Description
Searchlight, Nevada — a mining town born out of a gold strike at the end of the nineteenth century, and known then for exactly that sort of get-rich story — gives this rag its name. It was published in 1907; Joplin had moved to New York by this time, and his publishers were changing from piece to piece.
Skipping figures alternate with flowing ones as the right-hand figuration switches clearly from strain to strain in this B-flat major rag. At around four and a half minutes and with a high note count, it shows the finer working of individual strains typical of the later Joplin.
Length makes this intermediate rag a test of left-hand stamina. The back-and-forth between bass and chord invites tension in the arm, so learning to release at each leap is what carries you to the end. Distinguishing the points where the right-hand figuration changes keeps a long rag from turning monotonous.
Ragtime pieces centered on Scott Joplin's syncopated rhythms — a lively American genre that helped pave the way for jazz.
Browse all songs in Ragtime →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Scott Joplin (1868-1917)
Scott Joplin was an African American composer born in Texas, known as the "King of Ragtime." Blending syncopated, buoyant rhythms with sophisticated harmony, he brought the genre to national prominence with the enormous success of "Maple Leaf Rag." This site includes 18 of his works, such as "The Entertainer" and "Elite Syncopations."
View all works by Joplin →