Editing Scott Joplin (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Scott Joplin TxHM.jpg|thumb|A [[commemorative plaque]] to Joplin in [[Texas]]]]

Joplin and his fellow ragtime composers rejuvenated American popular music, fostering an appreciation for African American music among European Americans by creating exhilarating and liberating dance tunes. "Its syncopation and rhythmic drive gave it a vitality and freshness attractive to young urban audiences indifferent to Victorian proprieties...Joplin's ragtime expressed the intensity and energy of a modern urban America."<ref name=Scott37 />

[[Joshua Rifkin]], a leading Joplin recording artist, wrote, "A pervasive sense of lyricism infuses his work, and even at his most high-spirited, he cannot repress a hint of melancholy or adversity...He had little in common with the fast and flashy school of ragtime that grew up after him."<ref name=Rifkin>Rifkin, Joshua. ''Scott Joplin Piano Rags'', Nonesuch Records (1970) album cover</ref> Joplin historian Bill Ryerson adds that "In the hands of authentic practitioners like Joplin, ragtime was a disciplined form capable of astonishing variety and subtlety...Joplin did for the rag what [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]] did for the [[mazurka]]. His style ranged from tones of torment to stunning serenades that incorporated the [[bolero]] and the [[tango music|tango]]."<ref name=Ryerson /> Biographer Susan Curtis wrote that Joplin's music had helped to "revolutionise American music and culture" by removing Victorian restraint.<ref>[[#Curtis|Curtis (2004)]] p. 1.</ref>

Composer and actor [[Max Morath]] found it striking that the vast majority of Joplin's work did not enjoy the popularity of the "Maple Leaf Rag", because while the compositions were of increasing lyrical beauty and delicate syncopation, they remained obscure and unheralded during his life.<ref name=Morath33>{{harvp|Morath|2005|p=33}}</ref> According to music historian [[Ian Whitcomb]], Joplin apparently realized that his music was ahead of its time:

{{Blockquote|text=[Joplin] opined that "Maple Leaf Rag" would make him "King of Ragtime Composers" but he also knew that he would not be a pop hero in his own lifetime. "When I'm dead twenty-five years, people are going to recognize me," he told a friend.}}

Just over thirty years later he was recognized, and later historian [[Rudi Blesh]] wrote a large book about ragtime, which he dedicated to the memory of Joplin.<ref name="Whitcomb">{{harvp|Whitcomb|1986|p=24}}</ref>

Although he was penniless and disappointed at the end of his life, Joplin set the standard for ragtime compositions and played a key role in the development of ragtime music. While ragtime's popularity faded around then, [[Dixieland jazz|New Orleans jazz]], [[Stride (music)|stride]], and [[novelty piano]] subsequently adopted many of its traits.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Ragtime |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200035811/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406040748/https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200035811/ |archive-date=April 6, 2024 |access-date=April 16, 2024 |website=[[Library of Congress]]}}</ref> And as a pioneer composer and performer, he helped pave the way for young black artists to reach American audiences of all races. After his death, jazz historian [[Floyd Levin]] noted: "Those few who realized his greatness bowed their heads in sorrow. This was the passing of the king of all ragtime writers, the man who gave America a genuine native music."<ref name=Levin>[[#Levin|Levin (2002)]] p. 197.</ref>