Scott Joplin was a musical prodigy, born the son of a slave, who received a conservatory education and slowly rose to acclaim. Irving Berlin was a Russian Jewish immigrant who couldn't read music, yet catapulted to stardom at the age of 23. Both men changed the landscape of music with their contributions to the first American musical genre, ragtime.
Scott Joplin was a musical prodigy, born the son of a slave, who received a conservatory education and slowly rose to acclaim. Irving Berlin was a Russian Jewish immigrant who couldn't read music, yet catapulted to stardom at the age of 23. Both men changed the landscape of music with their contributions to the first American musical genre, ragtime.
