ragtime

¹ American  

[rag-tahym] / ˈrægˌtaɪm /

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.

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Ragtime ² American  

[rag-tahym] / ˈrægˌtaɪm /

noun

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

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ragtime British  

/ 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

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ragtime Cultural  

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.

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Discover More

Scott Joplin was a famous composer and performer of ragtime.

Other Word Forms

• ragtimey adjective

Etymology

Origin of ragtime

1895–1900; probably rag(ged) + time

Example Sentences

The film, with its distinctive ragtime soundtrack, eventually won seven Academy Awards including best picture - although Redford was beaten to the best actor award by Jack Lemmon.

From BBC

Newly christened, she became known for scat singing, a vocal style that originated with ragtime - which enabled her to improvise melodies using her voice as an instrument.

From BBC

The “tunes” Andres makes use of in his concerto come from American folk songs, parlor songs, blues and ragtime, and they go through colorful repetitive transformations, embellished by Diehl’s improvisations.

From Los Angeles Times

That joy comes via the story of jazz and the works of Jelly Roll Morton, a ragtime pianist who said he invented the genre in 1902.

From New York Times

Although he was Canadian, his music was steeped in Americana: in blues, country, ragtime, Cajun music, parlor songs, Appalachian ballads, gospel, circus bands, vaudeville and his Indigenous heritage.

From New York Times

Related Words

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