Anton Rubinstein Was

Home , Anton Rubinstein

FI FT I ET H A NN I V ERS AR% M ED AL L I ON O F R UBINSTEIN .

- x 8 3 9 1 8 8 9

E nte r e d a c c o r d i ng to A c t of Co ng r e ss i n Me ye a r

' h L ib r a r i a n o W LL M M ART H U R L L . D zn t/ze o c e o t e I IA , ﬁ f f

Co ng r e ss a t T O

192 1: GExt el l ency

M ADAM E OLGA D E NOV I K OFF

K N O WN B% HER DISTIN G U ISHED L ITERAR% INITIAL S

O. K .

THIS S K ETC H OF ‘H ER GREAT COU NTR%M AN IS DEDI C ATE D

WITH T H E K INDEST REG ARDS A NDWARM EST ESTEEM OF H ER FRIEND

T H E A U T H O R

A U T H O R’S P R E FA C E

I N presenting this sketch to the p ub l i c the autho r does not suggest that it is either complete o r comprehensive . H e offers it merely as a series o f facts in the life o f Anton

Rubinstein , collected in St . Petersburg from n - i timate friends of the great composer pianist , from Russian journals, books , and papers , and from such information as came to light during various conversations held with himself.

E R D e c m be r 188 ST . ER BU G e . P T S , 9

C O NT E NT S

C H A P T ER I

B IRTH AND D EBUT As PIANIST

C HA P T E R I I FI RST CONCERT T OUR

C H A PT ER I I I — LIFE I N B ERLIN S ETTLEM ENT I N RUSSIA

C H A PT E R I V

GREAT CONCERT T OUR

C H A P T ER V

P E ERS RG C ONSERV OR% 8 FOUND ING OF T H E ST . T BU AT 3

C H A P T E R V I

“ NERO ”

C H A P T E R V I I

GEISTLICH E OPER CONTE NTS

C H A P T ER V I I I — SULAMITH HISTORICAL CONCERTS

C H A P T ER I X

R N E N I N T PE ERS RG UBI ST I S . T BU

C H A P T ER X

T H E V ILLA AT P ETERHOF

C H A P TER XI

RU BINSTEIN AS T EACH ER

C H A P T E R XI I

RUBINSTEIN AS PIANIST

C H A P T ER XI I I

RU BINSTEIN AS COM POSER

C H A P T E R XI V

RUBINSTEIN As M AN

C H A P T ER XV - RU BINSTEIN NOW ( 1888 89) C H A P T E R I

B I RT H AND DEB U T A S PIAN I ST

I N Russia the year 1 8 2 9 was an ominous one for the J ews ; clouds blacker and greater

than ever were darkening their horizon , and all manner of plans were being laid and put in operation against their interests and even

their existence . U nder Peter the Great they had been per

se c u te d unmercifully, but even under him they were more humanely treated than by his su c

c e sso r s and as civilisation advanced in Russia, so advanced their miseries and hardships side

by side . I n 1 8 1 0 the Jews were prohibited from

' holding any position in the State , from living — in o r travelling to any town a s they wished a — law in full force to this day , from buying land ,

from educating their children , and , except by A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

o f o f the payment enormous ﬁnes , most the avenues of commerce were shut to them . They were then as no w the legal prey o f every dishonest member o f the S tate ; they had no rights , no redress , and no justice dealt them , and in all the ways an autocratic government leaves open they were plundered and oppressed systematically . Suc h was the heritage Anton Rubinstein was

n f born to o the 2 8 th ( 1 6 th a s . ) o N ovember

1 8 2 o f We c hw o tine z 9 , in the village , near J assy, in Moldavia .

ll o f Ti the coming N icholas , however, the J ews had managed to exist ; they had their own peculiar customs , language , dress , and worship allowed them , and although trampled o n ll and hunted down a over Russia, they still contrived there to increase— even thrive- defy ing all persecution . I t seemed as if nothing could exterminate — them as N icholas wished , for he detested the

no t whole race . That emperor, however, was a

o w n man to be bearded in his den , and the con sequence was the great ukase against the J ews which worked such a difference in the future o f o ne who was afterwards to be o ne o f the greatest B I R TH A ND D EB UT A S PI A NI S T 3

