Ragtime in the context of "Joseph Lamb (composer)"


Ragtime in the context of "Joseph Lamb (composer)"

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⭐ Core Definition: Ragtime

Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that was popular and heavily influenced musical genres such as the Blues, and was seen in the United States from the 1890s to 1910s. Its signature trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb. Ragtime pieces (often called "rags") are typically composed for and performed on the piano, though the genre has been adapted for a variety of instruments and styles.

Ragtime music originated within African American communities in the late 19th century and became a distinctly American form of popular music. It is closely related to marches. Ragtime pieces usually contain several distinct themes, often arranged in patterns of repeats and reprises. Scott Joplin, known as the "King of Ragtime", gained fame through compositions like "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer". Ragtime influenced early jazz, Harlem stride piano, Piedmont blues, and early 20th century European classical composers such as Erik Satie, Claude Debussy, and Igor Stravinsky. Despite being overshadowed by jazz in the 1920s, ragtime has experienced several revivals, notably in the 1950s and 1970s (the latter renaissance due in large part to the use of "The Entertainer" in the film The Sting). The music was distributed primarily through sheet music and piano rolls, with some compositions adapted for other instruments and ensembles.

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👉 Ragtime in the context of Joseph Lamb (composer)

Joseph Francis Lamb (December 6, 1887 – September 3, 1960) was an American composer of ragtime music. Lamb, of Irish descent, was the only non-African American of the "Big Three" composers of classical ragtime, the other two being Scott Joplin and James Scott. The ragtime of Joseph Lamb ranges from standard popular fare to complex and highly engaging. His use of long phrases was influenced by classical works he had learned from his sister and others while growing up, but his sense of structure was potentially derived from his study of Joplin's piano rags. By the time he added some polish to his later works in the 1950s, Lamb had mastered the classic rag genre in a way that almost no other composer was able to approach at that time, and continued to play it passably as well, as evidenced by at least two separate recordings done in his home, as well as a few recorded interviews.

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