Contrapunctus

Compare performersSergei Rachmaninoff

Rachmaninoff, Prelude Op. 3 No. 2, in four recordings

Prelude in C♯ minor, Op. 3 No. 2

Rachmaninoff, in three recordings, and Wörner play the three opening bass notes, the triplets and the return.

Player

Recordings in
this comparison

Choose a recording and press Play. Selecting another card continues playback from the matching point in that recording.

1919Reference recording

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Rachmaninoff plays his own Prelude for Edison, in the first year of his gramophone career.

3:47
1921Performance 02

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Rachmaninoff recorded the Prelude again for Victor in New York, two years after the Edison performance.

3:29
1928Performance 03

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Rachmaninoff’s electrical remake was recorded in New York on 4 April; Victor released take 23.

3:31
2005Performance 04

Martin Wörner

Wörner plays in a private recording made by Tobias Lohner in May 2005.

3:52
Selected recordingSergei Rachmaninoff, 1919
0:00 / 3:47

Loading the player…

Each strip shows changes in volume within one recording.

The comparison

The Prelude opens with three low notes, A–G♯–C♯. Rachmaninoff recorded the Prelude in 1919, 1921 and 1928, for Edison and later for Victor. Martin Wörner recorded it in 2005.

Tempo

Tempo map

Time taken compared with Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1919: above 1×, the performer takes longer over the same music; below it, less time.

Time taken compared with the reference recordingEach gold line follows a performer. Above 1×, the recording takes longer over the same music. Numbered lines mark the passages below.0.25×0.5×0.75×1×1.25×1.5×1.75×0:001:002:003:001. Opening three-note motif and chords · 0:0512. Melody within the triplets · 1:4623. Triplet chords before the return · 2:1834. Coda over a low C♯ · 3:124Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1919 (reference)Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1921Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1928Martin Wörner, 2005
The reference recording’s clock runs left to right. Each line is smoothed over about eight seconds; pauses can create peaks. Numbers mark the passages below.
  • Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1919 · reference
  • Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1921
  • Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1928
  • Martin Wörner, 2005
Passages

Passages compared

Each version plays in card order, for up to 12 seconds of reference music or until the next marked passage, whichever comes first.

  1. 01

    Opening three-note motif and chords

    0:05 in the reference

    The piece opens with three low notes, A–G♯–C♯. The chords that answer them are much quieter.

  2. 02

    Melody within the triplets

    1:46 in the reference

    A descending melody runs inside the right hand’s triplets, while the left hand keeps changing the bass beneath it.

  3. 03

    Triplet chords before the return

    2:18 in the reference

    The triplets become thick chords, passed between the hands and moving down the keyboard towards the return of the opening theme.

  4. 04

    Coda over a low C♯

    3:12 in the reference

    The chords grow softer over a low C♯; shorter answers and rests lead the Prelude to its final quiet chord.

Durations

Length of each recording

  1. Sergei Rachmaninoff, 19193:47
  2. Sergei Rachmaninoff, 19213:29
  3. Sergei Rachmaninoff, 19283:31
  4. Martin Wörner, 20053:52

These times include the lead-in and final fade. Cuts, repeats and disc-side breaks also affect a recording’s length.

Performers and sessions

Recording notes

Sources & method

Further reading

How the recordings are matched

The matching follows sequences of pitches, using a method called dynamic time warping. Every recording is mapped to the reference, so switching between two versions goes through that shared clock. Where several reference times match one point, the middle time is used.

  • Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1921: match score 0.967. Matched passages available.
  • Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1928: match score 0.923. Matched passages available.
  • Martin Wörner, 2005: match score 0.904. Matched passages available.

Switching stays within the matched span, and trimmed recordings keep their original clock times. Match scores describe similarity in the sound.