Julius Weiss

Julius Weiss (1840 or 1841 – after 1889) was a German-born American Jewish music professor, best known for being the first piano teacher of Scott Joplin, who became known as "the king of ragtime".

Weiss is credited with recognizing Joplin's talent and giving him music and piano lessons as a child, introducing him to European music and models. Weiss emigrated to the US from Germany about 1870 and worked for a time in upstate New York. In 1877 he settled in Texarkana, Texas, where he worked as a school teacher, tutor and music teacher. He taught Joplin music and other subjects free of cost for several years, beginning when the boy was eleven years old. Joplin's parents, a former slave and a domestic worker, had no way to pay for private lessons. Weiss's later years appear to have been marred by financial scandal. Provided by Wikipedia