’ of them , one of the brig htest stars in Russia s art

o ne o f o f world , and the staunchest her patriots , her philanthropists , and her national benefactors . At the time of the ukase the family of Rubin

o f stein consisted sixty people , at their head - being the grandfather of the pianist composer, a

a . man of no ordinary character, Rom n Rubinstein “ o u r Ah , it is wealth they want now, he

c o n said as he read the ukase ; then , after long sideration , he gathered all his family about him

B e r d itsc he ff o f at , in the government Kiev , near the town of that name , and commanded them to be baptized , for, as he said sarcastically , “ better undergo the ordeal of holy water and chrism and become Christians— if holy water and chrism would make them Christians— than lose their wealth .

o l d Anton Rubinstein was then a year , and

o ne o f no dreamt his being a musician . H is father, Gregor Rubinstein , a Polish J ew, was

w a s not musical , neither his grandfather the

e x c e sturdy Roman Rubinstein and , with the p

o f L e v e nst o n tion his mother, Clara , a German - Jewess , who was an excellent pianoforte player,

o ne o f so not member the family, far as Anton

Rubinstein himself can learn , was musical . 4 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

Four years after the wholesale baptism of the B e r d itsc he ff Rubinstein family at , Gregor,

t the fa her of Anton Rubinstein , removed to

M oscow , where , thanks to his baptism and the wealth saved to his father through it , Gregor Rubinstein became owner and manager o f a pencil manufactory there .

so n o ld H is eldest Anton was then ﬁve years , a bright little fellow with tangled curls falling about his shoulders and over into his serious eyes, who sang to himself all day long, and when his mother went to the piano to play she noticed how the little fellow stood by her side listening

o ne she attentively . At length , day, when - found him trying to play o n a violin like inst r u ment he had constructed for himself o f wood and

she elastic , decided that her son must be musical and commenced to give him lessons . H is progress was astonishingly rapid nothing obstructed it, and he learned with a facility that at length drove his mother, after a

o f o w n year and a half her teaching , to place him under the guidance o f the ﬁrst pianoforte

— V ill in teacher in Moscow Professor o g .

l M o s A year and a half passed by, and ha f cow was then beginning to talk o f the wonder B I RTH A ND D EB UT A S PI A NI S T 5 ful talents and playing o f the little Rubinstein

o f 1 8 and at length , in the summer 39 , some enterprising philanthropists came to Gregor Rubinstein and begged him to allow his son to play in public for the beneﬁt o f a charity . At ﬁrst Gregor Rubinstein refused ; the ’ ' w nna e r éznd craze had not yet reached M oscow ,

o r and it was the fashion in J ewish families ,

o f to in families J ewish descent, repress little people rather than to notice them and although Anton Rubinstein ’s parents quite understood ’ f o f their son s talent , they feared the ef ect public praise and the possible harm to his character

o f through it , and they had then no intention his becoming a professional musician ; after earnest solicitation , however, the philanthropists managed to get the parents ’ permission, and

’ Anton Rubinstein s début took place o n the

2 d o f 1 8 3 J uly 39 in Petrovsky Park , at Moscow, before a wildly enthusiastic audience . On this occasion Rubinstein played the A l l eg r o from the H um m el Concerto with o r

’ c he str a T ha lb e r s A nda nte , g , and four small

L H e ns e l t pieces of iszt , Field , and ; and a local

o f Ga l a te a paper the time , the Moscow , speaks of the performance as follows under the head 6 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

” “ D éb o f ing , ut of the child nine years , The art ist Anton Rubinstein . “ L oud applause followed , and universal wonder was felt by his audience during the interval between each piece , which the young Rubinstein really played with astonishing art ; one half o f the wonder being caused by the ease with which the child-artist overcame all difﬁculties, the little ﬁngers travelling over the pianoforte keys with the greatest velocity, bring ing forth a beautiful clear tone , and at all times the necessary force ; but the mos t wonderful thing of all was that the child-artist fully entered

’ into the composer s idea and understood his aim . “ H e certainly has the soul of an artist and the feeling for the beautiful , and there lies with

So him much musical talent , that in time , after the complete perfecting and development of it , the young artist will undoubtedly be able to procure himself an honourable place in the ranks ” o f European celebrities .

