Scott Joplin – A Complete Biography

Introduction

Scott Joplin (c. 1867/1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist widely celebrated as the “King of Ragtime.” He composed over 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas, and is best known for “Maple Leaf Rag,” a cornerstone of the ragtime genre.

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Childhood

Joplin was born into a musically inclined African-American family, likely near Linden or Texarkana, Texas, between the summer of 1867 and early 1868. He was the second of six children born to Giles Joplin, a former slave, and Florence Givins. The family moved to Texarkana, where Joplin began playing piano around age seven, initially at the home where his mother worked. He later received free formal lessons from Julius Weiss, a German music teacher, between ages 11 and 16.

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Youth

By age 16, Joplin was performing locally with a vocal quartet and teaching mandolin and guitar. He soon became a traveling musician through the American South and Midwest, earning gigs in various venues, including brothels and clubs. He also performed at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where ragtime began gaining national attention.

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Adulthood

In 1894, Joplin settled in Sedalia, Missouri, where he taught piano and performed at local clubs such as the Black 400 Club and the Maple Leaf Club. His first published works—songs like Please Say You Will and A Picture of Her Face—appeared in 1895. In 1899, his “Maple Leaf Rag” was published under a royalty contract and became an instant success, setting the standard for ragtime form.

Joplin later moved to St. Louis and collaborated on many of his most famous rags, including The Entertainer and The Ragtime Dance. He married twice—first to Belle Jones, and later to Freddie Alexander, whose untimely death in 1904 deeply affected him and inspired works such as Bethena.

In 1901, he composed his first opera, A Guest of Honor, but the score was lost after financial troubles during a tour. By 1907, Joplin had moved to New York City to stage Treemonisha, which he published himself in 1911. A single rehearsal performance in Harlem failed commercially, but the work later became recognized as a significant cultural achievement.

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Major Compositions

• Maple Leaf Rag (1899): A landmark in ragtime, serving as the genre’s defining piece.
• The Entertainer, The Ragtime Dance, The Easy Winners, Elite Syncopations: Signature rags that cemented his reputation.
• Bethena: A deeply emotional waltz reflecting personal loss.
• Operas:
  • A Guest of Honor (1901) — now lost.
  • Treemonisha (1911) — an ambitious work advocating education and enlightenment within the African-American community.

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Death

By 1916, Joplin had developed neurosyphilis, which severely affected his physical and mental health. He was admitted to the Manhattan State Hospital for the Insane and died there on April 1, 1917, at age 48. He was buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave, which was finally given a marker in 1974.

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Conclusion

Scott Joplin redefined ragtime, elevating it from popular entertainment into a sophisticated musical art form. Though he died in relative obscurity, his music was rediscovered in the mid-20th century, leading to renewed acclaim. His works have since been celebrated worldwide, and he is now recognized as one of the most important figures in American music history.