“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: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612043
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589474
for: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589127
for: Flute, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612613
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612604
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612555
for: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612541
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1553535
for: Alto Flute or Bass Flute
Book
Item no.: 994672
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 945851
for: SATB divisi
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1038716
for: Tenor and SATB
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1037669
for: SATB divisi
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 906368
for: Piano
Single edition
Item no.: 849623
op. 34/14
for: Cello, piano
Music score
Item no.: 1548711
for: String orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 806517
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 121342
for: Clarinet choir
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1714074
for: Flute, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1215372
for: Viola, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 769058
for: Trompete und Klavier
Score, solo part
Item no.: 1199728
for: Cello, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1611918
op. 34 n° 14
arranged for clarinet (tenor saxophone) and piano
for: Clarinet (B-flat) [tenor saxophone], piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 6603
for: Orgel (2 Spieler)
Item no.: 648489
for: Clarinet, piano
Book, CD
Item no.: 560091
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1591214
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 229509
for: Clarinet, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 146142
for: Symphonic orchestra
Book
Item no.: 304242
for: gemischter Chor (SATB) und Keyboard
Choir score
Item no.: 1625876
Score
Item no.: 198747
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Book
Item no.: 135436
for: Mixed choir, concert band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1314774
for: Concert band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1314092
for: Brass band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1315459
for: Brass band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1315456
for: Flute, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307528
for: Horn (F), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307521
for: Cello, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307511
for: Viola, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1308168
for: Descant (soprano) recorder, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302935
for: Tuba (B-flat), piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302893
for: Tenor saxophone (B-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283962
for: Tuba (B-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283950
for: Viola, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283948
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1198194
for: Trumpet [cornet], piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636117
for: Tuba (E-flat), piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636095