This latter prophecy has been fulﬁlled to the

s o letter, and the Moscow audience who wildly t t paid their homage to the little ar is , who was expressly placed o n a table by the director Bas

8 A NTON R UB I NSTE I N

rose colour, their roofs red , green , and blue, and altogether make up o ne superb piece of colour that needs to be seen to be comprehended .

I n springtime , when the lilac and lime and - laburnum trees are blossoming in all the gardens , when the surrounding hills are covered with verdure , and the Moskwa winds like a silver

o f thread by the gardens and houses the city , - then Moscow is a dream city .

H ere the people are Russian , untouched by western civilisation and that jealousy and self su fﬁ c ie nc y of and for themselves which char a c t e r ise s the innate nature of the true Russian seems here , under the shadow of the Kremlin

o f and amidst all the hundreds beautiful churches , to ﬂourish and grow apace .

Rubinstein caught this infection as a child , and amidst all the varied and strange experiences o f his maturer years never lost it .

I n Moscow , Rubinstein was a child living and thinking as other children under his parents ’ immediate guardianship with his two sisters and two brothers till his twelfth year , when life

o f o ne and that hardest all lives , the artist commenced for him in all earnestness with his

ﬁrst concert tour . C H A P T E R I I

FI RST CONCERT TOU R

B ORN when the nineteenth century was still young , Rubinstein witnessed its most brilliant period during his youth and early manhood , especially the epoch o f which we no w write . The intellectual world of Europe was enter ing a new phase and a golden o ne ; dazzling

o n D e lights were all sides , H eine and Musset were young eager enthusiasts , George Sand was

L his developing her startling theories . iszt , with

o f reckless daring, either by the shores Como , amongst the orange groves and myrtle thickets , o r in the brilliance o f Parisian sa l o ns surrounded

As a sia s A x io the a s o f by the p and the age , was living after the fashion o f those unrestrained - pleasure seekers o ne reads o f in the pages o f ’ Boccaccio s D e c a m e r o ne ; and gentle reﬁned

o f Chopin , in the midst his beautiful country I o A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

women , was teaching , all through the medium o f his Pleyel pianoforte , that a deeper depth existed in love, in art , in poetry than the world had understood before .

o f I t was an age brilliance , of dazzling

o f o f romanticism , great deeds , and greater

o f vitality . I nspired by the pages Goethe , a new generation of Teutoni c youth was working

sa l o ns o f wonders , and the Paris were crowded with a host o f young enthusiasts who had t t amongst them all hat genius, talen , art , youth , and hope had to give . — I n German lecture halls and public life , in

o f the privacy home life and editorial sanctums ,

-u o f there was a great change, a stirring p all the

o f t elements vitali y and enthusiasm . Mendelssohn was writing composition after composition , each more fresh and lovely than the L other, and amidst the delightful circle at eipziger

Strasse, N o . 3 , was creating that pure taste for

o w n art which bears its infl uence to our time .

W F r e i eber had ﬁnished his work , and in

' se nnl z and Ooe r o n had taught the world through music the meaning of the new romanticism that was transforming all .

Schumann was engaged at his desk , eagerly F I RST CON CE R T T O UR 1 1 and enthusiastically working in the pages of his

' ’ M ns zé Ze zt nng to educate the taste o f his country

m e men to broader and truer views in art , de oun

ing the false and artiﬁcial , helping the younger generation to the understanding of great ideals , and encouraging all to persevere in search of

the truth , found only with the noble , the great ,

and the pure in Art , whilst in his compositions he

was giving to posterity a treasure inexhaustible . Beethoven and Schubert were sleeping at Wahring under the shadow o f the surrounding

o f hills , and the people Germany were but tentatively beginning to understand and to

grapple with the immortal works o f the former. The Swan o f Pesaro and his gentle rival Bellini had called into existence a new race o f

: u l ini singers Mario , Grisi , Malibran , J g , Pasta,

L a b l a c he , all since unmatched as actors , artists ,

and singers , held the boards . L Ernst had succeeded Paganini ; and iszt , well likened to a m eteor by one o f his contem

o r a r ie s p , when not in silken bondage , was periodically ﬂashing his genius from north to

t oo nno m ze south , fascinating all wi h his wit , his ,

his genius , and leaving wonder and regret

behind him in all lands . 12 A NTON R UB I NSTE I N

H e was in the very zenith of his fame , the

o f o f o f idol the learned , society, the public , a great sun which extinguished all lesser lights ; that another such a s he would arise was u n dreamt of, and when a rumour did come from - Eastern Russia o f a wonderful boy pianist w ho - held all spell bound , the rumour was treated with scorn . N evertheless it was a rumour that proved

’ no impresario s boast, no journalistic fable , when - in the season 1 8 4 1 4 2 Anton Rubinstein se t o u t ‘ o n t u e his ﬁrst o r n e with his master V ill o ing .

