“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 (E-flat), guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246253
for: Alto trombone, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246251
for: Viola, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246242
for: Viola, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246241
for: Tuba (B-flat), piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246232
for: Flute, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251527
for: Horn (E-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251522
for: Two-Part Treble Voices [SA] and Piano
Choir score
Item no.: 905712
Hymnen und Choräle
for: Alto and Tenor Soli and SATB divisi a Cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 901875
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Score
Item no.: 920802
for: Voice (medium), piano
Piano/Vocal
Item no.: 1030813
Theme from third movement
for: Flute, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 894308
Nr. 12 Wie mir's weh tut
for: Voice (soprano), piano
Book
Item no.: 911922
Spring Waters
for: Mezzo-Soprano [Bartion] and Piano
Book
Item no.: 911000
arranged for violin and piano
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 896692
for: Mezzo-Soprano and Piano
Book
Item no.: 867854
for: Organ
Music score
Item no.: 910639
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792090
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792121
theme from third movement
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792075
Harmonia-Mixed Choir
for: SAATTB
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 907252
for: Tenor and SATB
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1041793
for: Flute, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792057
für Orchester
Studienpartitur
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 1344080
for: Flute, piano
Book
Item no.: 1191439
theme from third movement
for: Trumpet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792112
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1121728
for: Cello, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1051812
for: 4 trumpets, horn, 4 trombones, tuba
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1629036
Klassik
for: Organ
Music score
Item no.: 1111442
The Bells of Moscow
for: Concert band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1314885
for: Trombone, orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636609
for: Flute & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636603
for: Trumpet or Cornet & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1635717
for: Flute & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1635710
for: Oboe & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1635694
for: Bass trombone, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307518
for: Alto saxophone, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302924
for: Baritone saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302921
for: Bass trombone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302909
for: Tuba, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302906
STRINGS COLLECTION
for: Cello, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302901
for: Brass band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1315450
for: Concert band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1259977
for: Bass trombone, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1250866
Klassik
for: Mixed choir, brass band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1298657
for: Euphonium, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636115
for: Viola, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636109