Rachmaninoff & The Emotional Connection To Minor Keys

Description
Sergei Rachmaninoff had an unmistakable connection to writing in minor keys. In fact, his three symphonies, Symphonic Dances, four piano concertos, and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini are all written in minor keys. But why you may ask? Join me, Steven Hobé, as we take a minute to get the scoop!

Fun Fact
By 1900 Rachmaninoff was paralyzed with self-doubt and unable to compose. After professional help, his creative juices were rekindled. The Piano Concerto No. 2, completed in 1901 and performed by Rachmaninoff himself, was a success and led to a Glinka Award.

About Steven
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more.

A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.

Got a topic? Pop me off an email at: TCMMPodcast@Gmail.com 

Transcript

Sergei Rachmaninoff had an unmistakable connection to writing in minor keys. In fact, his three symphonies, Symphonic Dances, four piano concertos, and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini are all written in minor keys. But why you may ask?

Rachmaninoff was a virtuosic pianist and passionate composer, but with this, he experienced many emotional ups and downs of both successes and failures of his music. In his personal life, he lost two of his sisters, one to diphtheria and the other to pernicious anemia.

Musically, after a terrible performance of his Symphony No. 1, Rachmaninoff was plunged into a depression. It didn’t help that the conductor at the time was drunk at the premiere. 

The Russian Revolution of 1917 also caused great family turmoil. They left Russia and moved to New York. They were also reliant on Rachmaninoff’s income as both pianist soloist and conductor at the time.

So it’s not surprising that he gravitated toward the minor keys as he expressed his many disappointments and tragedies. And yet Rachmaninoff’s unmistakable style never fails to move us, pulling on our heartstrings.