![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/593\/2024\/10\/sheet-music-for-ragtime-231x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIn the early 20th century, an average citizen may have looked at the ragtime song titled \u201cThat dixie rag\u201d and would have thought something along the lines of \u201cpopular music\u201d or \u201cdance music.\u201d They would have not been thinking about the long, difficult, racist history that is involved in not only the title of the song, but also the style in which the song is composed and the lyrics housed within.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThat dixie rag\u201d is a piano and voice sheet music score, published in 1911.1<\/sup><\/a> In the first verse, the singer invites the audience to dance to a song that is played \u201cway down South\u201d that makes you \u201cwant to jag,\u201d or dance in a jerky manner.5<\/sup><\/a> The second verse tells the story of an African American man who traveled from Fort Worth to the northern states of America and taught an audience of northerners this ragtime song. The narrator refers to the African American man by using the derogatory word \u201ccoon\u201d throughout.<\/p>\n There are many things to uncover with this song. First, the word \u201cdixie\u201d is used to describe the southern states of the USA throughout the song. The word in particular has very negative and controversial connotations tracing back to the Civil War. The origins of the word are debated, but the song \u201cDixie,\u201d composed by Daniel Decatur Emmett, popularized it in 1859. The song was considered the Confederate anthem, and was originally premiered in a minstrel show.2<\/sup><\/a> In my last blog post about minstrelsy, I explained how the problematic minstrelsy tradition was \u201cbaked into the pie\u201d of American culture.6<\/sup><\/a> This is another great example of this, with a word referring to a problematic past being commonplace throughout.<\/p>\n Second, the musical genre of ragtime (or rag) is also intertwined with a difficult and racist past. Ragtime is defined as \u201ca syncopated musical style, one forerunner of jazz, a predominant style of American popular music from about 1899-1917.\u201d3<\/sup><\/a> The songs were influenced by and developed within minstrelsy, especially the characteristic syncopation which was influenced by the conception that syncopation was a trait of African American music.3<\/sup><\/a> Many types of popular songs during the ragtime era were referred to as \u201ccoon songs,\u201d which are racially denigrating songs that were meant to make fun of the typical African American speech, typing black people as foolish, thieves, highly sexted, and violent.4<\/sup><\/a> However, a surprising thing about these songs is that many African American composers partook in the writing of these songs, saying that they were reclaiming their racial identity.4<\/sup><\/a> Despite its reputation, the coon song was responsible for advancing the careers of many black entertainers and songwriters and paved the way for later popular black music genres, particularly the blues. Between 1905 and 1910, ragtime songs gradually lost their exclusively racial character, and any American song with a strongly rhythmic nature was given the description \u201cragtime.\u201d3<\/sup><\/a> Ragtime has had its fair share of revivals in the 1950\u2019s and 1960\u2019s, and is even studied in many academic settings now. However, many have lost the origins of minstrelsy and racism it arose from.<\/p>\n Overall, many people are unaware of the complex, racially insensitive history behind the genre of ragtime, as well as how it evolved and was influenced through minstrelsy. \u201cThat dixie rag\u201d is a great example of many problematic elements that were overlooked at the time, and how it can be uncovered today.<\/p>\n WORKS CITED<\/p>\n 1. O\u2019Keefe, Edward M., Melcher, Charles L. That dixie rag. Fred G. Heberlein & Co., 1911. <\/span>https:\/\/webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu\/metsnav\/inharmony\/navigate.do?oid=https:\/\/fedora.dlib.indiana.edu\/fedora\/get\/iudl:344388\/METADATA&pn=2&size=screen<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 2. \u201cDixie,\u201d Britannica Academic. <\/span>https:\/\/academic-eb-com.ezproxy.stolaf.edu\/levels\/collegiate\/article\/Dixie\/30701<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n 3. \u201cRagtime\u201d Oxford Music Online.\u00a0 <\/span>https:\/\/www-oxfordmusiconline-com.ezproxy.stolaf.edu\/grovemusic\/display\/10.1093\/gmo\/9781561592630.001.0001\/omo-9781561592630-e-1002252241#omo-9781561592630-e-1002252241<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n 4. Neal, Brandi A. “Coon song.” Grove Music Online. 16 Oct. 2013; Accessed 22 Oct. 2024. <\/span>https:\/\/www.oxfordmusiconline.com\/grovemusic\/view\/10.1093\/gmo\/9781561592630.001.0001\/omo-9781561592630-e-1002249084<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n 5. https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/jag<\/a><\/p>\n 6. https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2024\/10\/10\/minstrelsy-in-the-usa\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the early 20th century, an average citizen may have looked at the ragtime song titled \u201cThat dixie rag\u201d and would have thought something along the lines of \u201cpopular music\u201d or \u201cdance music.\u201d They would have not been thinking about … Continue reading
\n