The Scott Joplin Documentary by Rudi Blesh 1977

All You Need Is Love: The Story Of Popular Music - I Can Hypnotise 'Dis Nation: Ragtime
This is episode 2 of the 17 episodes of the All You Need Is Love series.
In this documentary, a lot of aspects of Scott Joplin's life are discussed by different musicians including Eubie Blake. It's THE Scott Joplin Documentary
Wikipedia and IMDB on The Story Of Popular Music series:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_You...
www.imdb.com/title/tt0247846/
Wikipedia on Scott Joplin:
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions and was dubbed the King of Ragtime. During his brief career, he wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became ragtime's first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag.
Joplin grew up in a musical family of railway laborers in Texarkana, Arkansas, and developed his own musical knowledge with the help of local teachers. While in Texarkana, Texas, he formed a vocal quartet and taught mandolin and guitar. During the late 1880s he left his job as a railroad laborer and travelled the American South as an itinerant musician. He went to Chicago for the World's Fair of 1893, which played a major part in making ragtime a national craze by 1897.
Joplin moved to Sedalia, Missouri, in 1894 and earned a living as a piano teacher. There he taught future ragtime composers Arthur Marshall, Scott Hayden and Brun Campbell. He began publishing music in 1895, and publication of his "Maple Leaf Rag" in 1899 brought him fame. This piece had a profound influence on writers of ragtime. 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 New York City to find a producer for a new opera. He attempted to go beyond the limitations of the musical form that made him famous, but without much monetary success. 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. Joplin's death is widely considered to mark the end of ragtime as a mainstream music format; over the next several years, it evolved with other styles into stride, jazz, and eventually big band swing.
Joplin's music was rediscovered and returned to popularity in the early 1970s with the release of a million-selling album recorded by Joshua Rifkin. This was followed by the Academy Award-winning 1973 film The Sting that featured several of Joplin's compositions, most notably "The Entertainer", whose performance by pianist Marvin Hamlisch received wide airplay. Treemonisha was finally produced in full, to wide acclaim, in 1972. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize.
00:02:07 - Start of the documentary
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#scottjoplin #ragtime #scottjoplindocumentary #ragtimedocumentary #thekringofragtime #mapleleafrag #lifeofscottoplin #documentary #historyofragtime #jazzhistory #earlyjazzdocumentary #prejazz #historyofjazz #scottjoplinlife #themapleleafrag

[@thatrecord5313]

ME: School just started for me. I have 5 AP classes, jazz band, and after school activities (all online of course). I spend 10 hours a day studying and I need something calm my nerves! exoticpianoman: How 'bout an hour long documentary on your favorite genre. ME:.........yeah, alright.

[@itsRemco]

😂😂

[@Mileswayv]

The trillion dollar industry and cultural export that is American music would not exist today without Scott Joplin

[@Msflamingo-wl4qo]

I'm from Missouri & I say the great Mr. Scott Joplin is one of us❣ As a Classically trained Pianist, his music is so exciting to play! He lives through his music, through all of us. Thank you for this interesting documentary.

[@mrgrinch8540]

The reason we have the ragtime today was because Joplin choose not be be like everyone else. It was so easy to fall to the level of minstrel music, or anything that seemed easier. But through his own determination he followed his dreams forgetting about the world.

[@trawlins396]

Thank you to whoever uploaded this. I chose Joplin as the subject of a research project. The older documentaries have better content than the more recent ones. Eubie Blake was a treasure.

[@itsRemco]

I uploaded it and much appreciated 😁 Yes the older documentaries are better with more credible interviews (as for example Eubie actually lived and contributed to the Ragtime era) and I'm happy that I could upload this. Finding good documentaries like these are hard. I would highly recommend you checking out the channel of Sugar Bear Mosher where unseen documentaries of Eubie etc. are uploaded!!

[@trawlins396]

@@itsRemco I will definitely check out that channel. Thx!

[@MichaelCWBell]

Joplin’s rags are accessible to pianists of an intermediate ability and possess a wonderful joy. It was a revelation to me as a teenager learning that he was African-American. It’s like the penny dropped. Thinking as I did that he was white (yes, it does matter for many questions of association and musicality) I wanted to see a picture of this “white man” because I felt it had something special and free. It wasn’t like Felix Arndt or others. I was so pleased to learn about him but also saddened by his terrible later life and illness. Since that time I’ve heard pianists like Monk and Oscar Peterson that have flabbergasted me in their musical invention and integrity. If only Joplin could know of his importance today. Perhaps he did know- I hope so! Thanks for this great video⭐️🌴

[@itsRemco]

@@MichaelCWBell I totally agree with your comment! I also was really surprised when I found out as a kid

[@SQUAREHEADSAM1912]

Joplin said in roughly around 1912 “when I’m dead in 25 years, people are going to begin to recognize me, again.” He died only 5-6 years later. Here we are over 100 years later, and he is still recognized. Although he unfortunately is no longer in the spotlight, he will be remembered though time as the great “King of Ragtime”.

