List of compositions by Scott Joplin

The following is a complete list of musical compositions by Scott Joplin (c. 1867 – April 1, 1917).

Scott Joplin in 1903

Scott Joplin was born in Arkansas in around 1867, just outside Texarkana, and was a street performer before settling in Sedalia, Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri, and finally New York City where he died in 1917. He was an American composer and pianist, who achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was dubbed "The King of Ragtime." During his career, Joplin wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899), has been recognized as the archetypal rag and influenced subsequent rag composers for thanks to its rhythmic patterns, melody lines, and harmony.[1]

His finances were precarious throughout his career, despite a steady income from the "Maple Leaf Rag."[2] Joplin had the majority of his works published by John Stark of Sedalia, Missouri, although he did use other lesser-known companies including his own "Scott Joplin Music Publishing Company." His first opera, A Guest of Honor, was lost after an unsuccessful tour in 1903. After the 1953 death of his widow, Lottie, a number of manuscripts of unpublished work were lost and no copies of them are known to exist.[3]

When Joplin was learning the piano, serious musical circles condemned ragtime because of its association with the vulgar and inane songs of Tin Pan Alley.[4] As a composer, Joplin refined ragtime, developing it from the dance music played by pianists in brothels in cities like St. Louis.[5] This new art form, the classic rag, combined Afro-American folk music's syncopation and nineteenth-century European romanticism, with its harmonic schemes and its march-like tempos, in particular the works of John Philip Sousa.[6][7][8] With this as a foundation, Joplin intended his compositions to be played exactly as he wrote them – without improvisation.[9] Joplin wrote his rags as "classical" music to raise ragtime above its "cheap bordello" origins and produced work which opera historian Elise Kirk described as "...more tuneful, contrapuntal, infectious, and harmonically colorful than any others of his era."[10]

Many inconsistencies can be found among Joplin's own titles, his subtitles, and titles printed on the covers of sheet music. For the editor of the collected works this reveals publishers' "editorial casualness" as well as a view that dance-steps in the genre could be interchangeable.[11] Many of the works cannot be dated with certainty, and the pieces were not always submitted for copyright registration. In many cases the publication date is the only suggestion of when a piece was composed.[12]

