List of compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff
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The compositions of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) cover a variety of musical forms and genres. Born in Russia, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Nikolai Zverev and Anton Arensky, and while there, composed some of his most famous works, including the first piano concerto (Op. 1) and the Prelude in C-sharp minor (Op. 3, No. 2). Although spread over three different opuses, he did go on to complete an important set of 24 preludes in all the major and minor keys. His Symphony No. 1 (Op. 13) was one of his first compositions as a "Free Artist" after graduation, and subsequently his first critical failure. The derision he received sent him into depression. After being sent through autosuggestive therapy, he composed his second piano concerto (Op. 18), which is still part of the major orchestra repertoire today. In 1909, he made his first tour of the United States, and composed Piano Concerto No. 3 (Op. 30), notable for its difficult cadenza. After this, due to migration from Russia in 1917 and his busy concert career, his output as a composer decreased, and during this period, he completed only six compositions. His last work, Symphonic Dances (Op. 45), was completed in 1940.
Works by musical form
Opus | Title | Instrumentation | Date completed | |
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Scherzo in D minor | orchestra | 1887 | ||
Manfred | 1891, lost | |||
Suite in D minor | 1891 | |||
Youth Symphony, unfinished | 1891 | |||
Prince Rostislav | 1891 | |||
7 | The Rock | 1893 | ||
Two Don Juan Episodes | 1894, lost | |||
12 | Caprice bohémien | 1894 | ||
13 | Symphony No. 1 | 1896 | ||
27 | Symphony No. 2 | 1908 | ||
29 | Isle of the Dead | 1908 | ||
44 | Symphony No. 3 | 1936 | ||
45 | Symphonic Dances | 1940 | ||
Romance in A minor | violin and piano | 1880s? | ![]() | |
String Quartet No. 1 | two violins, viola, and cello | 1890? | ||
Lied | cello and piano | 1890 | ||
Mélodie on a Theme of Rachmaninoff | violin or cello and piano | 1890? | ||
Trio élégiaque No. 1 | violin, cello, and piano | 1892 | ||
2 | Two Pieces (Prelude, Danse orientale) | cello and piano | 1892 | |
6 | Morceaux de salon (Romance, Danse hongroise) | violin and piano | 1893 | |
9 | Trio élégiaque No. 2 | piano, violin, and cello | 1893, revised 1906 [Boosey & Hawkes ed.], 1913 [modern Russian ed.] | |
String Quartet No. 2 | two violins, viola, and cello | 1896? | ||
19 | Cello Sonata | cello and piano | 1901 | |
Concerto in C minor, projected | piano and orchestra | 1889 | ![]() | |
1 | Piano Concerto No. 1 | 1891, revised 1917 | ||
18 | Piano Concerto No. 2 | 1901 | ||
30 | Piano Concerto No. 3 | 1909 | ||
40 | Piano Concerto No. 4 | 1926, revised 1941 | ||
43 | Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini | 1934 | ||
Étude in F-sharp major [lost] | 1886? | |||
Lento in D minor | 1887? | |||
Four Pieces | 1887 or later? | |||
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Three Nocturnes | 1888 | |||
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Piece (Canon) in E minor | 1891 | |||
Prelude in F major | 1891 | |||
3 | Morceaux de fantaisie | 1892 | ![]() Prelude in C-sharp minor (Op. 3, No. 2) is famous for its theme and coda.
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10 | Morceaux de salon | 1894 | ||
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Four Improvisations (with Arensky, Glazunov, Taneyev) | 1896 | |||
16 | Six moments musicaux | 1896 | ![]() Six moments musicaux (Op. 16), range in style from the slow Andantino (pictured) to the torrential Presto.
