How tall were the great composers?
19 June 2020, 14:43
Mozart, Beethoven and of course Rachmaninov in full, towering glory.
Their pieces may be larger than life – but how tall were the great composers themselves?
We couldn't resist a good old-fashioned line-up, comparing the smallest and the tallest of a few of our favourite composers.
Rachmaninov's music is certainly at the pinnacle of Romantic piano repertoire, and at a massive 6'6" (2.01m) he certainly towered over his contemporaries too. A century beforehand, Beethoven might have scaled new heights with his groundbreaking Symphony No. 9, but at just 5'2" (1.58m), his diminutive stature is another story.
At 6 feet tall (1.82m), Franz Liszt’s physicality matched the might of his music, but pint-sized Grieg might have had trouble getting served at his local pub – he was the same height as 'little mushroom' Schubert, at just 1.55m high.
