Describe each of the performing and visual arts as individual disciplines with their own background knowledge and means of expression - Essay Example

Joplin’s father was a former slave, and his mother cleaned homes. He played with a group of minstrels before he settled down in St.Louis in 1890.He played in the Chicago World Fair in 1893. The railroad crash at Waco in 1893, inspired his composition “The great crash collision” Scott’s life was not a bed of roses, he contracted syphilis from which he died in 1917. His long ill health affected his work. His African-American heritage had a great influence on his music.. Early influence on Scott was that of his musical family-Scott’s mother payed the banjo and sang, while his father played the violin .

His mother bought him a piano from the money she earned by cleaning houses Her influence can be seen in his early composition “Treemonisha” published in 1911. He was given free piano lessons by Julius Weiss, a German music teacher., whose influence on Scott’s music was significant. Weiss taught him the intricacies of classical music form. His early training in classical music instilled a love for the classical form in Joplin, which is evidenced in his classic rags .Joplin made use of Afro-American folk music tradition in his rags.

Ragtime music gets its name from the ‘ragged rhythm’ it uses. Having been composed mainly for the piano, “The Entertainer” is primarily in C major. In the “B” section, the melody is played on a higher octave. Its texture is homophonic, with a single melody The music is strongly tonal, with many sections of the music ending on a tonic chord. Although the rhythms and pitches are influenced by the African-American folk music traditions, the music has a definitely European - American form.

Tempo is another aspect of Joplin’s music. Joplin wrote instructions on his music not to play it at too fast a tempo, which would ruin the music. . Each form of art like painting, music, dance or theater has evolved in its own way in different countries of the world, and each has its own