ragtime
An American musical style with syncopated melody over a steady bass, popular around 1900.
In Depth
Ragtime emerged in African-American communities in the 1890s, characterized by a syncopated (ragged) melody played over a steady, march-like bass in the left hand. The style was primarily a piano genre, though ragtime compositions were also arranged for ensembles and bands.
Scott Joplin, the King of Ragtime, elevated the form with sophisticated compositions like Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer. Ragtime was the first African-American musical form to achieve widespread mainstream popularity and commercial success. Its syncopated rhythms directly influenced the development of jazz and, through jazz, virtually all subsequent popular music.
Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag was one of the first pieces of sheet music to sell over a million copies, making Joplin the first African-American composer to achieve mass commercial success.