“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: Flute, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251527
for: Horn (E-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251522
for: 2 pianos
Sheet music
Item no.: 1383394
for: Voice (medium), piano
Piano/Vocal
Item no.: 1030813
for: Piano
Item no.: 1523588
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792121
theme from third movement
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792075
in E-Minor
for: Piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 6834
Op. 34 n° 14
for: Voice (high), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 6600
theme from third movement
for: Trumpet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792112
Bb
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1561402
G
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1665761
Bb
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612163
Em
for: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589464
C#m
for: Flute, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612609
Bb
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612554
Bm
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612518
Bbm
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612517
Bb
for: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589126
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1553384
for: Trombone, orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636609
for: Flute & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636603
for: Concert band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1259977
for: Bass trombone, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1250866
for: Clarinet, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637109
for: Baritone saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637105
for: Euphonium, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615183
for: Piccolo, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246286
for: Horn (F), guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246255
for: Trombone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246250
for: Tuba (E-flat), piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246234
for: Tuba (E-flat), guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246233
for: 2 pianos
Sheet music
Item no.: 1383393
for: Piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1383381
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1382503
op. 34/14
for: Cello, piano
Music score
Item no.: 1548711
theme from first movement
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792072
for: Trumpet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792110
op. 34 n° 14
arranged for clarinet (tenor saxophone) and piano
for: Clarinet (B-flat) [tenor saxophone], piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 6603
for: Violin, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792114
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1553535
C
for: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589127
Am
for: Flute, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612613
Bb
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612604
Bb
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612555
Bm
for: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612541
Ebm
for: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612043
Bb
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589474