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Lesson 3a Name______________________________ Period ______ Date______________ Ragtime: It’s a Cakewalk

One of the forms of music that was well-received in the pre-Civil War south was the cakewalk. It was a dance with a strutting step usually performed to syncopated music. The name comes from dance contests held by southern blacks in which the prizes were cakes. The popularity of the cakewalk continued until the end of the nineteenth century, by which time this dance music had found its way to the stages of the minstrel shows. It also became a favorite dance of the general public, with the music for these types of dances becoming well-liked. The type of music generally used for accompanying the cakewalk was known as ragtime.

The word ragtime may have been derived from several sources. One probable early use came from a type of shuffling clog dance known as “ragging”, that was performed by black men. Another early source claims that ragtime music got its name from the fact that it was written down. The paper that the music was written down on was referred to as a “rag.” The purpose of the music was to provide “time” or certain rhythms for the dance steps to be accomplished. When you combined the two, you had ragtime music. Regardless of the origin, the name stuck and became very popular. The fact that this style of music was actually notated (written down) helped it to gain a higher level of popularity.

The style of music that was used for the cakewalk was transposed from the group of instruments used in the minstrel shows to a single instrument: the piano. With his left hand, the pianist played a “boom-chuck” rhythm that attempted to simulate the foot-stomping and hand-clapping that would occur during the cakewalk, while with his right hand he played ragged or syncopated melodies that had been originally written for banjos. The manner in which the notes were put together came from the European style of composition, or traditional harmony, and so ragtime is a unique blend of

European and African styles joined together in one form.

There were two main cities where ragtime first gained popularity. One was New Orleans, Louisiana; the other was St. Louis, Missouri. The best-known composer and performer of St. Louis ragtime was Scott Joplin (1868–1917). He was the son of a former slave and was born in Texas in 1868. When he was seventeen, he moved to St. Louis where he was first “discovered” and made his name as a

first-rate ragtime player and composer. Other important composers and performers of ragtime music were James Scott and “Jelly Roll” Morton. Ragtime had an important influence on the Dixieland style of piano playing. Many of the same elements that are found in ragtime were carried over and implemented in the piano accompaniment style of the New Orleans Dixieland music.

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Lesson 3a MATH/SCALE - Tuesday RHYTHM - Thursday

NOTE NAMING

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Lesson 3a ALL MIXED UP Unscramble these words. 1. lakkeacw ___________________________________________________________________________

2. taegmri _____________________________________________________________________________

3. rappe ______________________________________________________________________________

4. caned ______________________________________________________________________________

5. lhmrestwnois (two words) ______________________________________________________________

6. ocponnatysi _________________________________________________________________________

7. iopan ______________________________________________________________________________

8. jabno ______________________________________________________________________________

9. eeprouna ____________________________________________________________________________

10. anirfac ____________________________________________________________________________

11. sjttooinlpc (two words) _______________________________________________________________

12. xedindial __________________________________________________________________________

13. ynolelolmjtolrr (three words) ___________________________________________________________

14. agedgr ____________________________________________________________________________

15. postsnared _________________________________________________________________________

Questions for consideration 1. What was a well-received form of music in the pre-Civil War south? ____________________________ 2. Where did the name of this dance originate? ________________________________________________ 3. What type of music generally accompanied this type of dance? _________________________________ 4. From where did the term ragtime come? ___________________________________________________ 5. Why was it possible for anyone with a piano to play this music? ________________________________ 6. Ragtime is a blend of what two musical styles? _____________________________________________ 7. Which hand of the pianist would play the syncopated melodies originally written for banjos? _________ 8. The cakewalk was popular in what type of shows by the end of the nineteenth century? _____________ 9. Who was the best known composer and performer of St. Louis ragtime? _________________________ 10. Ragtime had an important influence on what later style of piano playing? _______________________

WORD LIST African banjo cakewalk dance Dixieland European Jelly Roll Morton minstrel show paper piano ragged ragtime Scott Joplin syncopation transposed

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Lesson 3a THE KEYBOARD Identify the notes on the piano by writing the correct note names in the boxes provided.

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