<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Maple Leaf Rag </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Problems playing this file? See media help . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Maple Leaf Rag </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Problems playing this file? See media help . </Td> </Tr> <P> The emergence of mature ragtime is usually dated to 1897, the year in which several important early rags were published . In 1899, Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" was published and became a great hit and demonstrated more depth and sophistication than earlier ragtime . Ragtime was one of the main influences on the early development of jazz (along with the blues). Some artists, such as Jelly Roll Morton, were present and performed both ragtime and jazz styles during the period the two styles overlapped . He also incorporated the Spanish Tinge in his performances, which gave a habanera or tango rhythm to his music . Jazz largely surpassed ragtime in mainstream popularity in the early 1920s, although ragtime compositions continue to be written up to the present, and periodic revivals of popular interest in ragtime occurred in the 1950s and the 1970s . </P>

Who was the most famous composer and performer of ragtime in the late 19th and early 20th centuries