Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Sergei Rachmaninoff

  • Sergei Rachmaninoff: The dichotomy of life and music

    Michael YafiChaden YafiHouston, Texas, United States Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), a Russian composer, was known for having very large hands. With a span that covered twelve white keys on the keyboard (the interval of a thirteenth), he could play a left-hand chord of C, E flat, G, C, and G.1 This has led some medical experts…

  • In Consultation: Rachmaninoff, his physician, and the genesis of a masterpiece

    Vincent de LuiseNew Haven, Connecticut, United States “You need color to make music come alive. Without color, music is dead.” — Sergei Rachmaninoff There are piano concertos and then there are Piano Concertos. While favorites include the Tchaikovsky First, Mozart’s Twenty-first, the Beethoven Fifth (“Emperor”), and the first concertos of Brahms and Chopin, to many listeners…