Ragtime

Have you ever heard a piano sound like it’s skipping and hopping all at once? That’s me. My left hand keeps a steady, bouncy beat—thump-thump, thump-thump. But my right hand plays a surprising tune that wiggles and zigzags all over the place. It’s a little bit messy, and that’s why they call me Ragtime. My name means “ragged time” because my rhythm is so fun and jumpy. I am a special kind of music born a long, long time ago, in the late 1800s. I was created by amazing African American musicians in cities like St. Louis, Missouri. They wanted to make a sound that was full of energy and happiness, and that’s how I came to be.

My very best friend was a musician and composer named Scott Joplin. He was so brilliant at writing my songs that everyone called him the “King of Ragtime.” He didn't wear a crown, but his music made everyone feel like dancing. One day, in the year 1899, he was sitting at a piano in a place called the Maple Leaf Club. He started playing a new tune that was extra catchy and full of joy. He called it the “Maple Leaf Rag,” and it became my most famous song. In those days, there was no internet or radio, so how did people hear me? Scott Joplin wrote me down on paper as sheet music. This was like a recipe for my song. People bought the sheet music and took it home to play on their own pianos, and that’s how I traveled all across the country.

For many years, from about 1895 all the way to 1919, I was the most popular music in America. My happy, tapping rhythm filled theaters, dance halls, and living rooms. People couldn’t help but move their feet when they heard me play. My exciting beat was so new that it gave other musicians big ideas. My bouncy rhythm helped inspire a whole new kind of music called Jazz, which had lots of my playful energy. Even though I’m over 100 years old, I’m not gone. You can still hear me hiding in the background of cartoons and movies, making scenes feel fun and silly. I am the sound of surprising joy, and I still love reminding people how much fun a happy, dancing piano can be.