Ragtime Music in Canada

Featuring Some Rag (1910) by Willie Eckstein and other Piano Rags by Canadian Composers

By Ted Tjaden

Ragtime music in Canada has a unique history that reflects our country's diverse cultural influences. Although much of early Canadian music has its roots in the musical traditions brought by the French and British settlers, ragtime music was introduced by our American neighbours to the South. It would appear that the ragtime craze that swept America in the early 1900's was no less felt in Canada where a number of Canadian composers and pianists composed and performed classic rags. That same period also saw an expansive growth in sheet music of all types and in the manufacture of high quality Canadian made pianos. Although the popularity of ragtime in Canada experienced the same lull after World War I as it did in the United States with the introduction of new styles of music, including jazz, ragtime did not entirely die away here and a ragtime revival in the early 1960's in Canada has resulted in ragtime remaining an important part of the Canadian musical environment.

Set out below are links to more information on ragtime music in Canada (each link will open a new page on this website):

1)   The Introduction of Ragtime into Canada from the United States
2)   Early Canadian Ragtime Personalities and their Music
3)   Canadian Ragtime Publishers and Record Producers
4)   Piano Manufacturing in Canada
5)   The Ragtime Revival in Canada
6)   .MP3 Recordings of Canadian Ragtime
7)   Ragtime Sheet Music Art Work
8)   Online Sheet Music for Canadian Ragtime
9)   Bibliography

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