“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: Brass band
Sheet music
Item no.: 1315317
for: Clarinet, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307526
for: Alto saxophone, piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1307524
Klassik
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 1591217
für Orchester
Studienpartitur
for: Symphonic orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 1344167
for: Clarinet, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246280
for: Bass clarinet, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246278
for: Horn (F), organ [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246256
for: Alto trombone, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246252
for: Double bass, guitar
Sheet music
Item no.: 1246237
Klassik
for: Cornet (E-flat), piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1283952
Hawkes Pocket Scores
for: Chamber orchestra
Study score
Item no.: 624526
Thema aus dem 3. Satz
for: Violin, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 168567
for: Flute ensemble
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1645312
Spring Waters
for: Soprano or Tenor and Piano
Book
Item no.: 886912
for: Oboe [flute], violin, cello, piano
Piano score, Solo parts
Item no.: 343786
for: KLAR (TRP) KLAV
Item no.: 269226
for: Piano
Music score, CD
Item no.: 850036
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 945438
for: 2 pianos
Item no.: 170816
Nr. 7 The Six Psalms
The Monuments of Russian Sacred Music
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 640828
Book
Item no.: 1203616
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 1689728
for: Brass ensemble (13 parts), timpani, latin percussion
Score, Parts
Item no.: 996792
Schott Piano Collection
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 736596
for: Brass band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1000155
for: Brass band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 882621
for: Chamber orchestra
Score
Item no.: 603200
for: Male choir (TTBB) a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 909089
for: Mixed choir (SATB); piano ad lib.
Choir score
Item no.: 1004931
for: Piano, orchestra
Score
Item no.: 910274
for: String orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1534107
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 899100
for: Horn (F), organ [piano]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1637104
for: Piano 4 hands
Ensemble score
Item no.: 210448
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score
Item no.: 895974
for: Women's choir (SSA), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 885897
for: Cello, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 630661
for: 2 pianos
Piano reduction
Item no.: 244765
for: Piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1351130
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 396720
for: Piano
Music score, online audio
Item no.: 904781
for: Orchesterwerke Sinfonien, Taschenpartitur
Book
Item no.: 345281
op.34/14
for: Posaune und Klavier
Score, solo part
Item no.: 1199736
for: Piano
Piano score
Item no.: 381601
for: Piano
Piano score
Item no.: 381600
De Haske Pop Collection
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 678671
für Klavier
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 637237