Sergei Rachmaninov: Early 20th Century Composers

During the early 20th century, musicians and composers were caught in a transitional period of two vastly different styles of music. Though there was a growing number of people who were gaining interest in modern trends that extended tradition, there was still a large amount of people who were not ready to explore music outside of 19th century traditions. However, there were some composers who, rather than choosing one or the other, created a culmination of the two styles. Sergei Rachmaninov serves as a fine example of a composer who effectively continued 19th century traditions while also incorporating the progressive and unique musical qualities of 20th century compositions. Sergei Rachmaninov, formally named Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov,
Later on, he composed an additional thirteen preludes in Opus 32, seven years after completing Opus 23. When you combine all of the 24 preludes that Rachmaninov had written, including his early C-sharp minor prelude, you will see that there is a prelude for every major and minor key. When he performed his preludes, it was noted that he did not play the preludes in order, but rather he took contrasting pieces from both Opus 23 and Opus 32, changing the order in which he played them. However, it seemed that he did have some pieces that he played more than others due to their popularity. From Opus 23, the most popular pieces he played during his performances were his well-known No.5 in G Minor and No. 2 in B-flat major. On the contrary, he seemed to never perform No. 7 in
His Opus 23 preludes are all held by a strong tonic key that is clearly established throughout the entire piece. Though his innovations in tonality and harmony are not quite as strong as other composers during this time, Rachmaninov placed more focus on how he used harmonic and melodic development within his compositional works. In Op. 23 No 4 Prelude in D Major, he creates variations of the melody through the addition of textures and voices. The piece begins with a simple accompaniment and melodic theme in the right hand. Halfway through the first page, another voice is added to the melody, creating a variation of the original melody while also building texture. Another melodic development is made in measure nineteen when he creates a syncopated feel by using a two-against-three rhythm. This creates even more intensity with the melody of the right hand playing against the accompaniment of triplets that are in the left