In 1911 Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha was the first black folk opera written by a black composer. His first major success was "Maple Leaf Rag" which earned him the title "King of Ragtime".

In 1907, Joplin wrote an instruction book, The School of Ragtime, outlining his complex bass patterns, sporadic syncopation, stop-time breaks, and harmonic ideas, which were widely imitated. Joplin’s reputation as a composer rests on his classic rags for piano, including “Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer,” published from 1899 through 1909, and his opera, Treemonisha, published at his own expense in 1911. 

"When I'm dead twenty-five years, people are going to begin to recognize me."

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