“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.
Hawkes Pocket Scores
for: Orchestra and Piano
Study score
Item no.: 621808
for: Viola, piano
Book
Item no.: 163094
für Violoncello und Klavier
for: Cello, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 674013
for: Flute, piano [organ]
Sheet music
Item no.: 1636111
for: Piano, orchestra
Book
Item no.: 197740
On a Theme of Paganini
for: 2 violins, viola, cello (string quartet)
Score
Item no.: 963257
When Thou hadst risen again
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 866689
Music Minus One
for: Piano
Music score, CD
Item no.: 1541597
for: Voice (high), piano
Piano/Vocal
Item no.: 1030812
for: Piano
Music score, CD
Item no.: 891430
for: Piano
Item no.: 461713
for: Piano
Item no.: 192397
Arrangement for tow pianos, four hands by the composer
for: 2 pianos
Music score
Item no.: 892982
for: SATB divisi
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 907979
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 949699
for: 2 pianos
2 Performance scores
Item no.: 161410
for: Piano Duets & Four Hands
Item no.: 1358431
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792070
theme from first movement
for: Trumpet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792094
op. 3/4
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 723222
for: Clarinet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792074
op. 3/1
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 747472
Schott Piano Collection
for: Piano
Music score
Item no.: 736596
theme from first movement
for: Violin, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792107
Music for String Orchestra
for: String orchestra
Score
Item no.: 1534107
for: Alto solo and SATB divisi Mixed
Einzelstimme
Item no.: 1041725
op. 21/5
for: Women's choir (SSA), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 885897
op.34/14
for: Posaune und Klavier
Score, solo part
Item no.: 1199736
for: Trumpet, piano
Music score
Item no.: 792111
for: Concert band
Score
Item no.: 1689728
for: Concert band
Score, Parts
Item no.: 1690286
for: Piano, orchestra
Score
Item no.: 910274
Schirmer Performance Editions - with a CD of performances
for: Piano
Music score, online audio
Item no.: 904781
Klassik
for: Flute, piano
Piano score, solo part
Item no.: 1551489
Nr. 7 The Six Psalms
The Monuments of Russian Sacred Music
for: Mixed choir a cappella
Choir score
Item no.: 640828
Gm
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1554077
Eb
for: Flute, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1561401
for: Piano
Sheet music
Item no.: 1351130
for: KLAR (TRP) KLAV
Item no.: 269226
for: Chamber orchestra
Score
Item no.: 603200
for: Piano 4 hands
Ensemble score
Item no.: 210448
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 347117
for: Orchesterwerke Sinfonien, Taschenpartitur
Book
Item no.: 345281
for: Oboe [flute], violin, cello, piano
Piano score, Solo parts
Item no.: 343786
Bb
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589129
Bb
for: Violin, piano
Instrumental Solo & Piano Accompaniment
Item no.: 1589535
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1553383
for: Piano
Piano Solo
Item no.: 1554653