Rachmaninoff at his estate Ivanovka, proofing his Piano Concerto No. 3 (1910)

This is a complete list of compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943).

Rachmaninoff's compositions cover a variety of musical forms and genres. Born in Novgorod, Russia in 1873, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Nikolai Zverev, Alexander Siloti, Sergei Taneyev 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♯ 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 undergoing autosuggestive therapy, he regained his confidence and composed his second piano concerto (Op. 18), which is widely considered as one of the best piano concertos. In 1909, he made his first concert tour of the United States, and composed his Piano Concerto No. 3 (Op. 30), notable for its structural ingenuity and technical difficulty. After this, due to emigration from Russia in 1917 and his busy concert career, his output as a composer greatly decreased, and during this period, he completed only six compositions. His last major work, Symphonic Dances (Op. 45), was completed in the USA in 1940.

Works by musical form

Opus Title Instrumentation Date completed Excerpt

Orchestra[edit]

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 1895
27 Symphony No. 2 1908
29 Isle of the Dead 1908
44 Symphony No. 3 1936
45 Symphonic Dances 1940

Chamber[edit]

Romance in A minor Violin & Piano 1885
String Quartet No. 1 Two Violins, Viola, & Cello 1890?
Lied in F minor Cello & Piano 1890
Mélodie on a Theme of Rachmaninoff Violin or Cello & Piano 1890?
Trio élégiaque No. 1 Violin, Cello, & Piano 1892
2 Two Pieces (Prelude, Danse orientale) Cello & Piano 1892
6 Morceaux de salon (Romance, Danse hongroise) Violin & Piano 1893
9 Trio élégiaque No. 2 Piano, Violin & Cello 1893, revised 1906 (Boosey & Hawkes ed.), 1913 (modern Russian ed.)
String Quartet No. 2 Two Violins, Viola, & Cello 1896?
19 Cello Sonata Cello & Piano 1901
Cello Sonata (Op. 19).
Listen, excerptⓘ

Piano & Orchestra[edit]

Concerto in C minor, projected Piano & Orchestra 1889
1 Piano Concerto No. 1 in F♯ minor 1891, revised 1917
18 Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor 1901
30 Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor 1909
Piano Concerto No. 3 (Op. 30) is notable for its massive ossia.
Listen, excerptⓘ
40 Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor 1926, revised 1941
43 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini 1934

Solo Piano[edit]

