Rachmaninoff, S. V. Moments Musicaux (Muzykalnye momenty): Op. 16: For Piano, 1919. In Russian.

Рахманинов С. В.
Музыкальные моменты : Соч. 16 : Для фортепиано. / Составление и редакция В. Р. Вильшау (профессор Московской консерватории). (Серия: «Новый выбор классических и новейших пьес»).
Москва : Производственный подотдел Музыкального отдела Народного комиссариата по просвещению (Н.К.П.), 1919.
9 с. Мягкая издательская обложка. Прижизненное издание.
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Rachmaninoff, Sergey.
Moments Musicaux: Op. 16: For Piano. / Compiled and edited by Vasily Vilshau (Professor of the Moscow Conservatory). (Series: "New Selection of Classical and Modern Pieces").
Moscow: Production Sub-department of the Music Department of the People's Commissariat for Education (N.K.P.), 1919.
9 pp. Original softcover. Lifetime edition.

This 1919 edition of Sergey Rachmaninoff’s Moments Musicaux (Op. 16) is a significant rarity, published during the composer's lifetime and amid the profound social upheaval of the Russian Civil War. Released by the newly established Music Department of Narkompros (N.K.P.), this score represents one of the earliest Soviet efforts to maintain the continuity of the Russian piano school following the 1917 Revolution. The cycle, originally composed in 1896, consists of six pieces that demonstrate Rachmaninoff’s mastery of the late-Romantic idiom. The text provides a deep dive into the internal logic of the musical narrative, including the arrangement of technical challenges that range from the lyrical introspection of the first moments to the thunderous, virtuosic intensity of the later selections.
The edition was meticulously curated and edited by Vasily Vilshau, a distinguished professor at the Moscow Conservatory and a key figure in musical pedagogy. It was issued as part of the series "New Selection of Classical and Modern Pieces," which categorized repertoire into nine levels of difficulty to assist students and educators. Published just two years after Rachmaninoff’s departure from Russia, this 1919 imprint serves as a poignant primary source, capturing his music at the moment it transitioned from the contemporary repertoire of the Imperial era to the foundational canon of the Soviet conservatory system. For bibliophiles and musicologists, this slim 9-page volume is a testament to the resilience of Moscow’s musical culture during the "War Communism" period and remains a highly sought-after lifetime publication.