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Morceau de Fantaisie in G minor | 1899 | |||
Fughetta in F major | 1899 | |||
22 | Variations on a Theme of Chopin | 1903 | ||
23 | Ten Preludes | 1903 | ![]() Prelude in G minor (Op. 23, No. 5) embodies his Russian spirit | |
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28 | Piano Sonata No. 1 | 1908 | ||
32 | Thirteen Preludes | 1910 | ||
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33 | Études-Tableaux | 1911 | ||
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36 | Piano Sonata No. 2 | 1913, revised 1931 | ||
39 | Études-Tableaux | 1916 | ||
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Three Pieces (Prelude in D minor, Oriental Sketch, Fragments) | 1917 | |||
42 | Variations on a Theme of Corelli | 1931 | ||
Two Pieces (Valse, Romance) | piano six hands | 1891 | ![]() The first movement of Suite No. 2 (Op. 17) is full of idiosyncratically large and thick chords. | |
Russian Rhapsody | two pianos | 1891 | ||
5 | Suite No. 1 (or Fantaisie-Tableaux for two pianos) | two pianos | 1893 | |
Romance in G major | piano duet | 1894? | ||
11 | Six Morceaux | piano duet | 1894 | |
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17 | Suite No. 2 | two pianos | 1901 | |
Polka Italienne | piano duet | 1906? | ||
Transcription of Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony | piano duet | 1886, lost | ||
Transcription of Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty | piano duet | 1891 | ||
Transcription of Glazunov: Symphony No. 6 | piano duet | 1896 | ||
Paraphrase of Bizet: Minuet from L'Arlésienne | piano | 1900, revised 1922 | ||
Transcription of Franz Behr: Lachtäubchen, Op. 303 (published as Polka de W.R.) | piano | 1911 | ||
Transcription of John Stafford Smith: The Star-Spangled Banner | piano | 1918 | ||
Cadenza for Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 | piano | 1919 | ||
Paraphrase of Kreisler: Liebesleid | piano | 1921 | ||
Paraphrase of Mussorgsky: Gopak from The Fair at Sorochyntsi | piano | 1923 | ||
Paraphrase of Schubert: Wohin? (D795/2) | piano | 1925 | ||
Paraphrase of Kreisler: Liebesfreud | piano | 1925 | ||
Paraphrase of Mussorgsky: Gopak from The Fair at Sorochyntsi | piano and violin | 1926 | ||
Paraphrase of Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee | piano | 1929 | ||
Paraphrase of Mendelssohn: Scherzo from the Incidental music to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream | piano | 1933 | ||
Paraphrase of Bach: movements from Partita No. 3 in E major for unaccompanied violin (BWV 1006) | piano | 1933 or 1934 | ||
Paraphrase of Tchaikovsky: Lullaby | piano | 1941 | ||
Esmeralda, projected | 1888 | |||
Aleko | 1892 | |||
24 | The Miserly Knight | 1904 | ||
25 | Francesca da Rimini | 1905 | ||
Salammbô, projected | 1906 | |||
Monna Vanna, unfinished | 1908 | |||
Deus Meus | six-part mixed chorus | 1890? | ||
O Mother of God Perpetually Praying: a Choral Concerto in G minor | mixed chorus | 1893 | ||
Chorus of Spirits | mixed chorus | 1894? | ||
Song of the Nightingale | four-part mixed chorus and piano | 1894? | ||
15 | Six Choruses for Women's or Children's Voices | Women's or Children's chorus | 1895 | |
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Panteley the Healer | mixed chorus | 1899 | ||
20 | Spring, cantata | baritone solo, chorus, and orchestra | 1902 | |
31 | Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom | chorus | 1910 | |
35 | The Bells | voice soloists, chorus, and orchestra | 1913 | |
37 | All-Night Vigil | chorus | 1915 | |
41 | Three Russian Songs | chorus and orchestra | 1927 | |
"Again you are Bestirred, my Heart" | 1890 or 1893 | |||
"At the Gates of the Holy Cloister" | 1890 | |||
Two Boris monologues | 1891? | |||
"C'etait en Avril" | 1891 | |||
"Dusk was Falling" | 1891 | |||
4 | Six Songs | 1890–1893 | ![]() The lyrics of "Oh, My Corn Field!" (Op. 4, No. 5) are based on a text by Aleksei Tolstoy that laments a failed harvest.
