Scott Joplin, "The Entertainer", 1902
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Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 - April 1, 1917) was an African-American composer and pianist, dubbed the King of Ragtime. He was born into a musical family of railway laborers in Texarkana, Arkansas, and developed his musical knowledge with the help of local teachers. In 1894, he moved to Missouri and earned a living as a piano teacher. He began publishing music in 1895, and publication of his Maple Leaf Rag in 1899 brought him fame. It also brought Joplin a steady income for life, though he did not reach this level of success again and frequently had financial problems. In 1901 Joplin moved to St. Louis, where he continued to compose and publish, and regularly performed in the community. The score to his first opera A Guest of Honor was confiscated in 1903 with his belongings for non-payment of bills, and is now considered lost. In 1907, Joplin moved to NYC to find a producer for a new opera. His second opera, Treemonisha, was never fully staged during his lifetime. In 1916, Joplin descended into dementia as a result of syphilis. He was admitted to a mental institution in January 1917, and died there three months later at the age of 48. During his brief career, he wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas.