Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Rachmaninoff, his life story, and several classical music pieces by him are here; Rachmaninoff was one of the greatest composers ever - Rachmaninoff was a master composer of classical music. Enjoy these free classical midi music files.
Sergei Rachmaninoff was born on April 1, 1873, on a large estate near the ancient city of Novgorod, Russia. His father was an
army officer and his mother was a wealthy heiress. His father gambled, drank, and squandered his wife's money. Rachmanninof deserted his
family when Sergei was nine years old.By all accounts Young Sergei was a problem child, but had an extraordinary talent at the piano. At age nine he entered the College of Music in St. Petersburg, however because of his natural gift he did not bother to study. To solve his discipline problem Rachmaninoff moved to Moscow to live with Nikolai Zvereff of the Moscow Conservatory, one of the leading music teachers in Russia at the time. In 1892, Rachmaninoff graduated from the conservatory with high honors.
In 1909, Rachmaninoff made his first visit to the United States and received an enthusiastic welcome. Afterwards, he visited America once every season. Rachmaninoff died on March 28, 1943 only a few weeks after attaining his American citizenship, and only five days before his seventieth birthday. During his career Rachmaninoff wrote some 145 compositions. He is considered by many modern classicists to be one of the greatest piano composers who ever lived.
 Piano Concerto No.1 in F#, Op.1, Vivace
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Prelude in C#-, Op.23, No.4
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