“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.” Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Sergei Rachmaninoff was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor. He is considered the last romantic among the great Russian composers. Browse our sheet music and scores, and explore all his magnificent works today!
Unfortunately, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s childhood cannot be described as a particularly happy one. He was born into a wealthy aristocratic family, whose fortunes were soon dashed by his father’s decadent and debauched lifestyle, squandering all their money on mistresses and gambling. After his parents separated, the boy was sent to live with his grandmother, who recognised and nurtured his musical talents. At the age of nine, he joined the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. Despite his brilliant piano technique, and great musical talent, Rachmaninoff did not thrive at school, and was eventually sent off to Moscow, where he studied under the excellent teacher, Nikolai Zverev. It was in Moscow, that Rachmaninoff first began composing.
At the end of the 1890s, the young Rachmaninoff suffered two cruel turns of fate, both his close friend Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and his teacher Nikolai Zverev died. His 1st Symphony premiered in 1897, and although it was conducted by Alexander Glazunov, the performance was so lacking, that Rachmaninoff couldn’t bear to listen to any more, got up, and left the auditorium well before the end of the piece. The work was mercilessly slammed by the critics, and Rachmaninoff suffered a nervous breakdown. In the following three years, Rachmaninoff struggled to even pick up his quill.
It was not until after 1901 that Rachmaninoff finally turned back to music. He began to work as a conductor in Moscow, and slowly began to travel and perform again, first through Europe, and then the United States as a pianist and conductor. Soon however, the political situation in Russia became so dire, that in 1917, Rachmaninoff and his entire family bade a sad farewell to their homeland, never to return. They emigrated first to Scandinavia, and then in 1918, to America. He spent the final years of his life in the US and Switzerland, where he found peace in his villa, where he would retire after exhausting concert tours.
Stylistically, Sergei Rachmaninoff belongs to neo-romanticists, although his ideas were very original. His works are richly nationalistic, and encapture the essence of the Russian folk tradition. Rachmaninov was inspired by the typically Russian, expressive, romantic motifs and melodies of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Today, it is still possible to find recordings of Rachmaninoff’s piano playing; one can sit back, and admire his remarkable interpretive and expressive skills, and one can gain an insight into the composer’s inner thoughts, as he masterfully navigates his own magnificent works.
for: Cornet (E-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615167
National Federation of Music Clubs 2014-2016 Selection
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 896900
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1203370
for: Klarinettenensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 994923
for: Flute ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 993934
Konzertwerk
for: Soprano Solo, SATB Chorus [divisi] a Cappella
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 902895
Goodmusic Concert Classics
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 951697
for: Clarinet, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 344138
for: Clarinet in A and Piano
Book
Item no.: 313182
Neu-Russische Meister
for: Piano
Single edition
Item no.: 356972
Old Viennese dance tunes No. 2
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 670249
11 well known works for intermediate players
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Book, CD
Item no.: 560092
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 864533
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 907269
S.A.T.B., A Cappella
for: gemischter Chor (SATB), Klavier (for rehearsal only)
Choir score
Item no.: 1625864
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1381758
for: Piano 4 hands
Ensemble score
Item no.: 161326
Autorisierte Erstausgabe
for: 2 pianos
Item no.: 182654
Prüfungsliteratur
for: Viola, piano
Book
Item no.: 175111
Konzertwerk
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 946142
for piano
for: Piano
Item no.: 634340
for: Piano
Item no.: 1523466
for: Piano
Item no.: 1523397
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1378673
for: Alto saxophone (E-flat)
Instrumental Solo
Item no.: 1051281
for: Viola, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 673015
aus "Vespergesänge"
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 762451
theme from first movement
for: Trumpet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792095
for: Violin, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792118
theme from first movement
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792073
theme from second movement
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792076
theme from first movement
for: Violin, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792108
(from Morceaux de fantaisie op. 3/1)
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 734328
From All-Night Vigil
for: Brass band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 766494
Klavier CD
for: Piano
CD
Item no.: 1199703
Bb
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612161
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1554059
Simply Classics
for: Piano
Item no.: 471841
Harmonia-Mixed Choir
for: SSAATTBB
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 915601
à Antonina Nezhdanova
for: Solo voice (soprano), mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 432602
for: Flute, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 404520
for: Horn, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 404469
Konzertwerk
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 946591
Konzertwerk
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 943008
Orch.
for: SATB with Bar Solo
Book
Item no.: 932483
The Bells Of Moscow
for: Brass band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1315435
for: Brass band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1315318
Klassik
for: Bass clarinet
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283966