Rachmaninov or Rachmaninoff?

[Sarastro]

Why would you think that my response to Karl had anything to do with you?

Guess the atmosphere around here these days is making everyone rather prickly--again!

This is about the dead horse you posted earlier. I just raised the topic because it interested me. I didn't know it was discussed here so many times that you are fed up.

[karlhenning]

I certainly share your distaste, Henk, for Prokofieff . . . although, I suspect that the composer used that transliteration himself.

This is about the dead horse you posted earlier. I just raised the topic because it interested me. I didn't know it was discussed here so many times that you are fed up.

I don't think it's so much a matter of being fed up with the topic, as with mulish intractibility  0:)

[Sarastro]

"Rachmaninov" looks like he made old-fashioned, bad music .

A valid argument!

[Sarastro]

mulish intractibility 

That is life.

[karlhenning]

That is life.

Thankfully, I prefer to engage much less disagreeable facets of life 

[DavidRoss]

I didn't know it was discussed here so many times that you are fed up.

Not really fed up, more bemused.    

[orbital]

"Rachmaninov" [looks like he] made old-fashioned, bad music .

A statement a lot of classical music enthusiasts swear by 

[karlhenning]

A statement a lot of classical music enthusiasts swear by 

Quite a robust industry, really.

[orbital]

Quite a robust industry, really.

Coplanders!

[Wendell_E]

I certainly share your distaste, Henk, for Prokofieff . . . although, I suspect that the composer used that transliteration himself.

You suspect correctly, sir!

http://home.comcast.net/~thomas.o.lee/Prokofieff.jpg

As for Ra-whathisname, I'm so confused and upset, I just won't type his name, or listen to his music.   

[Sarastro]

Not really fed up, more bemused.    

I am a child and can be bemusing.

This argument resembles me another never ending one on Russian opera forums on how to spell "Villazón" in Cyrillic. But it is done in a gentle manner with no rudeness and aggression.

[karlhenning]

But it is done in a gentle manner with no rudeness and aggression.

That's the style I like.

[karlhenning]

You suspect correctly, sir!

http://home.comcast.net/~thomas.o.lee/Prokofieff.jpg

I've seen that facsimile before, though I had forgotten about when I made my comment earlier today.

Oh, boy: right again!

[scarpia]

That's the style I like.

One line at a time?

[Dancing Divertimentian]

One line at a time?

[M forever]

This argument resembles me another never ending one on Russian opera forums on how to spell "Villazón" in Cyrillic.

You still don't get it. There is no argument here. The question is not how the name Рахманинов can be spelled in English or other languages using Roman letters. The question is how he himself chose to spell his name.

What's your first name again?

[scarpia]

You still don't get it. There is no argument here. The question is not how the name Рахманинов can be spelled in English or other languages using Roman letters. The question is how he himself chose to spell his name.

We get it.  There is no doubt that in referring to the person the Roman form must be Rachmaninoff, as he himself indicated. 

However, if you refer to one of his works that was published in Russia under the name Рахманинов, that could be considered a bibliographic citation to a publication, not to the person.  The citation is to the name as it appeared in the publication; if the printer misspelled the authors name, the citation is to the misspelled name, not to the correct name.  In referring to such a work one could make a case for Rachmaninov, which is the standard English transliteration of the Cyrillic form of the name that appeared in the cited document.

[M forever]

Sounds good, but unfortunately, his Russian publisher also transliterated the name in the -ff form for publication in the West. Sorry! That may actually be why SR stuck with it for the rest of his life.

[Sarastro]

This argument resembles me another never ending one on Russian opera forums on how to spell "Villazón" in Cyrillic.

You still don't get it.

I get it. But I thought of a different kind of resemblance. The argument has lasted for seven pages, and we never came to an agreement on how to spell the name. Will it ever end?

[M forever]

I get it. But I thought of a different kind of resemblance. The argument has lasted for seven pages, and we never came to an agreement on how to spell the name. Will it ever end?

Aparently not. You still don't get it. We don't have to come to an agreement on how to spell the name. That decision was made a very long time ago, by the bearer of the name himself.

Do you have an American passport now? If so, it will say your name there in Roman letters. Whatever form of spelling it uses, is the only correct form. If I decide that I like the German standard for Cyrilic transliteration better (or the French, or the Italian, or the Norwegian, if they even have one), it plays no role. Because the Westernized spelling has already been decided on. What is your name again, BTW?