Scott Joplin
/ˌskɒt ˈdʒɒplɪn/
/ˌskɑːt ˈdʒɑːplɪn/
- (1868-1917) a US piano player who wrote and helped to develop ragtime music. His most popular tune was Maple Leaf Rag (1899). He also wrote the first African-American opera, Treemonisha (1911), but it was not successful. His music became popular again when some of his tunes, including The Entertainer (1902), were used in the film The Sting (1973).