Scott Joplin, King of Ragtime
Scott Joplin Is the Subject of a Book by Yvonne Cloutier
Nevada resident Yvonne Cloutier discusses ragtime and her book, "Scott Joplin, King of Ragtime: Grandfather of today's Music."
Las Vegas resident Yvonne Cloutier has always loved ragtime music. So it is not surprising that she has written a children's book on the best-known ragtime composer, Scott Joplin. "Scott Joplin, King of Ragtime: Grandfather of Today's Music " is a wonderful book tracing not only Joplin's history, but that of ragtime itself. . "I have always liked syncopated music," Cloutier said in a recent interview. "I liked ragtime as a young person." This love of the music, along with a dearth of information on the genre's origins, caused Cloutier to write her book.
"The Entertainer"
Cloutier says that 30 years ago she had gotten away from music because she was wrapped up raising a family and working as an elementary school teacher. Then, in the 1970s, she heard the song, "The Entertainer" (from the movie, "The Sting"), on the radio. "I thought it was a new tune," she explains. "I didn't know about Scott Joplin." But when she heard the piece, she knew somehow that it would be a hit. "It was so lively and the melody was so pretty. It's one of the reasons I decided to return to the piano. I remembered, "The Entertainer," and thought, "Ragtime will be what motivates me to practice."
Cloutier started going to ragtime festivals and making cassettes of her music. She sold the cassettes at the festivals. Being an elementary school teacher, she decided that the children should learn about ragtime. "Being that I had by then studied Scott Joplin and his music, and recorded it, I began to look for a book on him for children. I couldn't find anything, so I decided to write one."
The Ragtime Composers
Cloutier says that it was difficult to do research for the book. "There is so little known about the ragtime composers. The theories on it are, first of all, that the young Black men who created the music were too busy. They didn't think it was important enough. Also, Blacks were still restricted (in the late 19th/early 20th centuries) when the music was at its peak. The musicians may not have had much self-esteem."
Scott Joplin is perhaps the best known of the ragtime composers. He is called the Grandfather of today's music, because the music was more lively than the other music of the time, and was syncopated. "It was a whole new approach to music. It ws an amalgamation of other types of music, set to an African beat," says Cloutier. "It was also greatly influenced by Spanish music."
Why is it Called Ragtime?
No one is really sure of why it is called ragtime. According to Cloutier, the most common explanation is that the music sounds ragged. Also, perhaps, the composers were very poor, and wore ragged clothes.
Ragtime has its beginnings in the 19th century. It started to take hold in the late 1800s, when Scott Joplin came out with "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899). There were ragtime composers before him, but he is the best knwn. Ragtime had a strong following for about 20 years, Cloutier says. "Now it's just considered another genre of music."
Scott Joplin: A Literate Musician
Scott Joplin was highly respected and was, at first, the only ragtime composer who could read and write music. "The composers were generally illiterate," she says. Joplin was fortunate in that he was able to learn music theory by attending the George Smith College, in Sedalia, Missouri.
"Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime," is an excellent book for both children and adults. It contains valuable informtion on a perhaps-forgotten period of American history. It also includes copies of the sheet music for Joplin's rags, and a CD with Cloutier playing six of his pieces. It comprises a happy journey into the past, with wonderful music, that is suitable for all ages.
