Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 2, is one of the composer's most famous compositions. Part of a set of five piano pieces titled Morceaux de fantaisie, it is a 62-bar prelude in ternary (ABA) form. It is also known as The Bells of Moscow since the introduction seems to reproduce the Kremlin's most solemn carillon chimes.
Its first performance was by the composer on 26 September 1892, at a festival called the Moscow Electrical Exhibition. After this première, a review of the concert singled out the Prelude, noting that it had “aroused enthusiasm”. From this point on, its popularity grew.
Rachmaninoff later published 23 more preludes to complete a set of 24 preludes covering all the major and minor keys, to emulate earlier sets by Bach, Chopin, Alkan, Scriabin and others.
The prelude is organized into three main parts and a coda:
The piece opens with a three-note motif at fortissimo that introduces the grim C-sharp minor tonality that dominates the piece. The cadential motif repeats throughout. In the third bar, the volume changes to a piano pianissimo for the exposition of the theme.
The second part is propulsive and marked Agitato (agitated), beginning with highly chromatic triplets. This passionately builds to interlocking chordal triplets that descend into a climactic recapitulation of the main theme, this time in four staves to accommodate the volume of notes. Certain chords in the section are marked with quadruple sforzando.
The piece closes with a brief seven-bar coda that ends quietly.
The prelude became one of Rachmaninoff's most famous compositions and has been arranged for orchestra in several versions. It has been used in many films, and many songs have sampled it.
Performers:
- The Philadelphia Orchestra
- Leopold Stokowski (Conductor)
New videos and pieces everyday.
Like and subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/channel/UCnecaf9_nSWT__lhfu4EYpg
Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 2, is one of the composer's most famous compositions. Part of a set of five piano pieces titled Morceaux de fantaisie, it is a 62-bar prelude in ternary (ABA) form. It is also known as The Bells of Moscow since the introduction seems to reproduce the Kremlin's most solemn carillon chimes.
Its first performance was by the composer on 26 September 1892, at a festival called the Moscow Electrical Exhibition. After this première, a review of the concert singled out the Prelude, noting that it had “aroused enthusiasm”. From this point on, its popularity grew.
Rachmaninoff later published 23 more preludes to complete a set of 24 preludes covering all the major and minor keys, to emulate earlier sets by Bach, Chopin, Alkan, Scriabin and others.
The prelude is organized into three main parts and a coda:
The piece opens with a three-note motif at fortissimo that introduces the grim C-sharp minor tonality that dominates the piece. The cadential motif repeats throughout. In the third bar, the volume changes to a piano pianissimo for the exposition of the theme.
The second part is propulsive and marked Agitato (agitated), beginning with highly chromatic triplets. This passionately builds to interlocking chordal triplets that descend into a climactic recapitulation of the main theme, this time in four staves to accommodate the volume of notes. Certain chords in the section are marked with quadruple sforzando.
The piece closes with a brief seven-bar coda that ends quietly.
The prelude became one of Rachmaninoff's most famous compositions and has been arranged for orchestra in several versions. It has been used in many films, and many songs have sampled it.
Performers:
- The Philadelphia Orchestra
- Leopold Stokowski (Conductor)
