“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: Cello, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302900
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: Tuba, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1250864
for: Oboe, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251526
for: Violin, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251518
Neu-Russische Meister
for: Piano
Single edition
Item no.: 356972
Goodmusic Concert Classics
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 951697
for: Klarinettenensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 994923
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1381758
for: Flute ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 993934
for: Piano
Item no.: 1523466
for: Piano
Item no.: 1523397
for: Mixed choir (SSAATTBB) a cappella
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 928849
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 946142
for: Alto saxophone (E-flat)
Instrumental Solo
Item no.: 1051281
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1378673
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 796656
for: Soprano saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637107
for: Piano
Item no.: 634340
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 907269
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 316761
for: Viola, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 673015
Old Viennese dance tunes No. 2
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 670249
for: SSA, Piano and Cello
Choir score
Item no.: 984587
for: Coro SSAATTBB, [Pfte for rehearsal only]
Score
Item no.: 638381
for: 2 mixed choirs (SATB, SATB) a cappella
Score
Item no.: 623063
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1203370
for: Soprano Solo, SATB Chorus [divisi] a Cappella
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 902895
for: 2 pianos
Item no.: 182654
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 864533
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 896900
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 898976
The orchestra accompaniments are arranged for a second piano. 2 Copies needed to perform
Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics, Vol. 1576
for: 2 pianos
Music score
Item no.: 297190
for: Piano 4 hands
Ensemble score
Item no.: 161326
for: Clarinet, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 344138
for: gemischter Chor (SATB), Klavier (for rehearsal only)
Choir score
Item no.: 1625864
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Book, CD
Item no.: 560092
for: Cello, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1701317
From All-Night Vigil
for: Brass band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 766494
aus "Vespergesänge"
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 762451
Bb
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612161
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1554059
for: Horn, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 404469
for: Bassoon & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636605
for: Contrabass & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636604
for: Piccolo & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636602
There is a separate Stretta website for the country Worldwide. If your order is to be delivered to this country, you can switch, so that delivery times and shipping conditions are displayed correctly. Your shopping cart and your customer account will remain the same.