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"Song of the Disenchanted," | 1893? | |||
"Do you Remember the Evening?" | 1893? | |||
"The Flower Died" | 1893 | |||
8 | Six Songs | 1893 | ||
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14 | Twelve Songs | 1896 | ||
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"Were you Hiccupping?" | 1899 | |||
"Night" | 1900 | |||
21 | Twelve Songs | 1902 | ||
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26 | Fifteen Songs | 1906 | ||
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"Letter to Stanislavsky" | 1908 | |||
34 | Fourteen Songs | 1912 | ![]() Vocalise (Op. 34, No. 14) is a slow piece either sung without words or played on a string instrument. | |
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"From the Gospel of St. John" | 1915 | |||
"Prayer" | 1916 | |||
"All Things Wish to Sing" | 1916 | |||
38 | Six Songs | 1916 | ||
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Chronological
Composed | Opus | Title | Instrumentation |
1880 | Romance in A minor | violin and piano | |
1886 | Transcription of Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony | piano duet | |
1886 | Étude in F-sharp major | piano | |
1887 | Lento in D minor | piano | |
1887 | Four Pieces: Romance, Prelude, Mélodie, Gavotte | piano | |
1887 | Scherzo in D minor | orchestra | |
1888 | Three Nocturnes: Andante cantabile, Andante maestoso-Allegro assai, Andante | piano | |
1888 | Esmeralda | opera | |
1889 | Concerto in C minor | piano and orchestra | |
1890 | String Quartet No. 1 | two violins, viola, and cello | |
1890 | Lied | cello and piano | |
1890 | Melodie on a Theme of Rachmaninoff | violin/cello and piano | |
1890–1 | 1 | Piano Concerto No. 1, revised 1917 | piano concerto |
1890–1 | Transcription of Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty | piano duet | |
1890–1 | Two Pieces (Valse, Romance) | piano six hands | |
1890–1 | Piece (Canon) in D minor | piano | |
1890 | "At the Gates of the Holy Cloister" | solo voice and piano | |
1890 | "Nothing Shall I Say You" | solo voice and piano | |
1890 | Deus Meus | six-part mixed chorus | |
1890–1 | Manfred, symphonic poem | orchestra | |
1891 | Suite in D minor | orchestra | |
1891 | Youth Symphony | orchestra | |
1891 | Prince Rostislav, symphonic poem | orchestra | |
1891 | Two Boris monologues | solo voice and piano | |
1891 | "C'etait en Avril" | solo voice and piano | |
1891 | "Dusk was Falling" | solo voice and piano | |
1891 | Prelude in F major | piano | |
1891 | Symphonic Movement in D minor | orchestra | |
1891 | Russian Rhapsody | two pianos | |
1891–2 | 2 | Two Pieces (Prelude, Danse Orientale) | cello and piano |
1892 | Trio élégiaque in G minor | violin, cello, and piano | |
1892 | Aleko | opera | |
1892 | 3 | Cinq Morceaux de Fantaisie | piano |
No. 1, Élégie in E-flat minor | |||
No. 2, Prélude in C-sharp minor | |||
No. 3, Mélodie in E major (later revised) | |||
No. 4, Polichinelle | |||
No. 5, Serenade | |||
1893 | "Again you are Bestirred, my Heart" | ||
1893 | "Song of the Disenchanted," | solo voice and piano | |
1893 | "Do you Remember the Evening?" | solo voice and piano | |
1893 | "The Flower Died" | solo voice and piano | |
1893 | O Mother of God Perpetually Praying | mixed chorus | |
1893 | 4 | Six Songs | solo voice and piano |
"Oh No, I Beg You, Do Not Leave!" | |||
"Morning" | |||
"In the Silence of the Secret Night" | |||
"Sing not, O Lovely One" | |||
"Oh, My Corn Field!" | |||
"It Was Not Long Ago, My Friend" | |||
1893 | 5 | Suite No. 1 (or Fantaisie-Tableaux) | two pianos |
1893 | 6 | Deux Morceaux de Salon (Romance, Danse hongroise) | violin and piano |
1893 | 7 | The Rock, symphonic poem | orchestra |
1893 | 8 | Six Songs | |
"Water Lily" | |||
"My Child, Your Beauty is That of a Flower" | |||
"Thoughts, Reflections" | |||
"I Fell in Love, To My Sorrow" | |||
"A Dream" | |||
"Prayer" | |||
1893 | 9 | Trio élégiaque No. 2, revised 1906 | piano, violin, and cello |
