“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.
From Twelve Songs, Op. 31, No. 9
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 891321
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1121728
One-act Opera in Three Scenes op. 24
with Russian, German and English libretto
Reprint
Opera Explorer
for: Voices, orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 1344378
Prijidite, poklonimsja
for: Mixed choir (SSAATTBB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1105729
Blagoslowi, dusche moja, Gospoda
for: Mixed choir (SSAATTBB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1105722
Choral symphony for soloists, choir and Orchestra, Opus 35 vocal score
for: Soloists, mixed choir, orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 1105773
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 948786
for: Lead Sheet
Item no.: 1361287
for: Easy Piano
Item no.: 1361286
for: Oboe, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 895959
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 847924
for: Trombone, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 369658
for: Piano
Easy Piano
Item no.: 1553638
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1553392
Tebe pojem
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1105708
Milost mira
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1105660
Theme from third movement
for: Saxophone, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 903260
Harmonie und Streicher 5-4-3-2-2
for: Piano, orchestra
Set of parts
Item no.: 1202285
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Score
Item no.: 1105775
for: Voice (high), orchestra
Score
Item no.: 903845
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 985737
for: Soprano and Piano
Book
Item no.: 819743
for: 4 Posaunen
Book
Item no.: 1144309
for: Voice (high), piano
[englisch, russich]
Item no.: 278558
Dostoino jest
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1105666
for: Oboe, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1203615
für Chor a cappella mit singbarem deutschem Text
for: 2 mixed choirs (SATB, SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1105672
for: Piano 4 hands
Ensemble score
Item no.: 886612
op. 17
for: 2 pianos
Item no.: 1650811
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1202286
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 829631
Orchestrated by the Composer
for: Symphonic orchestra
Set of parts
Item no.: 911409
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1006570
for: Fanfare
Score
Item no.: 1000388
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 820038
for: Flute ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1650596
No. 16 O Praise the Lord from the Heavens
for: Mixed choir (SATB); piano ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 1077657
Da ispolnjatsja usta nascha
for: Mixed choir (SAATTB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1105740
for: Piano Duets & Four Hands
Item no.: 1523398
For Mixed Choir a Cappella
for: Choir
Choir score
Item no.: 1105744
for: Voice, piano
Item no.: 1620658
for: Bass and Piano
Book
Item no.: 903800
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 1059951
for: 4 Saxophone
Item no.: 1617361
Weruju
for: Mixed choir (SSAATTBB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1105694
Saint Cecilia Series
for: Organ
Item no.: 328499
for: Mezzo-Soprano and Piano
Book
Item no.: 867854
Transliteration/Cyrillic
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 641623
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