One of the most remarkable developments in the history of American music has been the
rediscovery of ragtime. Its popularity rivals the ragtime craze of the 1890s, yet people
everywhere are still asking questions about the man most responsible for its evolution -- Scott
Joplin.
As a young, black, itinerant musician, Joplin traveled from Mississippi riverboats, gambling
houses, and cafés to the great World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, perfecting his
craft and absorbing the sounds and rhythms of the Midwest. He made Sedalia, Missouri, ragtime
capital of the world, and his famous "Maple Leaf Rag" gave him the recognition he desired. But
he still dreamed of writing music which would be taken seriously by critics throuhgout the
world. Here is the story of that remarkable man, from whose pen came a steady stream of ragtime
classics and the opera, Treemonisha.