[@mrgrinch8540]

Square head Sam, your truly a ragtime veteran, all I see are your comments on ragtime videos, I remember when you explained in the 1977 Joplin movie, you mentioned how another piece should have closed out the movie, I forgot which one, but the one that did was gladiolus rag

[@trawlins396]

He deserves to have a bigger place in history. Especially black history.

[@mrgrinch8540]

​@@trawlins396 Yes he deserves it. But I think would do more justice to have his music played more. Thats what he did all his life after all...

[@SQUAREHEADSAM1912]

@@trawlins396 I say history in general. He should be remembered by more people, sadly even today he isn’t remembered to the degree he should be.

[@thesucka397]

@@SQUAREHEADSAM1912 I know you said this ten months ago, but I have a question. How important do you think he really is, and what do you think jazz would sound like without his music? I've just began to wonder if he really is the great composer I always viewed him as.

[@amazingcato5315]

Good documentary. I've actually seen Eubie Blake perform live in the 70s. He's quite a funny character and a great pianist.

[@itsRemco]

Thanks for the comment! Must have been very cool to see him in person! 😁😁

[@trawlins396]

Lucky!

[@markherron1407]

Scott Joplin is 9 of Hearts 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕 Happy Birthday to Scott Joplin REST IN POWER and Merry Christmas 🎄🎁⛄🎅🤶 Blessings and Hugs 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

[@nikola2657]

Wow, I watched the entire video. You're the man! Thank you.

[@itsRemco]

Nicee! Thanks 😁

[@KenneyCmusic]

Great documentary. I love Scott Joplin and ragtime.

[@puoesseremostrato1584]

48:56 "I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on the seventh day of February eighteen-eighty-three. ..." My goodness 😳 ... our host - Mr Eubie Blake - lived to be One-Hundred years of age!! Wow 😮

[@chRizma]

Fascinating, depressing and beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

[@none5020]

Extremely interesting and very depressing. Thanks for the upload.

[@ethanmendoza5216]

Thanks for this

[@urbexpiano7949]

This goes deep

[@pamtebelman2321]

A great documentary! We are blessed to have had his amazing talent for a short time and to be able to continue to enjoy it today through others. He and his music were misunderstood and undervalued, but to me, ragtime is the happiest music that was ever created. Thank you for this wonderful tribute to a musical genius!

[@itsRemco]

Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you've came across the docu 😁

[@calvinhuber5779]

Hey !!Exotic I m glad you are doing well and wanted to thank you so much for the care time and attention you take in all your videos to preserve this important music!!! I have personally introduced or re introduced several of my friends (Some of them musicians themselves !! ) to this era of music ..ragtime stride and swing ... through your channel I also find your tips on piano and resources very valuable !!! Please KEEP UP THE INCREDIBALY FINE WORK!!!!!

[@itsRemco]

Thanks Calvin! Comments like yours really give me the motivation to provide more people of some good quality info/resources! Soon I'm also going to upload my own piano performances in the type of videos people won't forget 😌 stay tuned 😶

[@itsRemco]

Skip to 2:08 because the intro is corny

[@eurekify1563]

Scott Joplin's grave now lies without any trees over it, within eyesight of a Bed Bath & Beyond. Let that sink in.

[@itsRemco]

Ahh that's a shame

[@SQUAREHEADSAM1912]

I’ve actually been to his grave, I didn’t see any bed bath & beyond… But yes, the trees are gone, but a quote from his opera on a bench sits there, and reads “we shall rest awile”

[@trawlins396]

​@@SQUAREHEADSAM1912 Is his grave in NYC?

[@jg11x11]

Pretty cool John Stark was a straight up person and didn’t give The shamwow to super genius Scott Joplin. That’s a great story

[@autsni]

As soon as I woke up I looked at my notifications and saw the thumbnail of this video, it's pretty spooky man

[@itsRemco]

Okayyy I'm going to change it 😂

[@itsRemco]

Thanks for the feedback tho!

[@carolcollins-miles6504]

I applaud Rudi👏👏👏

[@itsRemco]

Glad you found the channel :)

[@carolcollins-miles6504]

@@itsRemco Great! Thank you. I shared on my and Scott Joplin Support Group Facebook timelines.

[@gordonhaire9206]

3:33 is an amazing photographic composition.

