Stamp of the Month: April 2017 – Motivgruppe Musik

Scott Joplin
USA 9.7.1983
Scott Joplin was born between June 1867 and January 1868 in Linden, Texas. He died on April 1, 1917 in New York City. 2017 marks his 100th memorial anniversary.

The American composer Scott Joplin played violin as a child and received piano lessons from the age of seven. Already in the age of fifteen he was traveling as a pub pianist in Texas and Louisiana. For a time he lived in St. Louis, where he played in honky-tonks and saloons.

From 1895 he composed numerous pieces, mainly for his own use as well as for his vocal group “The Texas Medley Quartet”. In addition to around 80 Rags he composed some works for the stage. Scott Joplin is considered the “Finisher of Ragtime”, a jazz style, which connects elements of the romantic piano music with African-American folklore.

The video shows the jazz band “Tuba Skinny” from New Orleans with Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag”. Formed in in 2009, Tuba Skinny has steadily evolved from a loose collection of street musicians into a solid ensemble dedicated to bringing the traditional New Orleans sound to audiences around the world.