1893–4 | 10 | Sept Morceaux de Salon | piano |
No. 1, Nocturne in A minor | |||
No. 2, Valse in A major | |||
No. 3, Barcarolle in G minor | |||
No. 4, Mélodie in E minor | |||
No. 5, Humoresque in G major | |||
No. 6, Romance in F minor | |||
No. 7, Mazurka in D-flat major | |||
1894 | Chorus of Spirits | mixed chorus | |
1894 | Song of the Nightingale | four-part mixed chorus and piano | |
1894 | Romance in G major | piano duet | |
1894 | 11 | Six Morceaux | piano duet |
No. 1, Barcarolle | |||
No. 2, Scherzo | |||
No. 3, Thème Russe | |||
No. 4, Valse | |||
No. 5, Romance | |||
No. 6, Slava | |||
1894 | Two Don Juan Episodes | orchestra | |
1894 | 12 | Capriccio Bohémien | orchestra |
1895 | 13 | Symphony No. 1 | orchestra |
1894–6 | 14 | Twelve Songs | |
"I Await You" | |||
"Small Island" | |||
"How Fleeting is Delight in Love" | |||
"I was with Her" | |||
"Summer Nights" | |||
"You are so Beloved by All" | |||
"Do Not Believe me, Friend" | |||
"Oh, do not Grieve" | |||
"She is as Beautiful as Midday" | |||
"In my Soul" | |||
"Spring Torrents" | |||
"It is Time!" | |||
1895–6 | 15 | Six Choruses for Women's or Children's Voices | Women's or Children's chorus |
Be Praised | |||
Night | |||
The Pine | |||
The Waves Slumbered | |||
Slavery | |||
The Angel | |||
1896 | String Quartet No. 2 | two violins, viola, and cello | |
1896 | Four Improvisations (with Arensky, Glazunov, Taneyev) | piano | |
1896 | 16 | Six Moments Musicaux | piano |
No. 1 Andantino in B-flat minor | |||
No. 2 Allegretto in E-flat minor | |||
No. 3 Andante cantabile in B minor | |||
No. 4 Presto in E minor | |||
No. 5 Adagio sostenuto in D-flat major | |||
No. 6 Maestoso in C major | |||
1896 | Transcription of Glazunov: Symphony No. 6 | piano duet | |
1899 | Morceau de Fantaisie in G minor | piano | |
1899 | Fughetta in F major | piano | |
1899 | Panteley the Healer | mixed chorus | |
1899 | "Were you Hiccupping?" | solo voice and piano | |
1900 | "Night" | solo voice and piano | |
1900 | Paraphrase of Bizet: Minuet from L'Arlésienne, revised 1922 | piano | |
1900–1 | 17 | Suite No. 2 | two pianos |
1900–1 | 18 | Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor | piano concerto |
1901 | 19 | Cello Sonata in G minor | cello and piano |
1902 | 20 | Spring Cantata | baritone solo, chorus, and orchestra |
1900–2 | 21 | Twelve Songs | |
"Fate" | |||
"By a Fresh Grave" | |||
"Twilight" | |||
"They Replied" | |||
"Lilacs" | |||
"Fragment from 'de Musset'" | |||
"How Peaceful" | |||
"On the Death of a Linnet" | |||
Melody" | |||
"Before the Icon" | |||
"I am not a Prophet" | |||
"How Pained I am" | |||
1903 | 22 | Variations on a Theme of Chopin | piano |
1901–3 | 23 | Ten Preludes | piano |
No. 1, in F-sharp minor | |||
No. 2, in B-flat major | |||
No. 3, in D minor | |||
No. 4, in D major | |||
No. 5, in G minor | |||
No. 6, in E-flat major | |||
No. 7, in C minor | |||
No. 8, in A-flat major | |||
No. 9, in E-flat minor | |||
No. 10, in G-flat major | |||
1903–5 | 24 | The Miserly Knight | opera |
1904–5 | 25 | Francesca da Rimini | opera |
1906 | Salammbô | opera | |
1906 | Polka Italienne | piano duet | |
1906 | 26 | Fifteen Songs | |
"There are Many Sounds" | |||
"All was Taken from Me" | |||
"We shall Rest" | |||
"Two Farewells" | |||
"Let us Leave, my Sweet" | |||
"Christ is Risen" | |||
"To the Children" | |||
"Beg for Mercy" | |||
"I am Again Alone" | |||
"At my Window" | |||
"The Fountain" | |||
"Night is Sorrowful" | |||
"Yesterday we Met" | |||
"The Ring" | |||
"All Passes" | |||
1906–7 | 27 | Symphony No. 2 | orchestra |
1906–8 | Monna Vanna | opera | |
1908 | 28 | Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor | piano |
1908 | "Letter to Stanislavsky" | ||
1909 | 29 | The Isle of the Dead, symphonic poem | orchestra |
1909 | 30 | Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor | piano concerto |
1910 | 31 | Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom | unaccompanied mixed chorus |
