The subtle mocking of the white masters went largely undetected at the time and the white musicians and audiences were not at all offended by this new musical style. This new expressive up beat - or “up bow” - eventually led to the creation of the basic rhythmic nature of jazz, rock & roll and hip-hop music. Hence, yet another style of music that could have happened only in America was born. The downbeats can be seen as representing white culture – heavy, conservative, parochial, staid and relentlessly present – whereas the upbeats represent freedom, individual expression and an improvisatory spirit with a healthy dose of sass and satire directed at Europeanism and the resulting oppression. Within the rhythmic structure of a swung phrase, a slave musician could manifest his concept of relationships between whites and blacks. The up-bows can be used as a means of expression when “swinging” the rhythm and the degree of how syncopated the music becomes - or how “hard” it swings - is determined by each individual player’s creativity and sense of self expression. The “swung” notes of the syncopated rhythm are the “and” beats of the count or the “up-bows” in the case of fiddle playing. This new “ragged time” syncopated rhythm first manifested itself as a satirical musical expression mocking the “straight-laced” European music styles that were characterized by a heavy emphasis on down beats. Ragtime music developed among the slave fiddlers on the southern plantations in the mid-1800s. He spent his final years in New York City attempting to have his music accepted by the classical music establishment. Louis where he lived, worked and honed his craft. Joplin - The King of Ragtime - developed his “rags” while working in minstrel shows, vaudeville and dance halls in Texarkana, Sedalia and St. Ragtime music, much like the hoedown that preceded it, is a unique blend of European styles and African American harmonies and rhythms. “The Entertainer” is a classic piano “rag” written in 1902 by African American composer Scott Joplin.
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