## List[edit]

Title | Style | Year | Form | Keys | Notes/Samples | Reference

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Please Say You Will | Song | 1895 | Intro Vs1 Ch Intro Vs2 Ch Intro Vs3 Ch | Bb | Lyrics by Scott Joplin. | [13]
A Picture of Her Face | Song | 1895 | Intro Vs1 Ch Coda Vs2 Ch Coda | F | Lyrics by Scott Joplin. | [13]
Great Crush Collision March | March | 1896 | Intro AA BB CC DD E D2 E D2 | Dm/F/F/Bb... |  | [14]
Combination March | March | 1896 | Intro AA Trans. BB Trans. CC DD | Bb/Bb/Eb/Eb |  | [14]
Harmony Club Waltz | Waltz | 1896 | Intro AA BB CC DD EE FF GG A B | Bb/Bb/Gm/Bb/G/C/F/Bb/Bb |  | [14]
Original Rags | Rag | 1899 | Intro AA BB CC Abbr.Intro A DD EE | G/G/C/G/D/G | Arranged by Charles N. Daniels, although this involvement is disputed. | [15]
Maple Leaf Rag | Rag | 1899 | AA BB A CC DD | Ab/Ab/Ab/Db/Ab |  | [14]
Swipesy Cakewalk | Cakewalk | 1900 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | Bb/Bb/Bb/Eb/Bb | With Arthur Marshall. | [16]
Peacherine Rag | Rag | 1901 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | Eb/Bb/Eb/Ab/Ab |  | [14]
Sunflower Slow Drag | Ragtime Two Step | 1901 | Intro AA BB A Trans. CC DD | Bb/Bb/Bb/Eb/Eb | With Scott Hayden | [17]
Augustan Club Waltz | Waltz | 1901 | Intro AA BB CC DD Coda | Bb/Bb/Gm/Bb |  | [14]
I Am Thinking of My Pickaninny Days | Song | 1901 | Intro Vs1 Ch Vs2 Ch | Bb | Lyrics by Henry Jackson. | [18]
The Easy Winners | Ragtime Two Step | 1901 | Intro AA BB A Trans. CC DD | Ab/Ab/Ab/Db/Db |  | [14]
A Blizzard | Unknown | 1901 | – | – | Lost – unpublished. Mentioned in Indianapolis Freeman, November 16, 1901. | [19]
Cleopha | March and Two Step | 1902 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | F/F/F/Bb/Bb |  | [14]
A Breeze From Alabama | March and Two Step | 1902 | Intro AA BB CC Trans. DD Trans. BB | C/C/Ab/F/C |  | [14]
Elite Syncopations | Rag | 1902 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | F/F/F/Bb/Bb |  | [14]
The Entertainer | Ragtime Two Step | 1902 | Intro AA BB A CC Trans. DD | C/C/C/F/C |  | [14]
March Majestic | March and Two Step | 1902 | Intro AA BB CC D C D C | G/G/C... |  | [14]
The Strenuous Life | Ragtime Two Step | 1902 | Intro AA BB A Trans. CC DD | C/G/C/F/F |  | [14]
The Ragtime Dance | Song | 1902 | Intro A B CC Trans. DD EE [FF GG HH GG] | Bb/Gm/Bb/Eb... | Lyrics by Scott Joplin. | [20]
Something Doing | Ragtime Two Step | 1903 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | F/F/F/Bb/Bb | With Scott Hayden. | [17]
Weeping Willow | Ragtime Two Step | 1903 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | G/G/G/C/C |  | [14]
Little Black Baby | Song | 1903 | Intro Vs1 Ch1 Vs2 Ch2 | Bb | Lyrics by Louise Armstrong Bristol. | [18]
Palm Leaf Rag | Rag | 1903 | Intro AA BB CC Trans. AA | Bb/Bb/Eb/Bb |  | [14]
A Guest of Honor | Ragtime Opera | 1903 | 2 acts | N/A | Lost. | [14]
Dude's Parade | Opera Excerpt | 1903 | – | – | Lost – unpublished. Excerpt from A Guest of Honor. Announced in the Indianapolis Freeman, September 12, 1903. | [21]
Patriotic Patrol | Opera Excerpt | 1903 | – | – | Lost – unpublished. Excerpt from A Guest of Honor. Announced in the Indianapolis Freeman, September 12, 1903. | [15]
