Anniversary,
Rachmaninoff 150
Sergey Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff, was born in Russia on April 1st, 1873. He was arguably the last great figure in the tradition of Russian Romanticism and was well-known as a leading piano virtuoso. As might be expected, he is best known for his works for piano, including the celebrated composition Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. April 1st, 2023, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the conductor, pianist, and composer, and to celebrate, we have compiled some of our favourite Rachmaninoff sheet music publications below.
You can also browse our full catalogue of Rachmaninoff's sheet music here.
Sheet Music Favourites
Sergei Rachmaninoff embarked on his compositional career with five short piano pieces, which he presented for the first time in December 1892. The edition is based on the first edition and the autograph preserved in the Glinka Museum, Moscow. As well as the original version of 1892, this Urtext edition also includes two revisions which Rachmaninoff made of Mélodie and Sérénade almost fifty years later in the USA, thereby allowing a direct insight into his changed pianistic ideas.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Rachmaninov's Preludes are probably his best-known and most loved pieces of music. This book contains the complete Preludes for solo piano - the Thirteen Preludes (Op.3), Ten Preludes (Op.23), and Prelude Op. 3 No.2 (Op. 32). Suitable for advanced pianists.
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Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 is a concertante work written by Sergei Rachmaninoff for piano and orchestra, closely resembling a piano concerto, all in a single movement. This is Boosey & Hawkes arrangement for two pianos. Two copies are needed to perform
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Rachmaninoff's iconic Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor arranged for two pianos. Two copies needed to perform.
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One of the greatest figures of late Russian Romanticism, Rachmaninoff exhibited his mature style in this work, first performed at the Leeds Festival in 1910, where it was conducted by the composer himself. Symphony No. 2 In E Minor, Op. 27 is admired for its fully developed melodic style and and the lavish and imaginative use of the orchestra.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Serge Rachmaninoff: Complete Songs For Voice And Piano is a rich collection of seventy-one compositions, including some of the most hauntingly beautiful passages in vocal literature. This songbook is an exciting treasury of glorious songs; Opp. 4, 14, 21, 26, 34, and 38 have all been reproduced from authoritative sources in a convenient, one-volume edition. Most lyrics are in Russian (Cyrillic) with English translations.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Vocalise was composed and published in 1915 as the last of Rachmaninoff's 14 Romances, Op. 34. Originally written for high voice and piano accompaniment, this is an arrangement for cello and piano.
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Rachmaninoff's Music For The All-Night Vigil Service draws on centuries-old orthodox chant and the performance tradition of Russian Folk Music.
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Books about Rachmaninoff
One of the most popular classical composers of all time, Sergei Rachmaninoff has often been dismissed by critics as a conservative, nostalgic holdover of the nineteenth century and a composer fundamentally hostile to musical modernism. The original essays collected here show how he was more responsive to aspects of contemporary musical life than is often thought, and how his deeply felt sense of Russianness coexisted with an appreciation of American and European culture.
Available Format: Book
Detractors have long perceived Rachmaninoff as part of an outdated Romantic tradition from a bygone Russian world, aloof from the modernist experimentation of more innovative contemporaries such as Igor Stravinsky. In this assessment Rebecca Mitchell re-situates Rachmaninoff in the context of his time, bringing together the composer and his music within the remarkably dynamic era in which he lived and worked. Both in Russia and later in America, Rachmaninoff and his music were profoundly modern expressions of life in tune with an uncertain world. This concise yet comprehensive biography will interest general readers as well as those more familiar with this giant of Russian classical music.
Available Format: Book
Ellena Taylor - Sheet Music and Books Manager
