“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.
op. 26/12
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 757197
op. 21/7
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 757196
op. 3/2
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 723700
for: Bb Bass & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636608
for: Bass Trombone & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636596
for: Eb Cornet & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636592
for: F Horn & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636590
for: Soprano Saxophone & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636589
for: Trombone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637119
for: Piccolo, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637115
for: Violin, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637113
for: Piano
Piano Duet
Item no.: 1612753
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612605
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612603
for: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612538
for: Flute, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615179
for: Violin, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615178
for: Tenor saxophone (B-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615173
for: Voice (baritone), guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1249500
for: Clarinet, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246279
for: Descant (soprano) recorder, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246273
for: Bassoon, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251524
for: Trumpet, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251523
for: Cello, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1251516
for: Trombone, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1250867
for: Choral
Item no.: 1374325
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1553385
for: Flute, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589180
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589115
for: Bassoon, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283965
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283963
for: Bass trombone, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283955
for: Trumpet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612533
for: Piano
Item no.: 577175
for: Soprano saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636103
for: Piano 4 hands
Music score
Item no.: 207297
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 866697
for: SATB divisi a Cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 1005132
for: Cello, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1211442
for: Voice (low), piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 679868
for: Piano
Item no.: 356201
for piano duet (one piano, four hands)
for: Piano 4 hands
Music score
Item no.: 161324
for: Piano
Single edition
Item no.: 197553
Violin 1 (orchestral part)
Item no.: 430098
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 631129
arranged for violin and piano
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 896692
Piano Solo
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 291773
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 891321