“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.: 1615181
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589536
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589462
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589459
for: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589117
for: Bass clarinet, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637108
for: Cornet (E-flat), piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637100
for: 2 pianos
Music score
Item no.: 780519
for: String orchestra
Score
Item no.: 156702
for: Double bass, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637111
for: SATB divisi
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1039639
for: SATB divisi
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1037416
for: Clarinet, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 245965
for: Brass ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 973683
for: Piano
Item no.: 636585
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 864235
for: Piano
Score (with critical report)
Item no.: 684138
for: Violine und Klavier
Score, solo part
Item no.: 1199738
for: Piano
Item no.: 357258
for: High Vocal [Soprano] and Piano
Book
Item no.: 911907
for: Cello, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 868135
for: Organ
Music score
Item no.: 138474
op. 23/5
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 732369
for: Opera
Score
Item no.: 277885
for: Organ
Music score
Item no.: 1203454
Symphonic poem for orchestra op. 29
on a painting by Arnold Böcklin
for: Symphonic orchestra
Set of parts
Item no.: 1009112
for: 2 pianos
Item no.: 403763
for: Piano
Music score, CD
Item no.: 849617
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 893158
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 129202
for: 2 violins, piano
Item no.: 343787
for: Voice, orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1202455
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1001256
for: Brass ensemble (8 voices)
Score, Parts
Item no.: 644196
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1591218
Item no.: 610948
theme from third movement
for: Violin, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792116
for: Trumpet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792093
for: Mixed choir (SATB) a cappella
Item no.: 1664425
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589496
for: Clarinet
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612602
for: Horn (F), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615171
for: Flute, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637114
for: Tenor saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637106
for: Flute, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283969
for: Concert band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1314634
for: Bass recorder, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302929