ragtime

¹

[ rag-tahym ]

noun

, Music.

1. rhythm in which the accompaniment is strict two-four time and the melody, with improvised embellishments, is in steady syncopation.
2. a style of American music having this rhythm, popular from about 1890 to 1915.

Ragtime

²

[ rag-tahym ]

noun

1. a novel (1975) by E. L. Doctorow.

ragtime

/ ˈræɡˌtaɪm /

noun

1. a style of jazz piano music, developed by Scott Joplin around 1900, having a two-four rhythm base and a syncopated melody

ragtime

1. A style of early jazz music written largely for the piano in the early twentieth century, characterized by jaunty rhythms and a whimsical mood.

Notes

Scott Joplin was a famous composer and performer of ragtime.

Other Words From

• ragtimey adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ragtime¹

1895–1900; probably rag(ged) + time

Word History and Origins

Origin of ragtime¹

C20: probably from ragged + time

Example Sentences

Ragtime, blues, country, jazz, soul, and rock and roll were all pioneered or inspired by black artists.

From The Daily Beast

Ragtime was as sophisticated as Stravinsky, Van Vechten asserted, blues singer Clara Smith as sublime an artist as any opera diva.

From The Daily Beast

But you can hear the blues in almost everything he played and sang, whether it be gospel, ragtime, marches, or nonsense songs.

From The Daily Beast

You said yourself that you never hear this style of music—ragtime, jazz—on the radio anymore.

From The Daily Beast

Years passed and I decided to upload a medley of these ragtime rock songs on YouTube, and that gained some traction.

From The Daily Beast

There was a distinct predilection in favour of "ragtime" and I must say I liked to hear that music at frequent intervals.

From Project Gutenberg

He had all the new ragtime songs and dances, which he rendered to his own accompaniment on an old battered banjo.

From Project Gutenberg

She would sing; and her fresh young voice broke forth into ragtime song.

From Project Gutenberg

She had tried to induce her cousin to join her, but that young lady was absorbed in running over a new ragtime song.

From Project Gutenberg

A former age expressed itself in Gregorian chants; ours, no less sincerely, disguises its feelings in ragtime.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• melody
• opera
• piece
• rap
• rock
• singing
• soul
• tune