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Portrait of Sergei Rachmaninoff

Composer

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Russian composer, pianist and conductor (1873–1943)

1873–1943

9 musical collections

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Born
1873
Died
1943
Birthplace
Semenovo
Place of death
Beverly Hills
Citizenship / historical state
Russian Empire; United States
Period (estimated from birth year)
Modern

Biography

Rachmaninoff wrote for his own hands, which were exceptionally large, and the catalogue carries the consequences: much of the piano music demands a stretch that a substantial number of players simply do not have.

The C sharp minor prelude, Op. 3 No. 2, is the piece everyone starts with and it is genuinely playable early. The rest of the Op. 23 and Op. 32 preludes vary from difficult to very difficult. The Vocalise exists in arrangements for almost every instrument and is the most useful thing here for non-pianists. The Second and Third Concertos are professional repertoire.

Check the stretch before buying. Editions occasionally offer alternative smaller-hand versions of specific chords, and where they do, the listing usually says so.

Life and musical career

Occupations
composer; pianist; conductor; musicologist; virtuoso
Education
Moscow Conservatory; Saint Petersburg Conservatory; Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Teachers
Nikolai Zverev; Anton Arensky; Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev; Alexander Siloti
Career institutions / employers
Moscow school number 19
Instruments played
piano
Genres
opera; symphony; classical music
Movements
Romantic music
Notable works
Symphony No. 1; All-Night Vigil; Piano Concerto No. 2; Prelude in C-sharp minor; Pyrrique; Scherzo in D minor; Piano Concerto No. 1; Prince Rostislav; Suite No. 1; Morceaux de salon; Études-Tableaux, Op. 33
Awards
Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal
Official website
https://www.rachmaninoff.org
Birth name
Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов
Languages used
Russian; English
VIAF ID
60326614
ISNI
0000000121354017
GND ID
118641832
Library of Congress ID
n50054908
MusicBrainz ID
44b16e44-da77-4580-b851-0d765904573e

Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.

In this catalogue

Common listed instruments
Piano, Voice, Orchestra, Clarinet, violin
Genres represented
Classical, Jazz, Pop
Source entries with composition dates
108

These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.

Catalogue

Musical collections

Instruments describe listed editions, including arrangements. Composition dates and keys appear where recorded; collection pages show their individual contents.

Works and musical collections with sheet music details
Title Work details Listed instruments Sheet music
Musical collection
Romances, Op. 21 2 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 21
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Musical collection
Etudes, Op. 33 5 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 33
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Musical collection
Romances, Op. 38 2 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 38
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Musical collection
Preludes, Op. 23 6 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 23
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Musical collection
Preludes, Op. 32 13 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 32
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Musical collection
Pieces, Op. 3 2 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 3
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Musical collection
Songs, Op. 21 2 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 21
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Musical collection
Preludes, Op. 3 2 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 3
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Musical collection
Etudes, Op. 39 5 numbered pieces
Catalogue / opus
Op. 39
Check individual editions View collection Contents & editions

Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. The biography above is our own. Authority record: VIAF 60326614. Portrait: Kubey-Rembrandt Studios, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.