Maple Leaf Rag | Song | 1904 | Intro Vs1 Ch Int1 Intro Vs2 Ch Int2 Intro Vs3 Ch | Eb | Lyrics by Sydney Brown. A simplified arrangement not produced by Joplin. | [22]
The Sycamore | Concert Rag | 1904 | Intro AA BB CC DD | G/G/C/C |  | [14]
The Favorite | Ragtime Two Step | 1904 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | Bb/Gm/Bb/Eb/Eb |  | [14]
The Cascades | Rag | 1904 | Intro AA BB Trans. CC DD | C/C/Bb/Eb |  | [14]
The Chrysanthemum | Afro-American Intermezzo | 1904 | Intro AA BB A CC DD C | Bb/F/Bb/Eb/Cm/Eb |  | [14]
Bethena | Concert Waltz | 1905 | Intro A Trans. BB Trans. A Trans. CC Trans. DD EE Trans. A Coda | G/Bb/G/F/Bm/D/G |  | [14]
Binks' Waltz | Waltz | 1905 | Intro AA BB A CC A Coda | Bb/Gm/Bb/Eb/Bb |  | [14]
Sarah Dear | Song | 1905 | Intro Vs1 Ch Vs2 Ch | F | Lyrics by Henry Jackson. | [23]
The Rosebud March | March and Two Step | 1905 | Intro AA BB CC Trans. AA | G/G/C/G |  | [14]
Leola | Two Step | 1905 | AA BB A CC DD | Ab/Ab/Ab/Db/Ab |  | [14]
You Stand Good with Me, Babe | Song | 1905 | – | – | Lost – unpublished. Announced in Indianapolis Freeman, July 22, 1905. | [24][14]
Eugenia | Rag | 1906 | Intro AA BB A C D C D C | Bb/Bb/Bb/Eb... |  | [14]
The Ragtime Dance | Stop-Time Two Step | 1906 | Intro AA BB CC [DD EE FF] | Bb/Eb... |  | [14]
Antoinette | March and Two Step | 1906 | Intro AA BB C D C D C | G/G/C... |  | [14]
Good-bye Old Gal Good-bye | Song | 1906 | Intro Vs1 Ch Ch Vs2 Ch Ch | F | Music by H. Carroll Taylor, lyrics by Mac Darden, arranged by Joplin. | [25]
Snoring Sampson: A Quarrel in Ragtime | Song | 1907 | Intro Vs1 Ch Vs2 Ch | C | Music & lyrics by Harry La Mertha, arranged by Joplin. | [17]
The Nonpareil (None To Equal) | Ragtime Two Step | 1907 | Intro AA BB CC DD | Bb/Bb/Eb/Eb |  | [14]
When Your Hair Is Like The Snow | Song | 1907 | Intro Vs1 Ch Vs2 Ch | C | Lyrics by Owen Spendthrift. | [16]
Gladiolus Rag | Rag | 1907 | AA BB A CC DD | Ab/Ab/Ab/Db/Db |  | [14]
Searchlight Rag | Rag | 1907 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | Bb/Bb/Bb/Eb/Eb |  | [14]
Lily Queen | Ragtime Two Step | 1907 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | C/C/C/F/F | By Arthur Marshall, edited by Joplin. | [26]
Rose Leaf Rag | Ragtime Two Step | 1907 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | C/C/C/F/F |  | [14]
Heliotrope Bouquet | Slow Drag Two Step | 1907 | Intro A BB A CC DD | G/G/G/C/C | With Louis Chauvin. | [25]
Fig Leaf Rag | High Class Rag | 1908 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | Bb/Bb/Bb/Eb/Eb |  | [27]
Sugar Cane | Ragtime Two Step | 1908 | AA BB A CC DD | Bb/Bb/Bb/Eb/Bb |  | [27]
Sensation | Rag | 1908 | AA BB A CC D | G/G/G/C/C | By Joseph F. Lamb, arranged by Joplin. | [28]
Pine Apple Rag | Rag | 1908 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | Bb/Bb/Bb/Eb/Eb |  | [27]
School of Ragtime – 6 Exercises for Piano | Exercises | 1908 | AA; BB; CC; DD; EE; FF | C |  | [27]
Pleasant Moments | Ragtime Waltz | 1909 | Intro A BB A CC A Coda | G/D/G/C/G | Performed by the composer on a player piano in 1916 | [27]
Wall Street Rag | Rag | 1909 | Intro AA BB CC DD | C/C/F/F |  | [27][29]
Solace | Habanera / Mexican Serenade | 1909 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | C/C/C/F/F | Computer-generated audio for "Solace" | [27]