They came to Paris ﬁrst , and this was a momentous event in the life o f the young artist , for here he met not only the greatest

o f master the keyboard then living, but also the L greatest composer for it , iszt and Chopin .

’ The effect o f L iszt s playing on Rubinstein

so was great that, as he himself tells us , he L could only cry as he listened . iszt attended his L ’ concert , and just as in iszt s own prodigy days L he had been embraced by Beethoven , so iszt embraced Rubinstein , publicly proclaiming him his successor and colleague .

Fo r Chopin , Rubinstein played at the Polish

’ composer s residence , the latter in turn playing

’ o n z to him some o f his (Chopin s) w ma urkas .

I 4 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

o n powers as a performer the pianoforte , and excited the astonishment not only of those who are easily and willingly surprised by youthful

o f genius , but of professors who judge a per — fo r m a nc e by its o w n ability . This lad who is

fo r small his age and very slenderly made , though his head is o f large dimensions executes wi th his little hands the very same music in which Thalberg excels , and to perform it which , has been jocosely said , this celebrated artist has been furnished with ﬁve ﬁngers and two thumbs to each hand , put in motion by

We steam power . have heard Rubinstein play

u n some of these pieces , and can answer for the impeachable correctness of his performance ; and , what is still more remarkable , for the force by t which , through some unparalleled gif of nature , he is enabled to exert a degree o f muscular strength which his general conformation , and especially that of his arms and hands , would have induced us to suppose he could not possibly possess . To gratify those whose taste leads them to prefer fashionable music , he plays the fantasias

o f L . iszt , Thalberg , H erz , etc ; but when exhibit ing before real connoisseurs he chooses for his purpose the elaborate compositions of the o l d F I RS T CON CE R T To UR 1 5

German school the learned and difﬁcult — fugues o f Sebastian Bach and H andel all which he executes with an ease as well as a precision which very few masters are able to attain ; and , to add to the wonder , he plays everything from memory , this faculty being apparently as fully developed in him as it is no w and then , though rarely , in adults who have perfected it by long practice . “ We recommend this prodigy— for such he — is not only to the amateur of music , but to

o r physiologists psychologists , who by their inquiries may perhaps enlarge their knowledge o f the human mind and throw some light o n that obscure but interesting and t o o often melancholy subject , premature genius , combined as it is in ” this instance with partial premature strength . A . r to n The writer of the above , M r y , was a sound musician , scholar, and independent critic ,

’ as Ella tells us and elsewhere in Ayr t o n s diary he mentions that Rubinstein may be considered a real prodigy . ’ w a s Withal , however, Rubinstein s success

so not wonderful as might have been expected . L ondon was then wrapped up in its idol

o ne Mendelssohn , and , apart from him , may 16 A NTON R UB I NS TEI N

“ fo r presume , had little time musical wonders but at the same time Rubinstein had immense

- o f success in drawing rooms , notably in that

o f M r. Alsager, a great patron the ﬁne arts

f T e and o ne o f the proprietors o the im s . Rubinstein and his master then continued t heir tour, which included N orway and Sweden , D enmark , Germany, Austria, and France , in all places meeting with success more o r less enthusiastic ; Schumann in his M nsié Ze itu ng “ ’ o f Ona i ne writing , a Study for Pianoforte , Op . h 1 . a s , by Ant Rubinstein , the talented boy who already acquired a high reputation as a piano - ” forte player. At the time o f his tour Rubinstein w a s

o f his a s twelve years age , not in twelfth year, is sometimes erroneously stated . All music dictionaries and biographical

