1.   Scott Joplin  -  The Entertainer

Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" is one of the the most enduringly popular works in music. It is a rag time two step, a fashionable form around the beginning of the twentieth century. Joplin was the first classically trained black composer to become a household name in America. Ragtime was eventually succeeded by jazz.

The Entertainer

2.   Irving Berlin  -  Alexander's Ragtime Band

First published in 1911 this was Irving Berlin's first major hit. There is some evidence, although inconclusive, that Berlin borrowed the melody from a draft of "A Real Slow Drag" by Scott Joplin that had been submitted to a publisher.

Alexander's Ragtime Band

3.   Scott Joplin  -  Maple Leaf Rag

Alongside "The Entertainer," this is one of the most famous pieces from the "King of Ragtime". The "Maple Leaf Rag" is associated with Sedalia, Missouri and may have been named after the "Maple Leaf Club" in that city.

Maple Leaf Rag

4.   David Bruce  -  Freshtown Rag

This simple and upbeat piece by David Bruce is a great introduction to ragtime. It has the familiar elements of the style, including the um-cha accompaniment and syncopations in the solo line, but without some of the complexity you find in the more advanced rags by composers such as Scott Joplin.

Freshtown Rag

5.   Scott Joplin  -  Gladiolus Rag

Gladiolus Rag, written by Scott Joplin in 1907, contains elements reminiscent of his more famous Maple Leaf Rag, written 8 years earlier. Both open with a similar syncopated melody, followed by rising arpeggios that are capped by a second syncopated melody with a repeated chordal accompaniment. Both titles also evoke the world of horticulture, possibly in order to give an air of respectability to a form often considered coarse.

Gladiolus Rag

6.   M. E. Williams  -  Pig Ankle Rag

Not much is known about ragtime composer M.E.Williams. His "Pig Angels Rag," subtitled "A Grotesque Intermezzo," is, despite the title, rather graceful in quality. It was popularised in the mid-twentieth century by fiddlers Uncle Dick Hutchinson and Ron Hughey, becoming well-known in the Ozark Mountain region.

Pig Ankle Rag

7.   E L Bowman  -  12th Street Rag

(8notes PREMIUM)

Euday Bowman, born in 1887, represented the Texas style of Ragtime. His most well-known piece is the "12th Street Rag". It was recently popularised in a version for ukulele as background music on the TV series SpongeBob SquarePants.

12th Street Rag

(8notes PREMIUM)