Rosenfeld described 'The Entertainer' as 'the best and most euphonious' of Joplin's compositions to that point. Louis Globe-Democrat, contemporary composer Monroe H. The B section contains an indication that the melody is to be played an octave higher on the repeat. It is primarily set in the key of C major however, for the C section (commonly referred to as the 'Trio'), it modulates to the subdominant, F major, then through a transitional passage modulates back to C major for the D section.
Its structure is: Intro–AA–BB–A–CC–Intro2–DD. 'The Entertainer' is sub-titled 'A Rag Time Two Step', which was a form of dance popular until about 1911, and a style which was common among rags written at the time.
