Ragtime

What is considered the root of ragtime music?

• Minstrel shows

• Ragging contests

• The Sting

• Cake walks

Answer explanation

Have you ever heard the phrase 'that takes the cake'? It comes from southern plantations in the early 1800's. Slaves would exaggerate the ballroom dances they observed by arching their backs and strutting in what were called 'cakewalking' contests.

Who wrote a tutorial book on ragtime music?

• Julius Lenzberg

• Benjamin Harney

• Tom Turpin

• Scott Joplin

Answer explanation

Benjamin Harney (a white American) published the ragtime song 'You've Been a Good Old Wagon but You Done Broke Down' in 1895 and another one called 'Mr. Johnson, Turn Me Loose' the following year. Harney also published a book in 1897 called Ben Harney's Rag Time Instructor which explained how to turn well-known melodies into rags.

What event helped make ragtime popular?

• 1893 Chicago World's Fair

• Ragging contests

• World War I

• None of the above answers are correct

Answer explanation

Americans were first exposed to ragtime, en masse, at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. It is reported that some 27 million people passed through the Fair gates between May and October of that year. In 1896 "rag" and "rag time" were used to describe some newly published "coon songs," complete with outrageous parodies of black culture and speech.

Which composer was known as the "King of Ragtime"?

• Irving Berlin

• Tom Turpin

• Benjamin Harney

• Scott Joplin

Answer explanation

He came from a poor family and his father had been born a slave. He taught himself piano until a teacher began to give him lessons for free. He is called The King of Ragtime. Ragtime combines classical music with traditional African rhythms. It was the first step towards the creation of American jazz music. He was very famous and successful during his life, with Maple Leaf Rag being his most popular piece. Ragtime music got it’s name because of its “ragged” rhythms. The musical term for these types of rhythms is syncopation, which means rhythms that are played off the beat.

What was the name of the book Joplin published outlining the key components of ragtime music?

• Piano Forte

• Maple Leaf Rag

• School of Ragtime

• Miles of Music

Answer explanation

What is the name of the genre of music that Scott Joplin spearheaded?

• Ragtime

• Bluegrass

• Jazz

• Swing

Answer explanation

In which major American city did Joplin perform at the World's Fair?

• San Francisco

• St Louis

• New York

• Chicago

Answer explanation

What was the name of Joplin's first Opera?

• La Boheme

• A Guest of Honor

• Treemonisha

• Fig Leaf Rag

Answer explanation

A Guest of Honor was an opera written by famous ragtime composer Scott Joplin. Written in 1903, this was the first opera he had ever composed.

The opera is believed to be a dramatization of African-American civil rights leader Booker T. Washington's 1901 White House dinner with President Theodore Roosevelt. This historic visit was met with condemnation from Roosevelt's political opponents, and mostly praise from the African-American community.

Scott Joplin was awarded a Pulitzer Prize (posthumously) in 1976 for his contributions to American music?

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Scott Joplin greatest success was recognized posthumously in the 1970s, an album of Scott Joplin’s rags was recorded by Joshua Rifkin selling millions of copies. An Academy Award winning movie The Sting which featured his compositions, The Entertainer . And his opera Treemonisha originally written 1906-1910 was finally produced, in 1972. And lastly in 1976, he was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

Which of the following composers was influenced by ragtime music?

• Igor Stravinsky

• Claude Debussy

• Irving Berlin

• All of the above answers are correct

Answer explanation

Many other famous composers were influenced by ragtime and even tried their hand at it. These composers included people you've probably even heard of like Irving Berlin, who wrote 'That Mesmerizing Mendelssohn Tune,' and Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky, who absorbed ragtime style into their classical work.