International Society for Jazz Research

The title of my paper refers to the »in-betweenness« of Ragtime, which means that Ragtime has to be defined in its duality as written music and aural tradition, early jazz and classical music, African-American and European music etc. »Between two worlds« also refers to the impossibility and at the same time futility to distinguish and differentiate various cultural elements in Ragtime. The essence of Ragtime is to be found in exactly these »blurred« cultural elements and practices.

I use the terms cultural exchange and »contact zones« (as defined by Mary Louise Pratt) in order to explain the interactions between the various cultural elements that lead to the existence of Ragtime music. Various »contact zones« – imaginary places and real places – where divergent cultural practices have found their expression have been depicted. Camp meetings, minstrelsy, musical instruments such as the fiddle and the piano serve as examples to focus on the areas where African-American and Euro-American cultures met. I have particularly concentrated on cultural practices of Irish immigrants and African-Americans in the late 19th century. An originally Irish and/or Scottish fiddling tune which has become a classical piano piece, a minstrel song (»Old Zip Coon«) as well as a piano rag (»Turkey in the Straw«), and Foxtrot respectively, are to demonstrate the performative aspect of Ragtime and the complexity of cultural exchange in general.

Viewing Ragtime as product of complex cultural interaction and performance practices automatically entails the departure from definitions which focus on representative compositions of »great« composers.