Elite Syncopations

You've probably seen a pattern to Joplin's work. He invented "classic" ragtime, which is characterized by some rules. The Easy Winners, which you just heard, is one example of classic ragtime. It is a succession of four strains, or segments, named ABC&D, written in 2/4 time (one-and-two-and). Each strain has 16 measures. The strains are arranged in a specific progression: AABBACCDD. Add a four-measure introduction, and you have a classic rag.

See if you can follow that progression in this next work, Elite Syncopations, which I believe is the most representative classic rag ever written. It's from 1902.

<BGSOUND SRC="midi/elite.mid" LOOP=false>

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