Famous pianists with small hands?

[brahmslover]

I have small hands myself (octave only) and am curious to know small-handed pianists who made it to the top. The only one I know is the late Alicia de Larrocha. Do you know any other famous pianist with known small hands?

[sheena]

From what I've heard, Josef Hoffman had very small hands and even had a specially manufactured piano with less wide keys.
I think Pletnev and Ashkenazy also have quite small hands.

[communist]

From what I've heard, Josef Hoffman had very small hands and even had a specially manufactured piano with less wide keys.
I think Pletnev and Ashkenazy also have quite small hands.

Ashkenazy does have small hands, I don't know about Pletnev.

Perahia also has pretty small hands.

[minor9th]

Alicia de Larrocha.

[richard black]

Godowsky had small hands (for a man) and claimed it as a distinct advantage over having large ones - most people assume he meant in terms of agility.

I remember a story of Busoni, who could be (often was) tactless, meeting a promising young female pianist and exclaiming straight off something like, 'Oh dear, what small hands!'. Can anyone remember who that was?

[thalbergmad]

Not that i am famous, but i have got small hands. An uncomfortable 10th at best.

Perhaps my hands are better suited to dislocating peoples thumbs in arm wrestling competitions.

Thal

[gyzzzmo]

Not that i am famous, but i have got small hands. An uncomfortable 10th at best.

Perhaps my hands are better suited to dislocating peoples thumbs in arm wrestling competitions.

Thal

You dont really seem to have small hands, just a lack of stretch really. Many pianists who started early can get pinky-thumb almost in line.

[thalbergmad]

Well, i started at 3 but did not find a good teacher until 37

I think I play Hanon

Thal

[indianajo]

Well, watch super-stretching your thumb at age 37, you might find arthritis at 60 ends your playing enjoyment.  Odd pops I had in two knuckles at age 8 are requiring daily NASD pills now at 59.  I'm limited to C-E span like you, and I just cheat. Nobody is going to pay me to play classical anyway. I play "Pictures at an Exhibition" which requires octave and a fifth, and I enjoy it even wrong as I play it.  JS Bach Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor apparently requires octave and a fifth, but I am putting the offending notes on the other manual.  For a modern pianist that writes hard stuff without a huge stretch, listen to George Winston's "Winter' album. I transcribed his "Holly & Ivy" for fun, and it is the rhythm that is tricky, not the handspan. 

[birba]

All one needs is a comfortable octave.  The rest you can dance around. Not that a larger hand can definitely make things easier.  But I have seen five-foot koreans play Rachmaninov like nobody's business...

[catk]

I have small hands myself (octave only) and am curious to know small-handed pianists who made it to the top. The only one I know is the late Alicia de Larrocha. Do you know any other famous pianist with known small hands?

I have very small hands and I was wondering the same thing. I uncomfortably get an octave 
I am short so my hands are too.