“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: Tuba (B-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307514
for: Oboe, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1308177
for: Bassoon, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1308175
op. 10/1
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 723221
for: Trumpet [cornet], piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615185
for: Trombone, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615184
for: Clarinet, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615176
for: Trumpet, orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636585
for: Oboe, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637098
for: Alto saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637097
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612549
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1612542
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792071
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589466
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589111
for: Flute, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246284
for: Treble recorder, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246272
for: Bass recorder, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246267
for: Soprano saxophone, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246265
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1178490
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 866714
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 866674
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 866619
for: Mixed choir (SATB); piano ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 914503
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 404218
for: SATB divisi
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1041785
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 664941
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 664772
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 108923
for: Cello, piano
Music score
Item no.: 1613167
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 658334
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano [organ]
Score
Item no.: 769630
First authorized edition
for: 2 violins, viola, cello (string quartet)
Score, Set of parts
Item no.: 242589
for: Piano, orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 908389
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 849654
for: Bariton, Choir and Orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 907610
aus 'Deux morceaux de salon' op. 6
Die Musikbibliothek der Inspirationen Heft 04/2020
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 778593
Clarinet in A
for: Clarinet, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 166402
for: Klarinettenchor
Score, Parts
Item no.: 993956
for: FL (OB) KLAV (+ VC)
Item no.: 1667734
for: FL (OB) KLAV (+ VC)
Item no.: 428582
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 661434
Reprint
for: Piano, orchestra
Score (spiral binding)
Item no.: 1202284
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1069454
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 849175
for: Alto Saxophone and Piano Accompaniment
Buch
Item no.: 880290
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Score
Item no.: 636337
for: String orchestra
Score
Item no.: 939261