[@PJGRAND]

A lot has been discovered since Rudy blesh did his first investigation of Joplin back in 1950 especially by Edward Berlin and Rick Benjamin the fact is Joplin performed Treemonisha many times with orchestra I even saw a picture of the first Treemonisha it was Edward Berlin discovered Freddie Alexander most likely Joplin second wife tragically died only a few weeks after they were married but is now known that a guest of honor was pretty widely performed by Joplin also in 1915 a symphony orchestra concert featured frolic of the bears which Joplin retitled Dance of the bears but that whole rehearsal Hall myth is nothing but myth Treemonisha Joplin performed his second opera several times in 1916 with full costumes and orchestra a lot of the information I'm getting is from Rick Benjamin's notes to his 2011 recording of Treemonisha Joplin didn't die of a broken heart he died of syphilis Joplin had a lot of plans he announced his first symphony and also he wrote a piano concerto which was lost a number of Joplin's pieces especially his classical pieces were lost Joplin considered his ragtime to be classical and Joplin more similar is way more similar to Mozart than to Louis Armstrong and Joplin's music was not rediscovered untill Joshua Rifkin released the first authentic recording of Joplin's rags in 1970 Rudy Blesh was not a professional historian he missed so many facts about Joplin's life when they were much easier to find in 1950 another big goof by Rudy Blesh was to compare Joe lamb and James Scott to Joplin Lamb and Scott wrote some great rags but neither composer was in the same league as Scott Joplin musicians like me consider Scott Joplin to be one of the greatest composers ever there's very little music we have of Joplin that isn't first rate but Joe lamb and James Scott both wrote some excellent rags but many of their rags they wrote were quite amateurish when compared to Scott Joplin who most historians now consider to be America's first truly great composer

[@thesucka397]

I'm surprised they even took a picture of the first treemonisha performance where did you even find it?

[@PJGRAND]

@@thesucka397Treemonisha Joplin performed it several times in 1916 what full orchestra and costumes Rock Benjamin there's a lot of stuff previously unknown about Joplin in the booklet that comes with the 2011 recording of the Opera on New World Records get yourself a copy make sure they put in that big thick book because that's worth more than the recording I'm really thrilled to show you this information

[@thesucka397]

@@PJGRAND I'm just as thrilled as you are, also by "big thick book" do you mean the score for treemonisha?

[@samaval9920]

Scott Joplin was. US a Strauss- like some Caribbean , S American, W European, E European- composers who combined various local rural folk & urban popular music + European classic music techniques.

[@samaval9920]

Another US Strauss was .Louis Moreau Gottschalk, & Steven Foster ?!

[@itsRemco]

31:20, James Scott - Calilope Rag 49:45, Joseph Lamb - Alaskan Rag

[@aswomebro2601]

13:48 this is a great transition

[@curiousassortment]

Very fine documentary. I'd like to know how Maple Leaf took off , selling millions of copies, w/o advertising. Thanks.

[@dlynskey4310]

Its remco quick Question ive heard a lot of franz liszt pie es including hr2 and 6 but what piece is played at 5:02 through 5:07 btw great documentary

[@itsRemco]

It's still Hungarian Rhapsody

[@bruceweaver1518]

About the time this documentary was made, Ragtime was going through a reinassance in the Classical World. I think Joplin had more popularity in the Seventies than he had when he was alive. I remember seeing a recording of “Treemonisha “ by Deutsche Grammaphone. I always wanted to hear it but alas! Never got to. I do know it was finally given a full performance at the University of Chicago in the Eighties. Were these clips from the Houston Opera Comoany part of that German recording, or was it a new version entirely?

[@Loudeboss]

Anyone know where the theme starting at 46:15 is from?

[@itsRemco]

It's a piece from Scott Joplin's Treemonisha, I'll come back to it with the title

[@Loudeboss]

@@itsRemco That'd be sweet, thanks!

[@Loudeboss]

Actually I just found it: A Real Slow Drag !

[@debmoulton2241]

Scott Joplin would be livid from that rendition of Maple Leaf Rag played at 19:40. It's WAY too fast. In fact, the sheet music specifies it not be played fast. Honor the composer!

[@marcorval]

I've always wondered why the likes of Joplin never get the attention of concert pianists.

[@itsRemco]

Right? I think it's just not meant for the elites

[@fabm6724]

What is the name of the melody at 31:20-32:57?

[@itsRemco]

James Scott - Calilope Rag

[@MichaelCWBell]

I’d like to know about the appropriate tempi for Joplin’s rags. Did he suggest these himself at all? My guess is that they’re generally played too fast today?

[@itsRemco]

@@MichaelCWBell That's an interesting debate, his sheet music states "Don't play too fast". But "fast" is very subjective as today's music is very much different.

[@dharmaart]

Who is playing the entertainer at the beginning

[@ziqizhu7364]

Hello! do you have "Scott Joplin: Black American Classicist" by any chance?

