This piece represents the early American ragtime influence on European composers, blending syncopated rhythms with lighthearted popular tropes. It is distinctive for its infectious, driving energy and straightforward formal structure.
Achieving precise rhythmic syncopation between the steady left hand and the jumping right hand is the primary difficulty.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
20th Century Rag is rated Henle level 3 of 9 — late beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 4–5. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 4.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 3 — meaning you can already play level 2–3 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
A typical performance of 20th Century Rag lasts about 3 minutes.
20th Century Rag is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include Big Chief Kill-a-Hun by Maurice Abrahams, Alexander's Ragtime Band by Irving Berlin, Waltz in D-flat major, No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.