Say Hello to this Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff Quiz

Answer: Romantic

Despite living well into the 20th-Century (Rachmaninoff lived from 1873 to 1943), Rachmaninoff's music was very firmly rooted in Romanticism, a fact which could be attributed to musical influences from his teachers, Tchaikovsky and Arensky, at the Moscow Conservatory.

Answer: Four

Rachmaninoff wrote four piano concertos, all in minor keys. Of this four, his second (Piano Concerto in C minor) and third (Piano Concerto in D minor) are arguably the most popular, though his first (Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor) deserves mention (not least for its beautifully pensive Andante Cantabile movement).

His fourth (Piano Concerto in G minor) was, unfortunately, widely panned by critics. His "unofficial" fifth piano concerto, so to speak, is his brilliant "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini", which contains 24 variations for piano and orchestra.

Answer: All of the mentioned

Yes, Rachmaninoff was tall (above 6 feet), had short cropped hair, and possessed long fingers. Music critic Harold Schoenberg once wrote that "[the] tall, dour, lank, unsmiling figure of Sergei Rachmaninoff, with its seamed face and head of close-cropped (almost shaved) hair invariably reminded the public of a convict on the loose." Rachmaninoff's long fingers allowed him to play intervals of 12 and more; the first eight bars of the "Second Piano Concerto", for instance, contain such widely spaced chords that most pianist roll or break them into two parts - Rachmaninoff, however, played them whole.

Answer: Sent to the household of the musician Zverev in Moscow

Rachmaninoff was sent to the household of Zverev, a notoriously strict music teacher in Moscow, after he failed all his examinations at the St. Petersberg Conservatory of Music: he had spent most of his time at ice rinks, apparently having no qualms about skipping lessons at school. In addition, he was said to be badly affected by the breakdown of his parents' marriage.

Answer: Symphonic Dances

"Symphonic Dances", composed in 1940, was the last work written by Rachmaninoff. Originally scored for two pianos, it was orchestrated by the maestro himself, and dedicated to Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Rachmaninoff's favorite orchestra. "Aleko" was Rachmaninoff's first opera, written (in 1892) while he was a student in the Moscow Conservatory, while the "Prelude in C-sharp Minor" was one of his earliest pieces composed just after he graduated from the conservatory (also in 1892).

His fourth piano concerto in G minor was written in 1926.

Answer: A simple melodic idea played by both hands an octave apart

A deceivingly simple melodic idea is played by the piano in the opening of the third piano concerto, that is, before the pianist embarks on a virtuosic display of rapid arpeggic figurations. The piano opens with a descending sequence of chords in the first piano concerto, and static, widely-spaced chords in the second.

Answer: The third movement ends in a minor key

The alternative cadenza is lighter in texture, and it cuts a far livelier picture than the heavier chordal original.

Answer: Solo voice and piano

"Vocalise" is sung, not with words, but with one vowel of the singer's choice. The work was so popular that it was arranged for a variety of instrumental combinations: it was orchestrated by Rachmaninoff himself, arranged for solo violin and piano by the acclaimed violinist Heifetz, and arranged by cellist Rostropovich for solo cello and piano.

Answer: Rhapsody

This devilish work was written for solo piano and orchestra.

Answer: Arensky

Arensky also taught Scriabin at the Moscow Conservatory.