’ notices give Rubinstein s birth erroneously, and this is more o r less the fault o f the master

fo r himself, who years past has been keeping his birthdays o n the 30 th ( 1 8 th) o f November

o f o n 2 8 th l 6 th r e instead the ( ) , as the g ist e r in the village o f We c hw o tine z ha s it , and giving invariably, till some few months

his ago , when he himself ﬁrst discovered error , F I RS T CONCE R T T OUR 17 the year 1 8 30 instead o f the year 1 8 2 9 as that o f his birth . Another mistake made in all dictionaries is

o f that calling him Anton Gregor Rubinstein , instead o f simply Anton Rubinstein . This arises from the Russian custom o f giving the — children the name o f their fathers in this

G r e o r ie w itc h fashion Anton g , which means nothing more than that Anton is the s o n o f

Gregor, even when Rubinstein signs himself

G . Rubinstein . C H A P T E R I I I — L IFE I N B ERL IN SETTL EM ENT I N RU SS IA

I N 1 8 43 Madame Rubinstein , full of energy, and convinced no t only o f the talents o f her eldest s o n o f o f so n but also those her second N icolai , who by the way was an artist marred by the

o f se t overshadowing greatness his brother, out with both children t o B erlin to consult M eyer beer o n the course she should take in their education . Meyerbeer gave the best advice

o r o ne n o n he any else could give, and acti g it Madame Rubinstein remained in Berlin , where the t w o marvellous boys became the pupils o f the learned contrapuntist Professor D ehn . D With ehn they made rapid progress ,

N icolai especially , when news reached Madame Rubinstein in 1 8 46 of the illness o f her husband ; and taking her so n N icolai she — LI F E I N B ERL I N S E T TL E I II E N T I N R USSI A 19

0 travelled with all possible speed to Moscow, only to ﬁnd her husband dead . A new era began from this in the life o f

’ fo r Anton , when his father s estate came to be ﬁnally arranged it was discovered that little

so had been left for the family, that Anton ,

c o m alone in Berlin , suddenly found himself p l e te ly thrown o n his o w n resources at sixteen

o f years age . V H e left Berlin for ienna, and remained

1 8 there giving lessons till 47, when he went on a tour in Hungary with the flautist H eindl .

r After that matters became worse . H e e turned to Berlin with high hopes and a vast ambition , only, however, to be stopped at all points by an empty purse . This certainly was another side o f the picture fo r the high spirited lad who as a juvenile wonder had been petted and made much of in every town in Europe . At last there came a time when things seemed

o n desperate . Fortune smiled him less in Berlin

V n fo r than even in ie na, the country was passing

o f 1 8 8 through the struggles 4 , during which , in

o f the political excitement the time , it had no attention to give to art ; and at length he de A NT ON R UB I NS TE I N cided o n going to H amburg and taking passage to America to try his fortunes there .

- -b e - To the ever to regretted loss of America, however, his friends dissuaded him from this step , although he had reached H amburg ; and , listening to them , he gave up the plan , turned

o n o f his back Germany , and in the autumn

1 8 8 4 reached St . Petersburg . At the Russian frontier he met with an accident, enormously exaggerated in various biographical sketches of the great pianist , but still , although not dangerous to himself per s o na ll o f y, a nature that was serious and dis agreeable enough to cause the young artist some trouble .

Rubinstein , like most young musicians , was weighted with a formidable trunk full o f com positions , and this abnormal trunkful roused the

o f suspicions the secret police at the frontier, and all was conﬁscated ; not without reason ,

o ne o f perhaps , for the means the N ihilists had for importing seditious matter into Russia was under cover of music manuscripts . This latter incident has given rise to numer “ ous thrilling tales . Rubinstein was thrown “ into prison . H e remained there some

2 2 A NTON R UB I NS TEI N assisted at the concert o f the renowned V ieux e o f t mps , which took place in the hall the Peter

’ and Paul s school , the two artists playing a

o f sonata Bach for violin and piano . Ther e is extant a rather amusing record o f

D a m c k e this by a critic named , who has a good hit at both artists , and that too not without justice .