Étude in F♯ major [lost] Piano 1886?
Song Without Words in D minor 1887?
Lento in D minor 1887?
Four Pieces
  • Romance / Andante, in F♯ minor
  • Prélude / Allegro, in E♭ minor
  • Mélodie / Andante, in E major
  • Gavotte / Allegro, in D major
 1887
Three Nocturnes
  • 1. Andante cantabile – Allegro vivace, in F♯ minor (1887)
  • 2. Andante maestoso – Allegro assai, in F major (1887)
  • 3. Andante – Allegro moderato, in C minor (1888)
 1887/88
Piece (Canon) in E minor 1891
Fugue in D minor 1891
Prelude in F major 1891
3 Morceaux de fantaisie
  • No. 1, Élégie in E♭ minor
  • No. 2, Prélude in C♯ minor
  • No. 3, Mélodie in E major (revised in 1940)
  • No. 4, Polichinelle
  • No. 5, Serenade (revised in 1940)
 1892
Prelude in C♯ minor (Op. 3, No. 2) is famous for its theme and coda.
10 Morceaux de salon
  • 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 (revised in 1940)
  • No. 6, Romance in F minor
  • No. 7, Mazurka in D♭ major
 1894
Four Improvisations (with Arensky, Glazunov, Taneyev) 1896
16 Six moments musicaux
  • No. 1 Andantino in B♭ minor
  • No. 2 Allegretto in E♭ minor
  • No. 3 Andante cantabile in B minor
  • No. 4 Presto in E minor
  • No. 5 Adagio sostenuto in D♭ major
  • No. 6 Maestoso in C major
 1896
Six moments musicaux (Op. 16), range in style from the slow Andantino (pictured) to the torrential Presto.
Listen, excerptⓘ
Morceau de Fantaisie in G minor 1899
Fughetta in F major 1899
22 Variations on a Theme of Chopin 1903
23 Ten Preludes
  • No. 1, in F♯ minor
  • No. 2, in B♭ major
  • No. 3, in D minor
  • No. 4, in D major
  • No. 5, in G minor
  • No. 6, in E♭ major
  • No. 7, in C minor
  • No. 8, in A♭ major
  • No. 9, in E♭ minor
  • No. 10, in G♭ major
 1903
Prelude in G minor (Op. 23, No. 5) embodies his Russian spirit.
28 Piano Sonata No. 1 1908
32 Thirteen Preludes
  • No. 1, in C major
  • No. 2, in B♭ 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♯ minor
  • No. 13, in D♭ major
 1910 No. 8 A minorⓘ
No. 9 A majorⓘNo. 10 in B minorⓘ
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♭ minor
  • No. 6, in E♭ major
  • No. 7, in G minor
  • No. 8, in C♯ minor
 1911
Étude Tableaux No. 7 in G minor begins with soft arpeggios played at the pianissimo volume.
36 Piano Sonata No. 2 1913, revised 1931
39 Études-Tableaux
  • No. 1, in C minor
  • No. 2, in A minor
  • No. 3, in F♯ minor
  • No. 4, in B minor
  • No. 5, in E♭ minor
  • No. 6, in A minor
  • No. 7, in C minor
  • No. 8, in D minor
  • No. 9, in D major
 1916
The rhythmic Étude Tableaux No. 9 in D major opens in a giant chordal flourish.
Four Pieces
  • Prelude in D minor
  • Piano Piece in A-Flat Major
  • Oriental Sketch
  • Fragments
 1917
42 Variations on a Theme of Corelli 1931

Other Piano[edit]

Two Pieces (Valse, Romance) Piano - Six Hands 1891
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
  • No. 1, Barcarolle
  • No. 2, Scherzo
  • No. 3, Thème Russe
  • No. 4, Valse
  • No. 5, Romance
  • No. 6, Slava
 Piano Duet 1894
17 Suite No. 2 Two Pianos 1901
The first movement of Suite No. 2 (Op. 17) is full of idiosyncratically large and thick chords.
Polka Italienne Piano Duet 1906?

Transcriptions[edit]

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 & 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 (Cradle Song Op.16, No.1) Piano 1941

Operas[edit]

Esmeralda, projected 1888
Aleko (Russian: Алеко) 1892
24 The Miserly Knight (Russian: Скупой рыцарь) 1904
25 Francesca da Rimini (Russian: Франческа да Римини) 1905
Salammbô, projected 1906
Monna Vanna, unfinished 1908

Choral works[edit]

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 & Piano 1894?
15 Six Choruses for Women's or Children's Voices
  • Be Praised
  • Night
  • The Pine
  • The Waves Slumbered
  • Slavery
  • The Angel
 Women's or Children's Chorus 1895
Panteley the Healer Mixed Chorus 1899
20 Spring, cantata Baritone Solo, Chorus, & Orchestra 1902
31 Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom chorus 1910
35 The Bells Voice Soloists, Chorus, & Orchestra 1913
37 All-Night Vigil Chorus 1915
41 Three Russian Songs Chorus & Orchestra 1927

Solo Voice & Piano[edit]

