None of these is right. But but but! 4 and 10 are in the neighborhood, 20 and 26 are indeed by behind-the-times Romantic-idiom composers (as is 13), and 25 is indeed by a Russian.

21 has already been claimed (it's Medtner -- as close to Rachmaninov's style as he ever got).

Oh, sorry. I give up.

Well, your guesses were very good. If and when you have more, you can un-give up at any time.

Well, this is an education! I really like this music, and I know not a single one (cut me some slack, I'm only 27!)

Anyhoo, what's the score now?

Pete

I'm only 28! When I stopped playing, I became a hard-core listener. It's a tradeoff: you can play Chopin etudes, and I can come up with piano quiz questions. (Massive understatement: I'm glad to be playing again. )

Current scores:
techneut: 9 (plus a handful of correct composers, which could conceivably break a tie)
Kschyschtoff: 1

What do you think, should I keep dropping hints for another couple days and then reveal the remaining answers?

Maybe you can do the 'big reveal' on Friday? Give someone who may be currently pulling out all their albums a chance to get a few more.

#13 is so familiar -- like I swear I've taught in the past but at a slower tempo. Is it something you learned as a student around 4th year of childhood studies, Schmonz? I've forwarded the clip to a colleague here to see if she recognizes it as something possibly from the Royal Conservatory syllabus.

#14 I love, but have NO IDEA where it comes from. It conjures up images of Fred Flintstone in his leotard, tippy-toeing gracefully at ballet lessons. Do the Europeans know who Fred Flintstone is? Macho cartoon character from around the 1960s who was told in one episode that some ballet lessons would improve his bowling skills.

Heh, now that you mention it, I see what you mean. A light piece by a usually very serious composer, though there are some clues to his identity in the figuration and harmony.

I'm not sure whether I'd be surprised if #13 is on any syllabi anywhere. On the one hand, it sure sounds like the sort of thing that could be. On the other hand, the composer is not well known. (On the third hand, sometimes it's those guys who wind up being used for didactic purposes.)

Thanks, Schmonz. Those are good clues. Am going to take a break from taking bikini pics of self at the piano and look through my teaching books again this afternoon. No students this week, as it is Easter Break here in Canada, and maybe in USA too, so should have time to figure this out.

Doesn't it sound familiar indeed.... I have never heard any music by Billy Mayerl but somehow I think this is how it might sound.

BTW I believe #12 to be Medtner's 2nd Piano Concerto.

And #25 is Medtner's Ein Idyll, from 3 Arabesken Op.7. Hadn't played this for ages that is why I could not place it immediately. Phew, just in time before Arensky got that one

+2 to Chris (I happen to know that you meant #27 instead of #25). Nicely done!

+1 to Nicole (unofficial) for titillating commentary!

Reminder: Chris was right when he said that #19 must be Kapustin.

Clue: there is more Alkan yet to be identified.

Clue: it so happens that the composer of every piece whose number is evenly divisible by 3 is Medtner.

I've been meaning to do more listening (and I'm glad to hear of your increase in playing)...thank God we've got plenty of time, being only 28 and 27!

Drop hints at your discretion but don't give the answers too soon. If the scores are really close, wait longer and if there's a decisive winner, less. Three to seven days between the last correct response and the revealing of answers, maybe? I don't know; it's entirely up to you.

Chris is close!

Pete

Oops yes of course. I have a way with numbers.
+1 to Nicole (unofficial) for titillating commentary!


That surely must be the one I thought was Schumann or Mendelssohn. It could be one of his Esquisses, but I thought I knew all of these and yet did not recognize this piece. Must check tonight.


Hm, I did not flag 3 and 18 as Medtner. Gotta listen again tonight and dig out my Medtner books. We should rename this "The Medtner Quiz"

I've identified #6, it's Medtner's - Sonate Orageuse Op. 53 No.2. Can't identify the other Medtners (3 and 18) nor any other Alkan (I think it might be 22 but no idea what). So this is it for me.

Right on the nose! It's the furious climax of this furious sonata (which I know as "Minacciosa", though I've heard the French also), whose very modern sound shows that even the monk-like Medtner was not impervious to the sounds his contemporaries were making. Of course, in his inimitable style, he then goes and pairs it with the deliberately provocatively titled "Sonata Romantica." Off the top of my head, a few other cases where outside cultural influences found their way into Medtner's music: the Op. 26 #3 Skazka has some jazz-inspired chord progressions (though they're not written at all jazzily), and Op. 38 #2 and Op. 54 #6 are ragtime in everything but name. Doubtless there are other examples. Someday I'll do a full writeup.

Let's summarize what we know about the remaining pieces, and throw in a few hints:

1 is by a European fellow who shared some aesthetic sympathies with Medtner (I believe they met, or at least corresponded by letter), though this guy wrote rather more floridly. Extremely colorful and detailed figurations.
3 is Medtner. But which piece?
4 is by an American fellow. Don't know too much about him but it's not surprising that this piece is from the 1920s.
8 is Alkan. Which?
10 is by an Australian who later became a music educator in New York.
13 is by a Russian contemporary of Medtner's who similarly had a rough go of things due to politics and a so-called outdated Romantic idiom. This guy is not in the same league but wrote charming works which deserve to be heard. I've seen his name mentioned on the forum before.
14 is by a gent who wrote intricate polyphonic music, both original and derivative works. Some of the latter have been criticized as disrespectful to the originals, but are increasingly appreciated by connoisseurs.
18 is Medtner (from an opus mentioned in this post). Which?
19 is Kapustin. Which?
20 is by an American who later became a music educator in New York.
22 is indeed Alkan. Which?
23 is by a Russian fellow esteemed for his otherworldly playing of Scriabin and Bach and loved for his teaching.
25 is by a rare Russian fellow who liked Wagner.
26 is by an Eastern European admirer of Brahms. His grandson is a highly regarded conductor.