Prelude in C-sharp minor Op. 3 No. 2 MIDI & Sheet Music
Sergei Rachmaninoff · 1892
Rachmaninoff was 19 when he wrote this prelude, just after graduating from the Moscow Conservatory in May 1892. He played it in public himself on 26 September 1892, and it was published the next year among his five Morceaux de fantaisie Op. 3, all dedicated to his harmony teacher Anton Arensky. It became one of his best-known pieces, so much so that audiences kept asking him for it.
⏱2:43 with repeats♪1725 notes🎚Advanced🎼E major♩60 per quarter🎹C#1 → B6🦶pedal marks
Prelude in C-sharp minor Op. 3 No. 2 · Sheet music
It runs 62 bars in 3 parts. Three deep octaves open the piece in the left hand: A, G-sharp, C-sharp. In the middle, a stormy section builds up, then the return crushes everything under enormous chords in both hands. In this 1725-note MIDI the tempo speeds up, then slows again, just as in the score. For another great Romantic showpiece, try Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu.
The three deep opening notes, in octaves, with weight but joined up
The stormy middle section, without losing evenness
The giant chords of the return, played from the arm rather than the fingers
A crescendo that really builds, without giving everything away too soon
The tricky passages
Bar 5 : a leap of 16 semitones (a tenth) in the left hand, in under half a second
Bar 35 : 21 notes in a row in the right hand, at about 8.3 notes per second
Bar 48 : the busiest bar, with 64 notes across both hands
Bar 50 : the left hand stretches over 39 semitones (chord to roll)
Playing the C-sharp minor Prelude on piano with Pianovera
Split the 3 parts into 3 loops in Pianovera. For the return, use Wait mode: place each chord, left hand then right hand, before putting them together at 50% speed. A hand opens up over weeks, never in one go.
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About this piece
How long is the C-sharp minor Prelude?
The MIDI file lasts 2:43, with every repeat played in full: 60 bars in 4/4 (62 played with the repeats), 1725 notes, at 60 bpm (quarter notes). Slowed to 60%, it lasts 4:32.
What level do you need to play the C-sharp minor Prelude?
We rate it advanced in E major, with sustain pedal marks. The left hand stretches up to 39 semitones (chord to roll) and the right hand up to 36 semitones (chord to roll), across 70 semitones of keyboard (C#1 to B6), at 10.5 notes per second on average. The first thing to work on: the three deep opening notes, in octaves, with weight but joined up.
What is the hardest passage in the C-sharp minor Prelude?
It is bar 35: 21 notes in a row in the right hand, at about 8.3 notes per second.
What tempo should a beginner practice the C-sharp minor Prelude at?
Aim for 35 bpm (quarter notes), which is 60% of the file's tempo (60).
Is there sheet music for the C-sharp minor Prelude with fingering?
Yes: 1537 fingerings, 60 bars, shown in full above and as a free printable PDF.
Download the C-sharp minor Prelude MIDI and sheet music
The the C-sharp minor Prelude MIDI file (32 KB) is the one this page plays, repeats included. Our score, fingering and this MIDI are redone from the Mutopia Project edition by Petro Kostandy: CC BY-SA 4.0 license (share-alike), free to use, commercial use included, as long as this credit is kept PDF.
