’ of other popular artists (Berlin 2013b). Joplin’s output was not restricted to this genre, also including works such as marches, songs and two operas, but it is above all for ragtime that we remember him today.Īlthough ‘any music could be “ragged”’ (Middleton and Manuel 2001), there is a difference between sophisticated instrumental rags and folk-like ragtime songs. Moreover, the appearance of The Entertainer in the soundtrack to the film The Sting in 1973 caused the song to become ‘one of the most frequently played and recorded pieces of the 1970s’ (Berlin 2013b). His music gained further recognition after its revival in the 1970s, and it was ‘anachronistically positioned alongside rock hits on the sales charts’ (Berlin 2013b). Joplin had already achieved great fame and financial success for his rags, but The Entertainer raised his status when it was published in 1902. After the success of Maple Leaf Rag and other classics, Scott Joplin (c.1868–1917) earned the title ‘king of ragtime’ (Berlin 2013a). ![]()
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