Country Club | Ragtime Two Step | 1909 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | C/C/C/F/F |  | [27]
Euphonic Sounds | Syncopated Novelty | 1909 | Intro AA BB A CC A Coda | Bb/Bb/Bb/F/Bb |  | [27]
Paragon Rag | Rag | 1909 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | G/G/G/C/C |  | [27]
Stoptime Rag | Stop-Time Rag | 1910 | AA BB A CC DD EE D FF GG | C/Am/C... |  | [27]
Pine Apple Rag | Song | 1910 | Intro Vs1A Vs1B Ch Vs2A Vs2B Ch | Eb | Lyrics by Joe Snyder. | [30]
Treemonisha | Opera | 1911 | 3 acts, 27 chapters | N/A |  | [27]
Felicity Rag | Ragtime Two Step | 1911 | Intro AA BB CC Trans. DD | C/C/C/F/C | With Scott Hayden. Likely composed before 1903. | [31]
Lovin' Babe | Song | 1911 | Intro Vs1 Ch Vs2 Ch | G | Lyrics by Al. R. Turner, arranged by Joplin. | [32]
Scott Joplin's New Rag | Rag | 1912 | Intro AA BB A CC Trans. D A Coda | C/Am/C/C/Em/C |  | [27]
Kismet Rag | Rag | 1913 | Intro AA BB A CC DD | C/G/C/F/C | With Scott Hayden. Likely composed before 1903. | [32]
A Real Slow Drag | Opera Excerpt | 1913 | Intro A B1 B2 Trans. CC B1 B2 Coda | Bm/F/Bb/F | Revised excerpt from Treemonisha. | [27]
Prelude to Act 3 | Opera Excerpt | 1913 | A B CC A Coda | G/Bb/C/G | Revised excerpt from Treemonisha. | [27]
Silver Swan Rag | Rag | 1914 | Intro AA BB A CC Intro A | Bb/Gm/Bb/Eb/Bb | Originally published only on piano roll. Sheet music published in 1971. | [27]
Magnetic Rag | Rag | 1914 | Intro AA BB CC Trans. DD AA Coda | Bb/Gm/Bb/Bbm/Bb |  | [27]
Frolic of the Bears | Opera Excerpt | 1915 | Intro A B1 B2 C Trans. A B1 B2 C Trans. A Coda | Em | Revised excerpt from Treemonisha. | [33]
Magnetic Rag  | Song  | 1915?  | \-  | \-  | Lost – unpublished. Seen by biographers Rudi Blesh, and Harriet Janis in 1950.  | [34]
Confidence  | Song  | 1915?  | \-  | \-  | Lost – incomplete, and unpublished. Seen by biographers Rudi Blesh, and Harriet Janis in 1950.  | [34]
For the Sake of All | Song | 1915? | – | – | Lost – incomplete, and unpublished. Seen by biographers Rudi Blesh, and Harriet Janis in 1950. | [27]
Morning Glories | Song | 1915 | – | – | Lost – incomplete, and unpublished. Announced by the composer in the Indianapolis Freeman newspaper, September 4, 1915. Seen by biographers Rudi Blesh, and Harriet Janis in 1950. | [35]
Syncopated Jamboree | Vaudeville Act | 1915 | – | – | Lost – unpublished. Announced in the Indianapolis Freeman newspaper, September 18, 1915. | [36]
Pretty Pansy Rag | Rag | 1915? | – | – | Lost – unpublished. A copy was given by the composer to Martin Niederhoffer. Seen by biographers Rudi Blesh, Harriet Janis, and performed by James P. Johnson in 1950. | [37]
Recitative Rag | Rag | 1915? | – | – | Lost – unpublished. Seen by biographers Rudi Blesh, Harriet Janis, and performed by James P. Johnson in 1950. | [34]
If | Musical Comedy | 1916 | – | – | Lost – unpublished. Announced as completed in the New York Age September 7, 1916. | [38]
Symphony No. 1 | Symphony | 1916 | – | – | Lost – incomplete, and unpublished. Announced in the New York Age September 7, 1916. | [38]
Piano Concerto | Piano Concerto | 1917? | – | – | Lost – incomplete, and unpublished. | [30]
Reflection Rag (Syncopated Musings) | Rag | 1917 | Intro AA BB CC DD EE | Bb/Gm/Bb/Eb/Eb | Published posthumously by Stark. Likely composed in 1907. | [39]

