“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: Piano
Item no.: 169595
for: Flute, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636111
for: Cello, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636108
for: Contrabass & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1635711
for: Violoncello & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1635706
for: Alto Saxophone & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1635693
for: Horn (E-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1601379
op. 10/5
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 723220
Edition Schott
for: Orgel (2 Spieler)
Music score
Item no.: 758136
for: Euphonium, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637118
for: Horn (E-flat), piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637103
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612553
for: Flute, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612505
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612089
for: Violin, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792106
theme from third movement
for: Trumpet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792105
for: Trumpet or Cornet & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636610
for: Violin, orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636601
for: Viola & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636600
for: Horn (E-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615170
for: Baritone saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246260
for: Trombone, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246249
for: Bass trombone, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246247
for: Euphonium, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246235
for: Clarinet, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251525
for: Euphonium, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251519
for: Clarinet, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1250874
for: Violin, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1250861
for: Flute, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589494
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1553475
for: Flute, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1308178
for: Euphonium, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1308170
for: Horn (F), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283959
for: Tuba (E-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283951
for: Violin, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283949
for: Bassoon, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307525
for: Tuba (E-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307515
for: Viola, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307512
for: Clarinet, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302940
for: Bass recorder, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302928
for: Violin, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302905
for: Tuba (B flat), guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302892
for: Voice (high), piano
Piano/Vocal
Item no.: 1030812
for: Viola, piano
Book
Item no.: 163094
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1714189
for: Solo o.kleine Gruppe, Chor, Klavier [Cello]
Score
Item no.: 1338084
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 866689
for: Two-Part Treble Voices [SA] and Organ
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1038476