His large-sized hands allowed him to play the piano almost unlike anyone else. References. But then again, perhaps he just had big hands. 1. The composer had possibly the largest hands in classical music, which is why some of his pieces are fiendishly difficult for less well-endowed performers. Watch the video for Rachmaninov had big Hands by Igudesman & Joo for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Contrary to rumors that he was "six and a half feet" (198 cm), Rachmaninoff's height is documented in two U.S. Immigration manifests at Ellis Island, on 10 November 1918 and 30 October 1924, as being 6 ft 1 in (185 cm). Young DA. Wolf P. Creativity and chronic disease. One possibility would have been Marfan’s syndrome, but his limbs were not unduly elongated and he had no other manifestations of that condition. The diagnosis of art: Rachmaninov's hand span. BMJ (Clin Res Ed) 1986; 293: … [PMC free article] [Google Scholar] 2. Rachmaninov and Marfan's syndrome. Enormous hands. Rachmaninov is well known for the size of his hands. Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943). Rachmaninov was noted to have very big hands, an obvious advantage to a pianist in that it would greatly extend his reach. But this has also given rise to speculations that the big hands where a manifestation of a generalized medical condition. 7. He could span 12 piano keys from the tip of his little finger to the tip of his thumb. West J Med 2001; 175: 354. Enormous hands. This image appears in the gallery: Rachmaninov: 15 facts about the great composer. It is believed that he had the largest hands in classical music, making him able to reach 13 piano keys from his pinky finger to the tip of his thumb. 15 images. But then again, perhaps he just had big hands.