Which composer wrote Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer?

• A. Duke Ellington
• B. Scott Joplin
• C. Louis Armstrong
• D. George Gershwin

Answer: (D)

These pieces exemplify Ragtime, a style built on a steady left-hand rhythm with a lively, syncopated right-hand melody. Maple Leaf Rag, published in 1899, and The Entertainer, written a few years later, are iconic works that helped define Ragtime and show how the piano can drive both texture and pulse. The composer who created both of these famous rag tunes is Scott Joplin, a central figure in Ragtime often called the king of that era. His work established the distinctive rhythmic bite and jaunty character that Ragtime is known for, and The Entertainer later found a new audience after it was featured in The Sting, boosting its enduring popularity.

Duke Ellington is renowned for big-band jazz and swing-era compositions; Louis Armstrong is celebrated as a pioneering trumpeter and performer in jazz; George Gershwin blended jazz with classical traditions but did not compose these Ragtime staples.