Ragtime, the jaunty, toe-tapping music that captivated American society from the 1890s through World War I, forms the roots of America's popular musical expression. But the understanding of ragtime and its era has been clouded by a history of murky impressions, half-truths, and inventive fictions. Ragtime: A Musical And Cultural History cuts through the murkiness. A methodical survey of thousands of rags along with an examination of then-contemporary opinions in magazines and newspapers demonstrate how the music evolved and how America responded to it.

EDWARD A. BERLIN's books, articles and lectures have changed our understanding of ragtime history. Challenging the claims of earlier scholars, he presents documented facts and tightly reasoned interpretations, bringing a new standard of critical thinking to ragtime commentary. In addition to Ragtime, he has published King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era and Reflections and Research On Ragtime.

"Sets new standards for ragtime scholarship" - DAN MORGENSTERN, Annual Review of Jazz Studies

CONTENTS:
Part One The Ragtime Era: Perceptions of the Music
The Scope of Ragtime; Origins and Early Manifestations; The Ragtime Debate
Part Two Piano Ragtime
The Varieties of Piano Ragtime; Early Piano Ragtime; Musical Sources of Early Ragtime; A Cohesive Style Develops; The Erosion of a Distinctive Style
Part Three The Historical Perspective
The Historiography of Ragtime; A Consideration of Style

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