"Again you are Bestirred, my Heart" 1890 or 1893
"At the Gates of the Holy Cloister" 1890
Two monologues from Boris Godunov, opera by Mussorgsky 1891?
"C'était en avril" 1891
"Dusk was Falling" 1891
4 Six Songs
  • "Oh No, I Beg You, Do Not Leave!"
  • "Morning"
  • "In the Silence of the Secret Night"
  • "Sing not, O Lovely One"
  • "The Harvest of Sorrow"
  • "It Was Not Long Ago, My Friend"
 1890–1893
The lyrics of "The Harvest of Sorrow" (Op. 4, No. 5) are based on a text by Aleksei Tolstoy that laments a failed harvest.
Listen, excerptⓘ
"Song of the Disenchanted," 1893?
"Do you Remember the Evening?" 1893?
"The Flower Died" 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
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!"
 1896
"Were you Hiccupping?" 1899
"Night" 1900
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"
 1902
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
"Letter to Stanislavsky" 1908
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" (listed separately below)
 1912
Vocalise (Op. 34, No. 14) is sung without words and has been arranged for many different instrument combinations.
"Vocalise" 1915[1]
"From the Gospel of St. John" 1915
"Prayer" 1916
"All Things Wish to Sing" 1916
38 Six Songs
  • "At Night in my Garden"
  • "To Her"
  • "Daisies"
  • "The Pied Piper"
  • "Sleep"
  • "A-oo!"
 1916


Chronological sequence

Composed Opus Title Instrumentation
1885 Romance in A minor violin and piano
1886 Transcription of Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony piano duet
1886 Étude in F♯ 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: Romance (Andante Espressivo), Scherzo (Allegro) 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 in F♯ minor, revised 1917 piano concerto
1890–1 Transcription of Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty piano duet
1890–1 Two Pieces (Valse, Romance) piano six hands
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 Fugue in D minor piano
1891 Suite in D minor orchestra, piano solo
1891 Youth Symphony orchestra
1891 Prince Rostislav, symphonic poem orchestra
1891 Two monologues from Boris Godunov, opera by Mussorgsky solo voice and piano
1891 "C'était 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♭ minor
No. 2, Prélude in C♯ minor
No. 3, Mélodie in E major (revised in 1940)
No. 4, Polichinelle
No. 5, Serenade (revised in 1940)
1893 "Again you are Bestirred, my Heart" solo voice and piano
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"
"The Harvest of Sorrow"
"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 (revised in 1940)
No. 6, Romance in F minor
No. 7, Mazurka in D♭ 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 (projected)[2] 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: Allegro Moderato, Andante molto sostenuto two violins, viola, and cello
1896 Four Improvisations (with Arensky, Glazunov, Taneyev) piano
1896 16 Six Moments Musicaux piano
No. 1 Andantino in B♭ minor
No. 2 Allegretto in E♭ minor
No. 3 Andante cantabile in B minor
No. 4 Presto in E minor
No. 5 Adagio sostenuto in D♭ 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♯ minor
No. 2, in B♭ major
No. 3, in D minor
No. 4, in D major
No. 5, in G minor
No. 6, in E♭ major
No. 7, in C minor
No. 8, in A♭ major
No. 9, in E♭ minor
No. 10, in G♭ major
1903–5 24 The Miserly Knight opera
1904–5 25 Francesca da Rimini opera
1906 Salammbô (projected) 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 (unfinished) 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♭ 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♯ minor
No. 13, in D♭ 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♭ minor
No. 6, in E♭ major
No. 7, in G minor
No. 8, in C♯ 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"
1913 35 The Bells voice soloists, chorus, and orchestra
1913 36 Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, revised 1931 piano
1915 "Vocalise" (included in op. 34 as no. 14) solo voice and 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♯ minor
No. 4, in B minor
No. 5, in E♭ minor
No. 6, in A minor
No. 7, in C minor
No. 8, in D minor
No. 9, in D major
1917 Four Pieces (Prelude in D minor, Piano Piece in A-Flat Major, 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

Sources

Notes

  1. ^ Rahmer, Dominik (24 June 2014). "Without words, but with a foreword – what's new on Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise"". www.henle.de/blog. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ Martyn, Barrie (2017-07-05). Rachmaninoff: Composer, Pianist, Conductor. p. 104. ISBN 9781351552424.

References

External links

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Categories