A centennial commemoration of the life of Scott Joplin, famed as the King of Ragtime.

In this timely essay, Joplin’s work is examined against a backdrop of the Progressive Era, underlining the influence of prominent figures such as Booker T. Washington, known for his pragmatic conservatism. Today, Joplin’s work offers an important perspective seldom heard in the struggle for black liberation.

Among eminent composers of the early 20th century, Scott Joplin may be understated but in the domain of ragtime piano music, he is undisputedly the king. A forward-thinking innovator and pioneer, Joplin utilised music and the stage to intervene on the politics of the day.

At a time when the Deep South was locked in the fallout of the American Civil War, Joplin like many others bore the brunt of the tense racial power dynamic created by the separate but equal ideology, often playing in venues that prohibited black clientele.

Frustrated by the paradoxical embrace of his music by whites and the systematic subjugation of blacks by civil society at large, Joplin reflected on the developments around African American liberation, and in 1910, he created a profound response in the form of his opera, Treemonisha.

Joplin’s message was simple; a belief that education was not only the greatest route to freedom, but that openness to knowledge and new ways of thinking would provide liberation for black people.

The rediscovery of Joplin’s work in the 21st century need not be relegated only to his music, for the message it carries is a timeless one that rings true even today.