Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag
The Maple Leaf Rag (copyrighted 1899) is a ragtime musical composition for piano composed by Scott Joplin. It was ragtime's first hit. The Maple Leaf Rag is one of the most famous of all ragtime pieces, and became the model for ragtime compositions by subsequent composers. The piece gave Joplin a steady, but modest, income for the rest of his life.
Scott Joplin (1867/1868 - 1917) was an African American composer and pianist, who belonged to the first post-slavery generation. He achieved fame for his wonderful ragtime pieces ("rags"), and was dubbed the "King of Ragtime". His work had a profound influence on later writers of ragtime.
During his brief career, Joplin wrote forty-four rags, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. The popularity of his music diminished after his death. But there was a huge Joplin revival in the early 1970s, spurred by pianist Joshua Rifkin's recordings of Joplin rags, and the Academy Award winning movie The Sting, which featured several Joplin compositions, including The Entertainer.
Tutorial (original version)
Sheetmusic
