Rachmaninov's Corelli Variations illustrates his new compositional tendencies: economy of means, sparse texture, well-balanced structure, string-inspired figurations, elements of American jazz, and the avoidance of Romantic richness. Some of these elements are also present in the Paganini Rhapsody. Along with this main idea, the composer's borrowings in the two pieces are examined mainly in the discussion of string-influenced variations. For instance, in the Corelli Variations, the cadenza in the Intermezzo shares gypsy-style figurations with Kreisler?s La Gitane (m. 7). In the coda, the soaring melodic contour is inspired by that in the transcription of the coda of Corelli's La Folia (mm. 1-3) by Albert Spalding, Rachmaninov's friend. In the Paganini Rhapsody, the skips in triplet figuration in Var. 23 have a parallel with those in Paganini's La Clochette (mm. 76-92).

Works: Rachmaninov: Variations on a Theme of Corelli (32-34), Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 (52).

Sources: Paganini: Praeludium and Allegro (32); Kreisler: La Gitane (33); Albert Spalding: transcription of Corelli?s La Folia (34); Paganini: La Clochette (52).

Index Classifications: 1900s

Contributed by: Hyun Joo Kim