Dubbed the “King of Ragtime” by his music publisher, Scott Joplin (1868–1917) was a formally educated musician whose popular piano rags inspired him to go on to composition on a larger, far more developed scale and conception. His second opera, Treemonisha, an example of his most serious work, was published in 1911 at his own expense.
The story of a confident young woman whose life, in many respects, paralleled Joplin’s, the work was a blueprint for social, racial, and sexual equality. The opera became Joplin’s obsession, taking precedence over his other creative efforts while tragically affecting his health and fortune. In describing its energetic rhythms and melodies, The New York Times praised Treemonisha as gently imbued with ragtime, aspiring “to genuine operatic richness.”
