• • An Opus refers to a body or "compilation" of work, usually a grouping of pieces which share similarities.

  • Rachmaninoff's Opus (Op.) 16 is known as the "Six Moments Musicaux"

    • Each piece in Op. 16 has a specific style, No. 3 being a funerary march, and No. 4 having similarities with Chopin's early Romantic period masterpieces. The other four pieces are also unique in their own ways, for example, No. 1 takes inspiration from Schubert (A late Romantic Era/early Classical Era composer)

  • A Prelude used to be a shorter introductory piece before a major work, but by the Romantic Period (When Rachmaninoff was composing), Preludes had remained in their shorter form but also became standalone pieces with melodic motifs and sections

    • The Prelude in G Minor has two sections, one with a dense volume of chords (What Rachmaninoff is known for as a composer), and a second part with arpeggios, but still in Rachmaninoff's style

  • Another important aspect to consider involving Rachmaninoff's works is the time period he composed in. As mentioned earlier, he composed in the Romantic Period, which is generally accepted to be the range of time from around 1800 to 1910.

    • The Romantic Period was signified by more emotional art, and composers at the time followed a looser set of musical theory rules than prior generations.

Melodies, Key Signatures, and General Concepts

• • Melodies are the main "theme" of a piece, making them the most recognizable part of a song. In piano music, the melody is typically played by the right hand, although in more complex sections, the melody might be transferred between hands

  • The key signature in a piece designates what notes are to be made a flat or sharp, unless specified otherwise. On a keyboard, each white key designates a base "note", from A to G, and the A-G pattern repeats from one end of the keyboard to the other. However, a key signature will designate that a note, let's say "A" will now always be a "Sharp". Now, whenever an "A" is played, no matter which octave, or group of A-G, the note is played in, it must be raised to an "A#", or "A Sharp"

    • A sharp means a note should be played one half-step up, or on the black key to the right of the note. If there is no black key directly to the right of the note, then a sharp means playing the closest white key to the right.

    • A flat means a note should be played one half-step down, or on the black key to the left of the note. If there is no black key directly to the left of the note, then a sharp means playing the closest white key to the left.

  • Depending on the key signature, a piece can then be labeled as "major" or "minor". A major key typically sounds more upbeat while a minor key sounds more serious

  • For example, Opus 26, No. 5 has two flats, B and E, so whenever a B or E is played, they must be turned into Bb or Eb (B flat or E flat). Rachmaninoff could have set the piece to "revolve" around Bb, which would have emphasized the Bb as the key note, or tonic, of the piece, and would have also made the piece "Bb Major". However, he chose to use the note "G", which means the piece is in a minor key, the key of G Minor. This means the overall tone of the piece is more serious and creates the unique sound present in the work.

  • Chords are a combination of multiple notes which usually portray a more complex "idea" than a single note, as multiple notes are played at the same time

    • When a chord is broken up, and the individual notes are played one at a time, the sequence is considered an arpeggio

  • Sequences occur when a motive, or brief pattern of notes, repeats itself after moving down a set number of notes

    • Sometimes the sequence involves a motive moving changing by just by a single note, but there are more complex sequence types as well

    • A sequence could occur when a group of notes, let's say "A - C - E" is moved up, which would move the three aforementioned notes to "B - D - F".

  • Cadences are like periods at the end of sentences; they conclude a phrase (i.e., a short musical idea) in a pleasant and satisfying manner.