“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.
C
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1561118
Bb
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1561714
Klavierauszug (kyr/dt)
for: BUEHNENWERKE + SZENISCHE WERKE OPER
Item no.: 1344076
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1553646
für gem Chor a cappella
Musik aus Russland - Partitur (dt / kirchenslaw)
for: 2 mixed choirs (SATB, SATB) a cappella
Score
Item no.: 623063
Prüfungsliteratur
for: Viola, piano
Book
Item no.: 175111
Piano Solo
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 316761
for: Euphonium, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1601405
for: Tuba, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1601402
for: Cello, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1601365
for: Concert band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1314775
National Federation of Music Clubs 2014-2016 Selection
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 896900
for: Tenor saxophone (B-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307523
for: Clarinet, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1308176
for: Trombone, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1308171
for: Clarinet, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 344138
for: Clarinet in A and Piano
Book
Item no.: 313182
for: Alto Trombone & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636598
for: Tenor Saxophone & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636588
for: Oboe & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636587
for: Piccolo & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1635709
for: Voice, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1254113
for: Voice (alto), guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1306160
for: Voice (tenor), guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1306159
for: Voice (bass), guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1306157
Bogoroditse Dyevo
for: Mixed choir, concert band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1314091
for: Bassoon, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637110
for: Tuba, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636114
for: Tuba (B-flat), piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636113
for: Bassoon, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636106
for: Clarinet, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636105
for: Bass clarinet, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636104
for: Baritone saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636101
for: Alto saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636093
Harmonia-Womens Choir
for: Women's choir (SA), piano
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 915483
for: Piccolo, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615180
for: Cornet (E-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615167
for: Bassoon, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302936
for: Soprano saxophone, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302926
for: Tuba, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302907
for: Cello, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302900
for: Tenor recorder, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246270
for: Bass trombone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246248
for: Violin, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246243
for: Tuba, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1250864
for: Oboe, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251526
for: Violin, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251518
Neu-Russische Meister
for: Piano
Single edition
Item no.: 356972