Cover pages of various works

* Third edition of the "Maple Leaf Rag" sheet music, pre 1923

* Sunflower Slow Drag, 1901

* Bethena, 1905

* The Ragtime Dance, 1906

* Nonpareil, 1907

* Solace, 1909

* Treemonisha, 1911

* Magnetic Rag, 1914

## References[edit]

1. ^ Blesh 1981, p. xxiii.
2. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 52, 56 & 58.
3. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 246–248.
4. ^ Curtis 1999, pp. 37–88[clarification needed]
5. ^ Whitcomb 1986, p. 24.
6. ^ Jasen & Tichenor 1978, p. 88.
7. ^ Davis 1995, pp. 67–68.
8. ^ Williams 1987.
9. ^ Scott & Rutkoff 2001, p. 37.
10. ^ Kirk 2001, p. 190.
11. ^ Vera Brodsky Lawrence, Editor's Note pix, Scott Joplin Complete Piano Works, New York Public Library, 1981.
12. ^ Index p. 325, Scott Joplin Complete Piano Works, New York Public Library, 1981.
13. ^ a b Berlin 1994, pp. 265, 268.
14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Berlin 1994, p. 269.
15. ^ a b Berlin 1994, pp. 264, 269.
16. ^ a b Berlin 1994, pp. 268, 269.
17. ^ a b c Berlin 1994, pp. 267, 269.
18. ^ a b Berlin 1994, pp. 263, 269.
19. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 260, 269.
20. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 265, 269.
21. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 261, 269.
22. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 131, 264, 269.
23. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 266, 269.
24. ^ Berlin 1994, p. 268.
25. ^ a b Berlin 1994, pp. 262, 269.
26. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 169, 263, 269.
27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Berlin 1994, p. 270.
28. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 266, 270.
29. ^ Edwards, Bill. "Rags and Pieces by Scott Joplin (1906-1917)". RAGPIANO. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
30. ^ a b Berlin 1994, pp. 265, 270.
31. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 262, 270.
32. ^ a b Berlin 1994, pp. 263, 270.
33. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 235, 262, 270.
34. ^ a b c Berlin 2016, p. 322.
35. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 235, 264, 270.
36. ^ Berlin 1994, pp. 235, 268, 270.
37. ^ Berlin 2016, p. 301.
38. ^ a b Berlin 2016, p. 303.
39. ^ Berlin 2016, p. 306.

## Bibliography[edit]

* Berlin, Edward A. (1994). King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-510108-1.
* Berlin, Edward A. (2016). King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-974032-1.
* Blesh, Rudi (1981). "Scott Joplin: Black-American Classicist". In Brodsky Lawrence, Vera (ed.). Scott Joplin Complete Piano Works. New York Public Library. ISBN 0-87104-272-X.
* Curtis, Susan (1999). Lawrence O. Christensen; William E. Foley; Gary Kremer (eds.). Dictionary of Missouri Biography. University of Missouri Press. ISBN 9780826260161. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
* Davis, Francis (1995). The History of the Blues:The Roots, the Music, the People. Hyperion. ISBN 0-306-81296-7.
* Jasen, David A.; Tichenor, Trebor Jay (1978). Rags and Ragtime: A Musical History. New York, NY: Dover Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-486-25922-6.
* Kirk, Elise Kuhl (2001). American Opera. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02623-3.
* Scott, William B.; Rutkoff, Peter M. (2001). New York Modern: The Arts and the City. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-6793-2.
* Whitcomb, Ian (1986). After the Ball. Hal Leonard Corp. ISBN 0-87910-063-X.
* Williams, Martin, ed. (1987). The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz. Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 0-393-99342-6.

## Further reading[edit]

* Morath, Max (2005). Kirchner, Bill (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Jazz. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-518359-2.

## External links[edit]

* Media related to Compositions by Scott Joplin at Wikimedia Commons

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Scott Joplin

* Compositions

Piano rags|

* "Original Rags" (1899)
* "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899)
* "The Easy Winners" (1901)
* "Elite Syncopations" (1902)
* "The Entertainer" (1902)
* "The Ragtime Dance" (1902/1906)
* "Weeping Willow" (1903)
* "Bethena" (1905)
* "Searchlight Rag" (1907)
* "Wall Street Rag" (1909)
* "Silver Swan Rag" (1914/1971)
* "Magnetic Rag" (1914)

Operas|

* A Guest of Honor (1903)
* Treemonisha (1911)

Habaneras|

* "Solace" (1909)

Collaborations|

* "Swipesy Cakewalk" (1900)
* "Sunflower Slow Drag" (1901)
* "Heliotrope Bouquet" (1907)

Related|

* Scott Joplin House State Historic Site
* The Sting (1973 film)
* Scott Joplin: Piano Rags (1970)
* Scott Joplin (1977 film)
* Scott Joplin (1982 painting)
* Vera Brodsky Lawrence

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* e

Musical repertoire

By instrument|

* Woodwind
* Flute
* Bassoon
* Brass
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* Trombone
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* Strings
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* Harp

By ensemble|

* Brass quintet
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* Piano trio

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* List of blues standards
* List of jazz standards

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