Puzzle 1: Saint-Saëns - Carnaval des Animaux
Puzzle 2: Beethoven - Für Elise

We are sorry to have to inform Mr. Macrae that his suggestion is incorrect this time; but we do see what he means about Bridge! Indeed several of the composers mentioned in this connection - Scryabine, Bax, Litolff - were first raters. But since this is the pilot puzzle let us give one hint: the composer of extract 1 was not any of them but was a composer at least as well known as they and a contemporary of the first two.

Please note that this first puzzle may be regarded as a pilot or introduction, and we do not intend to award any points to "Mr. Grew" for its setting, but shall award points to the eventual successful solver and deduct them from unsuccessful guessers. The first live setter thus is Mr. Dish with puzzle 2.

During the past twenty-four hours the necessity of one or two changes to the rules has become evident. May we therefore also avail ourselves of the opportunity of noting them here:

Change to Rule 2: The maximum length of the extracts or snatches has been increased from six seconds to sixty seconds, and they are not limited to mp3 files but may also be wav files.

Change to Scoring Rule 5: The quarter-hour units will be rounded down rather than rounded up.

HERE then as encouragement to the hesitating is a second version of puzzle 1, nine seconds in length this time and taken from a different and possibly clearer and better recording.

As an Open Source enthusiast, I'm disappointed that SG is not allowing the Ogg Vorbis format.

d'Indy, Beethoven, Ibert:

of the above

This is an excellent guess, consistent with the clues, but still incorrect. The composer in question had NO contact with Nadia Boulanger. However, like Carter, we've had a thread devoted to him/her.

MacNae.

"Since I did not own a piano, I always felt drawn to women who had one. When the thing was over, they took their piano away with them. Eventually I sank ever deeper, just like Mussorgsky, and involved myself with girls who had no piano."

Statistics calculated up to reply 26:

Running log:

Mr. Dish - 75 for reply 1 (incorrect answer)
Mr. Martle - 75 for reply 3 (off topic)
Mr. Dough - 75 for reply 4 (off topic)
Mr. Dish + 100 for reply 5 (new puzzle)
Mr. W - 75 for reply 6 (off topic)
Mr. Martle - 75 for reply 7 (incorrect answer)
Madam Antheil -75 for reply 8 (incorrect answer)
Mr. Thompson -75 for reply 9 (incorrect answer)
Mr. Martle -75 for reply 10 (off topic)
Mr. Dough -75 for reply 13 (off topic)
Mr. Macrae -75 for reply 14 (incorrect answer)
Mr. Inquisitor -75 for reply 15 (incorrect answer)
Mr. Barrett -150 for reply 16 (two incorrect answers)
Madam Antheil -75 for reply 17 (incorrect answer)
Mr. D -75 for reply 20 (off topic)
Mr. H -75 for reply 21 (off topic)
Mr. Macrae -75 for reply 23 (incorrect answer)
Mr. Macrae -75 for reply 25 (incorrect answer)

Puzzles set: 2
Puzzles solved: none
Puzzles outstanding: 2

Table of setters:
  Mr. Grew 1
  Mr. Dish 1

Table of solvers: empty

General points table:

Mr. Macrae:      minus 225
Mr. Martle:        minus 225
Madam Antheil:  minus 150
Mr. Dough:       minus 150
Mr. H:             minus 75
Mr. D:             minus 75
Mr. Barrett:      minus 75
Mr. Inquisitor:   minus 75
Mr. Thompson:  minus 75
Mr. W:             minus 75
Mr. Dish                    25 (with a bonus for elapsed time to come later)