Just a brief missive to clarify (hopefully) this discussion about
origins of styles of music.  I've been reading the input from all
concerned regarding D. L. Bullock's comments about ragtime.

I believe that there are two distinct discussions going on here;
one about ragtime itself and the other about the ragtime form.  The
form was normalized by Joplin through notation; though whether that
form was standardized during countless cutting contests and accepted
as standard by all players we cannot know.

Ragtime itself, however, [was] developed and innovated through those
anonymous, faceless players whose names history has forgotten but
whose contributions helped create the music that we all enjoy.

David Fowler