Top 10 Quotes & Sayings by Scott Joplin

Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American musician Scott Joplin.

Last updated on November 7, 2024.

Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin is also known as the "King of Ragtime" because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, music that was born out of the African-American community. During his brief career, he wrote over 100 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became ragtime's first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag. Joplin considered ragtime to be a form of classical music and largely disdained the practice of ragtime such as that in honky tonk.

American - Musician | 1867 - April 1, 1917

Source: Wikipedia

It is never right to play ragtime fast.

Scott Joplin

When I'm dead twenty-five years, people are going to begin to recognize me.

Scott Joplin

Marching onward, marching onward Marching to that lovely tune Marching onward, marching onward Happy as a bird in June Sliding onward, sliding onward Listen to that rag Hop and skip now do that slow, oh Do that slow drag Dance slowly, prance slowly Now you hear that pretty rag Dance slowly, prance slowly Now you do the real slow drag Waltz slowly, waltz slowly Listen to the ragtime Hop and skip Now do the slow, oh, do the slow drag

Scott Joplin

Because it has such a ragged movement. It suggests something like that.

Scott Joplin

Let me see you do the 'rag time dance'... Turn left and do the 'Cake walk prance'... Turn the other way and do the 'Slow drag'... Now take your lady to the world's fair (...) And do the 'rag time dance.'

Scott Joplin

Don t play this piece fast. It is never right to play ragtime fast.

Scott Joplin

Panic in Wall Street, brokers feeling melancholy.

Scott Joplin

One day the 'Maple Leaf' will make me King of Ragtime Composers.

Scott Joplin

What is scurrilously called ragtime is an invention that is here to stay. That is now conceded by all classes of musicians... All publication s masquerading under the name of ragtime are not the genuine article... That real ragtime of the higher class is rather difficult to play is a painful truth which most pianists have discovered. Syncopations are no indication of light or trashy music... Joplin ragtime is destroyed by careless or imperfect rendering, and very often players lost the effect entirely by playing too fast.

Scott Joplin

Syncopations are no indication of light or trashy music, and to shy bricks at 'hateful ragtime' no longer passes for musical culture.

Scott Joplin