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Ragtime
By the end of the 19th century, ragtime began to rise in popularity with its lively syncopated rhythm – the left-hand regular beat is opposed by the right-hand playing a fast-paced, bouncy 'ragged' melody. It evolved along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, influenced by minstrel-show songs and African American banjo styles. Ragtime's popularity was short-lived, though it did see a revival in the 1970s and helped influence the development of jazz.
Ragtime is usually played in duple meter with higher pitched notes played syncopated, or displaced, over a rhythmically steady bass. The composition is typically composed of three or four contrasting sections, each being 16 or 32 measures in length.
The cakewalk, a high-stepping dance popularized on minstrel stages, often featured a syncopated motif that created a feel of "short-long-short" and became the most common syncope in ragtime. When counting a syncopated beat in 2/4-time, it yields a feel of unevenness and off-balance. In a 6/8-time, a syncopated beat will create a far-reaching swing. This musical style evoked an air of spontaneity and excitement.
MUSIC THEORY
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