“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: Mixed choir, concert band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1314091
for: Bassoon, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302936
for: Soprano saxophone, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302926
for: Tuba, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302907
for: Cello, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302900
for: Alto Trombone & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636598
for: Tenor Saxophone & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636588
for: Oboe & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636587
for: 2 mixed choirs (SATB, SATB) a cappella
Score
Item no.: 623063
for: Coro SSAATTBB, [Pfte for rehearsal only]
Score
Item no.: 638381
for: Tenor recorder, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246270
for: Bass trombone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246248
for: Violin, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246243
for: Piccolo, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615180
for: Cornet (E-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615167
for: Bassoon, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637110
for: Soprano saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637107
for: Piano
Item no.: 1523466
for: Piano
Item no.: 1523397
for: Voice, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1254113
for: Tuba, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1250864
for: Oboe, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251526
for: Violin, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251518
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1381758
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1378673
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 864533
From All-Night Vigil
for: Brass band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 766494
aus "Vespergesänge"
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 762451
for: Horn, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 404469
for: SATB with Bar Solo
Book
Item no.: 932483
for: Piano
Music score, CD
Item no.: 849179
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 403741
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 946591
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 943008
for: Violin, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792118
theme from first movement
for: Violin, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792108
theme from first movement
for: Trumpet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792095
theme from second movement
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792076
theme from first movement
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792073
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612161
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1554059
(from Morceaux de fantaisie op. 3/1)
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 734328
for: String orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1534069
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 866650
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1548596
for: Piano
Music score, CD
Item no.: 897909
for: Voice, piano
Music score
Item no.: 1591251
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