“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: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 153442
From All-Night Vigil
for: Brass band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1112704
für Orchester
Studienpartitur
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 1344080
for: 4 trumpets, horn, 4 trombones, tuba
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1629036
for: Bassoon, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1556203
for 6 Bassoons and 2 Contrabassoons
for: Bassoon Ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1584541
Studienpartitur
for: KAMMERMUSIK STREICHINSTRUMENTE QUARTETTE
Study score
Item no.: 1344429
Klassik
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1591215
Goodmusic Concert Classics
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 951566
for: Flute ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 332746
for: Piano
Music score, CD
Item no.: 889369
for: Piano
Single edition
Item no.: 849509
Score
Item no.: 638291
Score
Item no.: 638260
for: 4 Saxophones [SATBar]
Score, Parts
Item no.: 995636
Klassik
for: 2 pianos
Music score
Item no.: 1591212
for: Piano, orchestra
Score
Item no.: 247103
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 926161
for: Trombone, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 168542
for: Tenor and SATB
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1041793
aus "Rhapsodie über ein Thema von Paganini" op. 43
edition pro salon
for: Violin, cello, piano (piano trio)
Piano score, parts
Item no.: 762949
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 134215
for: Flute, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 143478
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792121
theme from third movement
for: Trumpet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792112
theme from third movement
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792075
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1665761
for: Trombone, orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636609
for: Flute & Orchestra
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636603
for: Clarinet, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637109
for: Baritone saxophone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637105
for: Flute, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612609
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612554
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612518
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612517
for: Clarinet, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1612163
for: Euphonium, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1615183
for: Euphonium, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636115
for: Viola, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636109
for: Horn (E-flat), piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636099
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: 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
for: Cello, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1302901