keiva:
The Maple Leaf Rag was Joplin's first commercial success and kicked off the ragtime era. musick:
The notion that the Ragtime era (or any other era (for that matter)) was kicked off by a specific composition is generalized historical ridiculousness... Appreciate your polite disagreemnt with me, musick, but trust me: I checked, and the authorities share my view. It is particularly important because of the historical importance of ragtime, "the first truly indigenous popular music in the United States, and the first music that actually spawned entertainment as the viable business enterprise it has become today."
Maple Leaf Rag ... It was an immediate hit, selling more than a million copies of sheet music in the next few years. ... its popularity marks the beginning of the ragtime era
1899: Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" is published, sparking an international craze for Ragtime's syncopated rhythmshttp://www.dlib.org/dlib/september01/09featured-collection.htmlhttp://www.wcal.org/archives/dramerica/america_mapleleafrag.htmlhttp://makeashorterlink.com/?T41625D6
