Ragtime is a piece that grew directly out of the 'Ragtime' section of A Soilder's Tale. It is scored for a small chamber orchestra of eleven instruments: flute clarinet two horns trombone big drum snare drum side drum cymbals cimbalom first and second violin viola and double bass. The cimbalom assumes a prominent almost soloistic role as Stravinsky only became aware of it in 1915 and sought to use it whenever possible thereafter.