- For the term "rag" in classical Indian music, see Raga.
Classic rag (short for
classical ragtime) is the style of
ragtime composition pioneered by
Scott Joplin and the Missouri school of ragtime composers. These compositions were first considered "classic" by Joplin's publisher,
John Stark, as a way to distinguish them from what he considered the "common" rags of other publishers. Today, any composition fitting this particular ragtime structural form is considered classic rag.