1910 | 32 | Thirteen Preludes | piano |
No. 1, in C major | |||
No. 2, in B-flat minor | |||
No. 3, in E major | |||
No. 4, in E minor | |||
No. 5, in G major | |||
No. 6, in F minor | |||
No. 7, in F major | |||
No. 8, in A minor | |||
No. 9, in A major | |||
No. 10, in B minor | |||
No. 11, in B major | |||
No. 12, in G-sharp minor | |||
No. 13, in D-flat major | |||
1911 | Transcription of Franz Behr: Lachtäubchen, Op. 303 (published as Polka de W.R.) | piano | |
1911 | 33 | Études-Tableaux | |
No. 1, in F minor | |||
No. 2, in C major | |||
No. 3, in C minor | |||
No. 4, in D minor | |||
No. 5, in E-flat minor | |||
No. 6, in E-flat major | |||
No. 7, in G minor | |||
No. 8, in C-sharp minor | |||
1910–2 | 34 | Fourteen Songs | |
"The Muse" | |||
"In the Soul of Each of Us" | |||
"The Storm" | |||
"The Migrant Wind" | |||
"Arion" | |||
"The Raising of Lazarus" | |||
"It Cannot Be" | |||
"Music" | |||
"You Knew Him" | |||
"I Remember that Day" | |||
"The Herald" | |||
"What Happiness" | |||
"Dissonance" | |||
"Vocalise" | |||
1913 | 35 | The Bells | voice soloists, chorus, and orchestra |
1913 | 36 | Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, revised 1931 | piano |
1915 | "From the Gospel of St. John" | solo voice and piano | |
1915 | 37 | All-Night Vigil | unaccompanied mixed chorus |
1916 | "Prayer" | solo voice and piano | |
1916 | "All Things Wish to Sing" | solo voice and piano | |
1916 | 38 | Six Songs | |
"At Night in my Garden" | |||
"To Her" | |||
"Daisies" | |||
"The Pied Piper" | |||
"Sleep" | |||
"A-oo!" | |||
1916 | 39 | Études-Tableaux | piano |
No. 1, in C minor | |||
No. 2, in A minor | |||
No. 3, in F-sharp minor | |||
No. 4, in B minor | |||
No. 5, in E-flat minor | |||
No. 6, in A minor | |||
No. 7, in C minor | |||
No. 8, in D minor | |||
No. 9, in D major | |||
1917 | Three Pieces (Prelude in D minor, Oriental Sketch, Fragments) | piano | |
1918 | Paraphrase of John Stafford Smith: The Star-Spangled Banner | piano | |
1919 | Cadenza for Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 | piano | |
1921 | Paraphrase of Kreisler: Liebesleid | piano | |
1923 | Paraphrase of Mussorgsky: Gopak from The Fair at Sorochyntsi | piano | |
1925 | Paraphrase of Schubert: Wohin? (D795/2) | piano | |
1925 | Paraphrase of Kreisler: Liebesfreud | piano | |
1926 | Paraphrase of Mussorgsky: Gopak from The Fair at Sorochyntsi | piano and violin | |
1926 | 40 | Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, revised 1941 | piano concerto |
1927 | 41 | Three Russian Songs | chorus and orchestra |
1929 | Paraphrase of Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee | piano | |
1931 | 42 | Variations on a Theme of Corelli | piano |
1933 | Paraphrase of Mendelssohn: Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream | piano | |
1934 | Paraphrase of Bach: movements from Partita No. 3 in E major (BWV 1006) | piano | |
1934 | 43 | Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini | piano and orchestra |
1936 | 44 | Symphony No. 3 | orchestra |
1940 | 45 | Symphonic Dances | orchestra |
1941 | Paraphrase of Tchaikovsky: Lullaby | piano | |
References
- Bertensson, Sergei; Jay Leyda (2001). Sergei Rachmaninoff: A Lifetime in Music. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University. ISBN 0-253-21421-1.
- Harrison, Max (2006). Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings. London: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-9312-2.
- Norris, Geoffrey (1993). The Master Musicians: Rachmaninoff. New York City: Schirmer Books. ISBN 0-02-870685-4.
- Randel, Don M. (1999). The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press (Belknap). ISBN 0-674-00978-9.
External links
- List of Compositions by Rachmaninoff on imslp.org
- (Russian) Senar.ru - Streaming files of Rachmaninoff playing his compositions
- (Russian) Senar.ru - Rachmaninoff sheet music download
- (Russian) Chubrik.ru - Rachmaninoff audio download
- Lyrics for Songs