PuzzleWatch: Pianos and Piano Players

Practice your music trivia skills with this tricky tribute to some of the greatest talents ever to tickle the ivories.
Sergei Rachmaninoff at the piano
Sergei Rachmaninoff at the piano

This puzzle was prompted by a plethora of piano performances taking place in Oregon this month. Not only is Angela Hewitt popping into town for a Portland Piano International concert, but Sir Stephen Hough also just completed a weekend with the Oregon Symphony. Perfection. And Willamette University piano professor Jean-David Coen performs Beethoven’s Fantasia for Piano, Orchestra and Choir in Salem on April 26 and 27 with Willamette Master Chorus

But this puzzle takes you farther than our own wonderful local concerts. You will be reminded of some of the great classical pianists in recent history (Vladimir Horowitz, Claudio Arrau, and the incredible Martha Argerich); pianists touring the world today (Conrad Tao and Lang Lang); and pianists who broke molds and bent genres in honor of the piano (Liberace, Peter Nero, and Thelonious Monk). And of course, we mustn’t forget the brilliance of the composer-pianists (Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and Chopin) who so enriched the keyboard repertoire.  

For fun, the piano itself gets special attention, too. You’ll see. Enjoy.


Pianos and Piano Players – Click here for an interactive puzzle you can fill out in your web browser

Download the puzzle as a printable PDF

Download the answer key

Daryl Browne is a music educator, alto, flutist and writer who lives in Beaverton, Oregon.

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