Essential Repertoire,
Piano Sheet Music Essentials: Sergei Rachmaninoff
Rachmaninoff is best known as one of the greatest pianists of all time. He composed a number of orchestral, chamber, and solo pieces, alongside operas, choral, and vocal works. His virtuosic writing for the piano is evidence of his outstanding proficiency as a performer
In our Piano Sheet Music Essentials series, we aim to offer recommendations for some of the most popular piano pieces by a selection of celebrated composers, broken up into general difficulty level, so pianists of all ages and abilities can begin to explore the works of great classical composers. This article focuses on the work of Rachmaninoff, the Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the late Romantic period.
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Rachmaninoff was born into a musical family in Russia in 1873. His grandfather was a pupil of John Field, and his father was also an amateur piano player. He had an excellent musical education and studied at the Moscow Conservatory for many years. After the 1917 October Revolution, he travelled to Stockholm and Copenhagen, before finally settling in America in 1918, where he remained until his death in 1943. When in America, the number of concerts he gave increased, and this unfortunately led to a reduced compositional output. Some of his best-known works include the slow movement from his Piano Concerto, No. 2, and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Rachmaninoff is known today as one of the greatest pianists of all time.
Easy - Intermediate Pieces
The pieces listed below are suitable for beginner to early intermediate pianists. As with all sheet music, some basic music theory, and an understanding of how to read and interpret sheet music is required. Including arrangements of more difficult pieces, this collection provides accessible choices for beginners and offers an introduction into the world of Rachmaninoff.
Easy piano arrangements of sixteen favourites by Rachmaninoff. Complete with background notes and playing hints and tips. Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor widely considered to be one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music.
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The Complete Piano Player: Rachmaninoff contains seventeen pieces by the renowned composer, newly arranged for easy piano. Many of Sergei Rachmaninoff ’s compositions prominently featured the Piano, the instrument upon which he excelled as a performer both in his native Russia and later as an émigré in Europe and the US. The seventeen pieces collected here reflect his fondness for song-like melodies and sumptuous harmonic colouration as well as evoking an exile’s memories of Russian church bells and Orthodox chants.
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Intermediate – Early Advanced Pieces
The following pieces are suitable for intermediate to early advanced pianists. Some publications will include pieces that are easier to master, and some that are much more advanced. Our selections below include popular works such as themes from Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Vocalise.
This is a beautiful adaptation of the lyrical and sonorous 18th Variation from Rachmaninov's well-loved work Rhapsodie on a Theme of Paganini. This arrangement includes the piano solo and orchestral themes, giving a complete performance for the solo performer. Those passages which incorporate the piano and orchestral parts are a little tricky, but once devised, are impressively flowing and complete. Bring a popular and beautifully loved melody to your repertoire, with this fantastic arrangement.
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The Boosey & Hawkes Solo Piano Collection provides the intermediate pianist with exciting repertoire in accessible yet authentic arrangements. This superb collection showcases twenty of Rachmaninoff’s best-loved works arranged for the intermediate pianist. Themes from Rachmaninoff’s piano compositions including Piano Concertos 2 & 3, Preludes, and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini are presented alongside new arrangements of vocal, chamber and orchestral works such as Vocalise, Vespers, Aleko, and Symphonies 2 & 3, making this an indispensable anthology of one of the most important 20th-century composers.
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The Joy Of Rachmaninoff is a collection of seventeen original and newly arranged music by the great Russian Romanticist. Pieces Include Preludes Op.23, Op.32, Morceaux de Fantasie, Piano Sonata No.2, and many more.
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Advanced – Professional Level Pieces
Lastly, these selections are most suited for advanced to professional level musicians and contain some of the most challenging Rachmaninoff compositions. The publications below include Piano Sonatas 1 & 2, complete Preludes, and more.
Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28 is the first of three 'Dresden pieces', along with his Symphony No. 2 and part of an opera, which were all composed in Dresden, Germany. Consisting of three movements, the sonata is structured similar to a typical Classical sonata, with fast movements surrounding a slower second movement.
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One of Rachmaninov’s most important, most substantial piano works in a meticulous Urtext edition that does justice to the work and to the editorial difficulties it raises. Rachmaninov was unhappy with the dense textures and the length of his Piano Sonata in b-flat minor, so almost twenty years after its composition and publication he made numerous cuts and 'streamlined' it, though this has been criticised by pianists down to the present day. For this reason, it is mostly the first version that is played today, or even a mixture of the two versions. This Henle Urtext edition also takes into account the autograph in the Moscow Glinka Museum.
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The first critical edition of the Complete Works of Rachmaninoff. Published by Russian Music Publishing, Moscow, and based on original, authentic sources, manuscripts, and sketches. A new level of scholarship to the works of this ever-popular composer for performers, musicologists, composers, libraries, and specialist collectors.
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Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3 is a set of five piano solo pieces composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1892. The title reflects the pieces' imagery rather than their musical form, as none are actual fantasies. The set was dedicated to Anton Arensky, his harmony teacher at the Conservatory.
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This edition follows the six piece-structure laid out by Rachmaninoff for publication. The two surviving études that were not originally published have been retained here in the appendix.
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Highlights from the Authentic Editions of Rachmaninoff’s finest piano works including selections from his Preludes, Etudes-tableaux, Moments Musicaux, Morceaux de Fantaisie & Morceaux de Salon.
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Thirty-two of his most famous works arranged for advanced piano solo, including several photos and pictures of Rachmaninoff.
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An anthology of selected works by Rachmaninoff based on the first editions corrected by the composer and the versions found in the Complete Works of Rachmaninoff published in Russia since 1949. Includes Prelude in C# Minor, Op. 3, No. 2, Humoresque in G, Op. 10, No. 5, and many others.
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Gift Ideas for Rachmaninoff Aficionados
Full score from Boosey & Hawkes Masterworks Library of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2.
Concertos 3 & 4 are also available here.
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Ellena Taylor - Sheet Music and Books Manager
