Scott Joplin and the Ragtime Era

by Peter Gammond

Scott Joplin and the Ragtime Era

Genres: Music

223 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1977

About the author

Peter Gammond was a British music critic, writer, journalist, musician, poet, and artist.

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to fairly rate a biography written 45 years ago, (dated language, refutable statements of a life not exhaustively documented, etc). I read it because, growing up I loved playing Rags, and I wanted to understand why the rhythm and melodies captivated me in ways classical music never did. Also, I wanted to know Joplin's story. Mostly I got hints of an ambitious life frustrated by racial prejudice and, finally, tragedy. I felt, somehow, complicit, never having been curious about the composer when I first met his music. Nevertheless, Gammond was uplifting in predicting appropriate and lasting respect for Joplin and his work. And I'm off seeking more of Scott Joplin's story. Looks like I'll have to depend mostly on academic writing. I wish Colson Whitehead would take up the mantle and write the book I was hoping to read.

[Roddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little book on Joplin and his music. Particularly good for summaries on the piano rags and advice on performance.

[Alice Abernathy]

OK discussion about ragtime in general. Published in 1975. Not as useful as the bio writen by Rudi Blesh "Scott Joplin: Black-American Classicist" in The Collected Works of Scott Joplin Volume I Works for Piano. New York Public Library 1971