ragtime

Syncopated music (‘ragged time’) in 2/4 rhythm, usually played on piano. It developed in the USA among black musicians in the late 19th century; it was influenced by folk tradition, minstrel shows, and marching bands, and was later incorporated into jazz. Scott Joplin was a leading writer of ragtime pieces, called ‘rags’.

ragtime

US form of syncopated dance music of African-American origin and coming into fashion c. 1910; it was the forerunner of jazz and swing. By far the best known composer of ragtime was Scott Joplin, whose Maple Leaf Rag was the first instrumental sheet music to sell a million copies.

It is also the title of a work by Igor Stravinsky for 11 instruments, which was composed in 1918 and first performed in London on 27 April 1920, and conducted by Arthur Bliss.