Rachmaninoff Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3 no. 2 - Easy Arrangement

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3 no. 2

PDF Sheet music, piano solo
Simple Solutions arrangement by Henrik Kilhamn

Approximate Grade: 6-
Scale 1 - 8: Beginner - Advanced

Key: Easy key D minor + Original key C-sharp minor included

What better piece as the finale of Volume 3 than Rachmaninoff’s most known Prelude? It was so popular in his own lifetime as a concert pianist that the audience often shouted “C sharp minor!” at the end of his concerts as an encore request, to the point where he purportedly said he wished he hadn’t composed it. We are happy he did however, and this version offers an opportunity to play most of it, but with some of the technical demands reduced. A peculiar aspect to the piece is that the iconic soft chords in the beginning are actually sounding exactly as they are written here, but the original specifies awkward hand crossings of entangled octaves moving through all eight notes! There is a subtle pianistic point of balancing those chords for a professional setting, but only re-voicing them like this makes it all so much easier to comprehend. A third octave of the deep slow melody has been left out so that only the LH needs to move between that and the chords. The Agitato middle section will sound more different with only duple subdivisions of the beat instead of triple to spare some textural density, but does work musically if one gets used to it. The ending section of long sounding chords are written out in the logical way the music proceeds and how Rachmaninoff played it himself (from preserved piano roll recordings), which most pianists prefer to follow.

This arrangement is included in Simple Solutions VOLUME 3 - Nights & Dreams (Intermediate ~ Grade 5)

Also, check out:
Simple Solutions VOLUME 1 (Elementary ~ Grade 3)
Simple Solutions VOLUME 2 (Intermediate ~ Grade 5)

ABOUT SIMPLE SOLUTIONS

This is for everyone who loves the great piano repertoire but haven’t (yet) developed the skill required to master it. After all, the big composers wrote music for professional musicians, and it takes many years of studies to achieve a level sufficient to play their pieces as written. However, the musical material can be separated into melody, harmony, rhythms, and textures, and in some cases simplified while preserving the core ideas. This is what I have done in these arrangements of some of the most beloved piano melodies by the great composers. In this easier setting, you will instead have enough time on your hands (literally!) to bring the music to life and care about those aspects that often otherwise come second: phrasing, articulation, dynamics, and balance. This will help you develop your over-all musicality, which will be of great value in all other pieces as well.

I believe you have the right to enjoy playing this great music with your own hands, even when the original writing is beyond your present level or would require too much time and effort. In the end, if you feel ready for a challenge and want to go forward with proper piano studies that requires years of practice—the originals are always there. In the meantime, these arrangements will bring you close to the same enjoyment, because all musical ideas are carefully conserved.

They are just a little bit easier.

The arrangement comes in two versions: both transposed to an easier key signature as well as kept in the original key.

The "Easy key" transposed version is recommended for the most comfortable Simple Solutions experience. It's much easier to read notes without many sharps or flats, which frees up a lot of attention for all other musical aspects solely at a cost if you have perfect pitch. The version in original key serves the purpose of constituting a proper stepping stone if you wish to continue with the full original later on, whithout having to unlearn all harmony because it was in the wrong key.