The Ragtime Dance (1902) - Scott Joplin (With Score / Sheet Music)

Before Joplin had even became crowned as the "King of Ragtime" by his local Sedalia community, following his hit piece "Maple Leaf Rag," Joplin had already found interest in elevating Ragtime music from the realm of popular tunes to a serious legitimate art form prior to it's publication. In his eyes, Joplin greatly desired for Ragtime to one day be "respectable" in form & felt that if he had worked hard enough, he could singly handedly elevate the genre not only for his own benefit but for the benefit of other black musicians.

Deciding that he would not limit his composing to the short piano rags he could apparently write with such ease, Joplin had went off to compose the music for a much larger work several months before Stark would ever publish Maple Leaf. It was to be a dramatic Ragtime folk ballet, a form entirely of his own creation that would prove to be a startling idea in the end. The ballet, called "The Ragtime Dance," was based on black social dances of the era and came around to be a whooping 9 pages long in total, featuring a vocal introduction & a number of descriptive dances to be announced by the vocalist themselves.

Following great support from his Sedalia associates and friends (including the likes of his brother Will & Arthur Marshall), they were able to copy out the required parts for the variety of instruments of the accompanying orchestra meant to be played with the work. And upon it's completion, Joplin formed the Scott Joplin Drama Company in order to host the ballet's first full performance. In late 1899, Joplin rented out the Woods Opera House in Sedalia for a single performance (as one performance was all he could afford at the time) & invited everyone he knew, including the Stark family whom he hoped could be persuaded to publish the lengthy work.

Despite the piece coming out to be a great success amongst his personal companions, Stark did not take to well on the idea of publishing the work, citing that it was not only to long overall, but that it would be too difficult for the average pianist to play for themselves. For as a businessman, Stark understood the odds against such a work becoming popular to the average musician & consumer, yet Joplin had still felt the publisher was being excessively cautious, impeding his artistic development. Furthermore however, the odds were already against Joplin from the start as the ballet had been performed before he had introduced his "Maple Leaf Rag," giving himself no actual proof that his work would sell.

Disappointed by the turn down, Joplin would continue to polish the piece over the next year or so after his move to St. Louis in 1900, pulling together all his resources in a second attempt to persuade Stark to take on his work. In late 1901, he would mount the second performance solely for the Stark family, this time with Stark's daughter, Nell, present in the audience. Having greatly enjoyed the ballet through & through, even she had attempted to persuade her father to publish the work, leading to the same refusal to do so. Angered by yet a second turn down, Joplin would breach the "publisher's first pick/choice" contract made with Stark after the success of Maple Leaf Rag to publish his newest rag completely on his own entitled as "The Easy Winners." With it, it proudly boasted on the cover "Composed by Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime Writers," becoming the first of many wedges in their relationship throughout the years.

Yet all was not lost as in 1902, Stark had finally given in to Joplin's demands, reluctantly going against his good business sense and agreeing to publish the work in it's entirety. Perhaps it was because he felt he had owed something to the composer after his Maple Leaf Rag made his business a success. Or perhaps it was a move to keep Joplin from parting ways with the firm. Yet whatever the reason may have been, there was one thing for certain that would taint their relationship forevermore: The ballet's complete failure to appeal to the public.
Biography is continued in the pinned comment below.
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"The Ragtime Dance" - Staged Ragtime Song/Dance - Pattern: Intro Vs Int A A Trans B B C C D D E E F F E E
Music by Scott Joplin, Published by John Stark & Son in 1902
Cover Artist: Fred Graf

Music description provided & written by Katherine Preston. To learn more about this piece, check here!:
https://web.archive.org/web/202203082...

Music performed by Bernhard Häussermann.