“Maple Leaf Rag” sold exceedingly well ... a groove with the bass part and coordinating the two hands at a medium tempo or faster—those are challenges. Because of its difficulty, anyone ...

That piece, “Maple Leaf Rag,” crowned Scott Joplin the “King of Ragtime Writers.” Born near Texarkana, Texas, likely in 1867, Joplin studied music with local teachers and became ...