Sergei Rachmaninoff

Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff ({{lang-ru|?????? ?????????? ??????????}}, Sergej Vasil'evi? Rahmaninov, April 1, 1873–March 28, 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. (Alternative spellings for his name include Sergey or Serge and Rachmaninov, Rachmaninow or Rakhmaninov, all transliterations of ?????? ??????????, his name in Cyrillic. "Sergei Rachmaninoff" was the spelling Rachmaninoff himself used while living in the West. It follows the generally accepted transliteration conventions of that era and is how he signed his name throughout the latter half of his life, including when he became a United States citizen.)

Life

Youth

Rachmaninoff was born in Semyonovo, near Novgorod in north-western Russia, into a noble family which had been attested in the service of Russian tsars since the 16th century. His parents were both amateur pianists, and he had his first piano lessons with his mother on their family estate at Oneg; however, his parents noticed no outstanding talent in the youngster. Because of financial difficulties, the family moved to Saint Petersburg where Rachmaninoff studied at the Conservatory there, before moving to Moscow. There, he studied piano under Nikolay Zverev and Alexander Siloti, the latter being a student of Franz Liszt and Rachmaninoff's cousin. He also studied harmony under Anton Arensky, and counterpoint under Sergei Taneyev. It should be noted that in his younger days, Rachmaninoff was found to be quite lazy, failing most of his classes and spending much time skating. It was the strict regime of the Zverev home (a place for many young musicians, including Scriabin) that instilled discipline in the boy.

Related Topics:
Semyonovo - Novgorod - Russia - Piano - Oneg - Saint Petersburg - Conservatory - Moscow - Nikolay Zverev - Alexander Siloti - Franz Liszt - Harmony - Anton Arensky - Counterpoint - Sergei Taneyev - Scriabin

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Already in his early years he showed great skill in composition: While still a student, he wrote the one-act opera, Aleko (for which he was awarded a gold medal in composition), his first piano concerto and a set of piano pieces, Morceaux de Fantaisies (op. 3, 1892), including the popular and famous Prelude in C-sharp minor — after 40 years of performing it as an encore at his piano recitals due to popular demand, he came to detest the piece. Rachmaninoff confided in Zverev his desire to compose more, requesting a private room where he could compose in silence, but Zverev saw him only as a pianist and severed his links with the boy. After the success of Aleko, however, Zverev welcomed him back as a composer and pianist. His first serious pieces for the piano were composed and performed as a student at the age of thirteen during his residence with Zverev. In 1892, at nineteen, he completed his Piano Concerto No. 1 (op. 1, 1891), which he revised in 1917.

Related Topics:
Opera - Aleko - 1892 - Prelude in C-sharp minor - Piano Concerto No. 1 - 1891 - 1917

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Initial setbacks

Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1 (op. 13, 1896) premiered in 1897, but was torn apart by critics. Some have suggested that this was largely due to the conducting of Alexander Glazunov, who disliked the piece and under-rehearsed it; Rachmaninoff's wife later suggested that Glazunov may have been drunk. This disastrous reception, coupled with his distress over the Eastern Orthodox Church's objection to his marrying his cousin, Natalia Satina, led to a nervous breakdown.

Related Topics:
Symphony No. 1 - 1896 - 1897 - Conducting - Alexander Glazunov - Eastern Orthodox Church - Nervous breakdown

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He wrote little music over the following years, until he began a course of autosuggestive therapy with psychologist Nikolai Dahl, an amateur musician himself. Rachmaninoff quickly recovered his confidence; an important result of these sessions was the composition of the Piano Concerto No. 2 (op. 18, 1900–01), which was dedicated to Dr. Dahl. The piece was very well received at its premiere at which Rachmaninoff was soloist, and remains one of his most popular compositions. It has been used in the soundtrack to the films Brief Encounter and The Seven Year Itch, as well as having its themes made into popular songs in the 1940s.

Related Topics:
Autosuggestive therapy - Psychologist - Nikolai Dahl - Piano Concerto No. 2 - 1900 - 01 - Films - Brief Encounter - The Seven Year Itch - 1940s

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Rachmaninoff's spirits were further bolstered when, after years of engagement, he was finally allowed to marry Natalia. They were married by an army priest in 1902, and their union lasted until the composer's death. Due to several successful appearances as a conductor, Rachmaninoff was offered a job as conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1904, although political reasons led to his resignation two years later. In 1908, he moved to Italy, and later to Dresden, Germany, while waiting for the political situation in Russia to normalize.

Related Topics:
Priest - 1902 - Bolshoi Theatre - 1904 - 1908 - Italy - Dresden - Germany - Political

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Immigration to the US

Rachmaninoff made his first tour of the United States as a pianist in 1909, an event for which he composed the Piano Concerto No. 3 (op. 30, 1909). This successful tour made him a popular figure in America, and he emigrated to New York following the Russian Revolution of 1917. After his departure his music was banned in the Soviet Union for several years. His compositional output slowed to some degree, partly because he was required to spend much of his time performing to support his family, but mainly because of homesickness; he felt that when he left Russia, it was as if he had left behind his inspiration. Nevertheless, his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, today one of his best-known works, was written in the United States in 1934.

Related Topics:
United States - 1909 - Piano Concerto No. 3 - New York - Russian Revolution - 1917 - Homesickness - Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - 1934

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He went on to compose his Symphony No. 3 (op. 44, 1935–36) and the Symphonic Dances (op. 45, 1940), his last completed work. He fell ill during a concert tour in the winter of 1943, and was subsequently diagnosed with lung cancer, most likely caused by heavy smoking. His last recital, given in February 1943, prophetically featured Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat Minor which contains the famous funeral march. He died on March 28, 1943, in Beverly Hills, California, and was interred in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.

Related Topics:
Symphony No. 3 - 1935 - 36 - Symphonic Dances - 1940 - 1943 - Chopin - Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat Minor - Funeral march - March 28 - Beverly Hills, California - Kensico Cemetery - Valhalla, New York

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