“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: 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
for: Horn (F), organ [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302917
for: Alto trombone, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302912
for: Violin, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302904
for: Viola, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302902
for: Trombone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636116
for: Bass trombone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636097
for: Trumpet [cornet], piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1635760
for: Bass Clarinet & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1635702
for: Soprano saxophone, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1601387
for: Tenor saxophone (B-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1601385
op. 10/2
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 756023
for: Voice (high), piano
Music score
Item no.: 184634
for: Medium High Voice and Piano
Book
Item no.: 1076919
for: Piano
Music score, online audio
Item no.: 367793
Two-Piano Score
for: Piano, orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 161409
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1553219
for: Piccolo, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246285
for: Cello, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 486048
for: Viola, piano
Book
Item no.: 1714739
for: SATB divisi
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 901304
for: SATB divisi
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1005073
for: Tenor and SATB
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1041755
for: SATB divisi
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1039201
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 866727
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 866657
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 866624
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 849662
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 108694
for: Piano Duets & Four Hands
Item no.: 1522305
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 129200
for: Piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1383384
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1379654
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 190542
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 159875
for: 4 bassoons
Score, Parts
Item no.: 644401
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 899063
for: Flute, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 301800
Opus 18
for: Piano and Symphonic Band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1198640
Choral Music Experience
for: CH KLAV
Chorpartitur
Item no.: 611090
für Oboe und Klavier
for: Oboe, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 673272
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 949699