[@itsRemco]

Hi! Is that a documentary as well? I have never heard of that title and the google results don't give me a clear answer

[@MrShadows-vh3er]

I gotta know what the music at 22:49 is

[@itsRemco]

Eli Green's Cakewalk. It was mentioned by Terry Waldo around 1 min after 22:49

[@NoahSpurrier]

4:50 got me.

[@samaval9920]

Cakewalk &! Ragtime were US 1st 2! dance song music exports.

[@Doug19752533]

32:10 and on..... whats the music?

[@itsRemco]

James Scott - Calilope Rag

[@judews2868]

What's the song at 22:50?

[@judews2868]

Nvm I found it- says the name a little bit later

[@aswomebro2601]

Doesn't it seem so mysterious when a composer "destroys" A manuscript. I know its a simple thing to imagine, but think about working so hard on something, and burning it.

[@figsuejas]

Could someone tell the name of the old man

[@itsRemco]

Which one, there wre more old men in the docu

[@notelef3356]

Hey this is different

[@itsRemco]

It is, it's history.

[@none5020]

Thumbnail looks terrifying.

[@itsRemco]

Thanks for feedback! I'm going to change it 😂

[@tenprinthello8127]

33:15: "Joplin wrote an opera" followed by about a minute of video of a live performance by a theatre company with narration about his hard work. Me: Ah, this must be a bit of that opera, I'm sure it must have been performed at some point... 34:30: "All trace of the original manuscript has vanished" Me: So WTF am I watching?

[@itsRemco]

Weird events right hahah

[@MadameCorgi]

He won a pulizer after the 74 revival so copies must exist

[@itsRemco]

@@MadameCorgi With events like that I'm always like: who's grandpa has some sheets somewhere?

[@vaughn4613]

I think a parts or traces of the opera can be found in Antoinette, because of the style and how the piece sounded like kzbin.info/www/bejne/aavOaayIgLljh5I

[@vaughn4613]

But thats just a hypothesis, this isnt confirmed

[@dlynskey4310]

Imo scott joplin is so underrated and misunderstood people don't comprehend the importance and Historical impact this man had on society and maybe even alien civilizations who knows all I know is this man is incredible and I am lost for words at my deep and intense infatuation and admiration for this man he is my favorite composer ever imo better if not just as good as likes of mozart and beethoven and i hereby solemnly swear with all of my heart and soul and bodyan oath to strive with everything i got to make my music be as incredible as or maybe even outperform (but I probably won't outperform his amazing talent) this man! btw thanks for the recommendation your videos are great btw if you can or not too busy you could impove the mr jelly roll lord by jelly roll morton video audio it getting a bit low quality and also please do lily queen by scott joplin thanks bye! ps sorry for the long comment.

[@itsRemco]

All of the old jelly roll morton uploads are being re-issued and lily queen is already scheduled 😁

[@eurekify1563]

[37:04] Is he imitating Joplin or did I miss something?

[@itsRemco]

Yeah he's imitating Scott's breathing in his last period of his life

[@eurekify1563]

@@itsRemco I thought he said he lived 17 years after

[@Doug19752533]

@@eurekify1563 Rudi met Joplin in late 1916, Joplin died in 1917

[@SQUAREHEADSAM1912]

@@itsRemco I know within the last several months of his life he also developed a severe shaking, making it nearly impossible to play piano.

[@PJGRAND]

Ragtime is not Jazz

[@JackyTheBatty]

That intro is wayyyyy too long.

[@itsRemco]

And whack

[@trawlins396]

I thought it was very informative. Shows a small piece of what the American mindset was in the late 1800s.

[@outwiththem]

Bad name for good music. Happy music. Not the garbage they make since the 1980's on.

[@itsRemco]

Totally agree

[@joshuaklein2859]

Wow! I never even thought of it! Your right!! Go figure accepting terms as gospel... probably a white man coined term?

[@outwiththem]

@@joshuaklein2859 I read people cleaning offices used to put i while cleaning with rags, no paper towels used much in 1890. Ragstime.

[@trawlins396]

Did anyone else catch what Eubie Blake said at 5:22??? 🤣🤣🫢😮😮 "The _______ can do no wrong.". Referring to Franz Liszt.

[@itsRemco]

"The keys can do no wrong." or "The kings can do no wrong." Is it an American saying or something? 😂

[@trawlins396]

@@itsRemco actually he said the "kinkz" can do no wrong. It's an old slur used to describe J's. If I elaborate anymore YT will ban my comment.

[@trawlins396]

@@itsRemco it's an insult that refers to their "kinky" hair.

[@trawlins396]

@@itsRemco starts with J. Rhymes with "shoes".

[@fraukeschwadron-bl1wf]

Are you sure? If I am not wrong, the "kinks" refers to people with an afro background while what you're allusing to is the word with k that rhymes with bike. I'm not a native speaker, though. By the way, Liszt was not from "shoe-ish" descent.