But there is another, darker legend: Joplin, his full genius unrecognized, his songs bearing the unjust stigma of mere popular success, dying prematurely in mad despair.įinally there is the legend of his belated discovery and recognition. Joplin exemplified the Horatio Alger legend of early success, although he reached beyond the financial rewards that mark the boundaries of Alger’s concept. The career of this black American genius seems almost to be an amalgam of legends. And “The Maple Leaf Rag” was all that he claimed it changed his life, and it changed American music. We believe that The Entertainer is a great choice if you are in a classic mood and want to bring joy into your home, so please don’t hesitate in using all the materials we have put at your disposal on our website.Scott Joplin, riding high in the early flush of his success, wrote the jaunty words on the preceding page for a song that he fashioned in 1904 from his sensational piano rag hit of 1899. The structure is like follows: Intro-AA-BB-A-CC-Intro2-DD and the song was set in the key of C major. Looking into the composition of the free The Entertainer piano sheets, we will learn that the song was formed under the influence of two-step, a form of dance popular until 1911. The song was also used as the theme music for the movie The Sting in 1973 and it has been used in many media like TV shows, commercials, and so on. The RIAA ranked the song at number 10 on its Songs of the Century list and its adaptation by Marvin Hamlisch reached number 3 on the Billboard pop chart, also spending a week at number 1 on the easy listening chart in 1974.

The Entertainer is considered a classic of ragtime, with a typical duration of 3:53 minutes, and once released, it was embraced by critics and the public. The first edition of the song was released by Blue Boys in 1928 and it was played on mandolin and guitar. It is considered a classic piano rag and it was written and composed by Joplin, and also released as piano rolls that would play on player pianos. The free The Entertainer piano sheet music was released in 1902 by Scott Joplin, as sheet music at first. He is known for his brief career, during which he wrote over 100 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas.Īmong his famous pieces, we can name Maple Leaf Rag or The Entertainer. Scott Joplin was an African-American composer, music teacher, and pianist, born in 1868 and active between 18.

We are in a more classical mood today, so we bring in front of you a unique personality – Scott Joplin, together with one of a kind composition - The Entertainer.

Maple leaf rag player piano