Rachmaninoff, Sergei Vassilievich, rahk MAH nuh nawf, sehr GAY vahs SEE lyuh vihch (1873-1943), was a Russian composer and conductor and one of the greatest pianists in history. His compositions generally carry the late romantic style of Russian composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky into the early 1900's. Even Rachmaninoff's last works from the 1930's are hardly affected by modern trends. His music is strongly influenced by the chants and church bells of the Russian Orthodox Church. These musical influences appear in Rachmaninoff's severely simple melodies and rich, full keyboard sounds. Rachmaninoff combined these native Russian materials with his own passion and intensity of expression.