I can see that....

But the reason I always associated Joplin with Chopin was because like Freddie, almost all of Joplin's output was for solo piano. Furthermore, Chopin used dance forms in much of his work...waltzes, polonaises, mazurkas, etc... So did Joplin, using cakewalks, matches, quadrilles, etc as the basis for much of his stuff. However like Schubert, Joplin set several, (really bad), sets of maudlin Victorian-era lyrics to music, creating some really terrific little songs - elevating the mediocre words to a loftier place. Also like Chopin, Joplin's attempts at larger forms were deeply flawed at best Chopin's two piano concerti - although frequently played and fun in their own right, aren't his best efforts and you can tell he struggles with larger structure and hasn't the first clue on orchestration. Joplin's two known forays into large-scale works were troubled and very flawed. The 1902 ballet "Ragtime Dance" went nowhere until Joplin reduced the whole thing to a simple piano rag...and the opera "Treemonisha" consumed the last part of his life and the failure of - along with stage three syphilis - drove him around the bend where he died a horrible death in a mental hospital - also like Chopin at a fairly young age.... "Gladiolus" is a wonderful piece, especially if taken somewhat slowly with tasteful rubato...it plays almost like a Chopin nocturne.... Although you know me...Inlove flash and show...my favorite one is "The Cascades", which moves like gangbusters and requires solid chops - especially in the left hand... One more thing, since this IS BC, after all...I've always kinda wondered about Scott....even though he was thrice married he ALWAYS surrounded himself with talented very young teenage boys, such as Scott Hayden, Arthur Marshall, James Scott, and others...average age 14...many of whom he collaborated with and helped with their budding careers as "professors".....could Joplin have been one of us? Sleeps by day....rides by night, like a mongrel always lookin' for a fight.....