D a m c k e o f was a sturdy critic , a little fond

o w n seeing his mighty sayings , but withal a valuable man in St . Petersburg at the time , and o ne who did good service in the way o f forming and raising the public taste . O n this occasion Rubinstein and V ieux temps were down o n the programme to play a sonata o f Bach for piano and violin ; but knowing perhaps the taste of the public , and

o f o ne wishing to please it , they played , instead

o f entire sonata, the most taking movement the E major sonata and the fugue from the A major sonata ; and against this piecemeal affair the critic with vehement zeal sternly protests . On the 1 9th D ecember o f the same year Rubinstein gave his ﬁrst musical mat inée in

St . Petersburg since his prodigy days , in the

e w sk Salle de Passage N y, with the assistance — LI F E I N B E RL I N SE T TL EM E NT I N R USSI A 2 3

o f Schubert the violoncellist , and Madame m Konning , a renowned singer fro H olland . At this matinée Rubinstein played his ﬁrst

no t n concerto , , however, the splendid E mi or

concerto now called the ﬁrst, but an earlier

o ne F in major, never printed , now lost, and

forgotten even by Rubinstein himself. That this concerto deserved a better fate we

o n ﬁnd by all the critiques written it , notably

o f D a m c k e that , who enthusiastically praises this ﬁrst concerto o f the young composer ; and D a m c k e as a critic was not u sually lavish b o f compliments . The concerto speedily e

came a favourite , and we ﬁnd Rubinstein “ ” u playing it again this beautif l concerto , as D a m c k e calls it in the February o f the

year 1 8 49 . All the Russian papers devote

o n o ne considerable Space to a critique it , paper strangely enough designating Rubinstein

as a foreigner . O n the 9 th M arch Rubinstein played in the

V ie u x t e m s o n I s t concert given by p , and the May we ﬁnd him one o f the four players o n the platform sitting down to play the Co ntr a st — o f M o sc he l e s L D a m c k e , evi , (the critic), and

F r a c k m a nn being the other players . 2 4 A NTOI V R URI NS TE I N

The concert season closing in M ay , Rubin e st in in July went to Moscow , and thence to - ‘ N ijni N ovgorod and other provincial towns , to give concerts , and met with great success .

D 1 8 8 1 8 1 8 0 uring the years 4 , 49 , and 5 the cholera was raging in St . Petersburg, but in spite o f the omino u s list o f deaths regularly

Pe te r sb u r e r s given in the daily bulletins , the g , “ o n o f the principle let us eat and drink , for - to morrow we die , acted as if there was

m a s u e d nothing to fear, and operas , concerts , q balls , and all kinds of amusements , were in full swing . H e nse l t was then in all the glory o f his

u o f his career, idolised and made m ch by

o f V charming aristocratic bevy pupils . ieux

o f temps , the prince violinists , as the papers designate him , was a resident also each season , and the I talian Opera was in all its per

fe c tio n .

1 8 0 T a m b e r l ic k T a m I n 5 Mario , Grisi , , and burini were singing , and all that feverish — — delight now inexplicable born o f the I talian

v Opera of the time , was in the air . E en Rubinstein himself wept with the best over

’ ’ o f G r isi s the melting strains Mario s and voices, — L I FE I N B E RL I N SE T TL EM E NT I N RUSSI A 2 5

no w as he acknowledges , although he looks back o n it all in bewilderment .

ha d D im it r H e then written his ﬁrst opera, y

D o nséo i , and at a great concert for the poor we ﬁnd the overture performed in this year . But what a musical feast was that at the end o f o n 1 D this year the 7th ecember , when , at the

o f S a l o m a n T a m b e r l ic k T a m concert Madame , ,

V ie u x t e m s burini , p , and Rubinstein all took

o f - part in that most magniﬁcent concert halls , the Salle de N oblesse % From this time forward Rubinstein ’ s position was ﬁrm in St . Petersburg , and he was recog - nise d o n all sides a s a young composer pianist

‘ o f b I I t o f not only abnormal , growing powers . This recognition may be said to have reached

1 8 2 its culminating point in 5 , when the critics with o ne consent seem to put forth their best efforts in trying which o f them will write the f most enthusiastically o the great artist . I n February o f 1 8 5 2 he gave a concert in

L D a m c k e the ichtenthal Salle , and his friend ,

o f d e si in a burst uncontrolled enthusiasm , g nates him as a veritable artist as well by nature as by education . On this occasion Rubinstein had given his 2 6 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

concert regardless of expense , for the love of

D a m c k e art , as says , and not like others for the love o f money . And when accounts came to be settled the young artist , although the

o ne house was a full , had to be contented with

s the honour . Thi , however, was enough for

ﬁ r st- him , for he had engaged a class orchestra to perform his grand symphony— the second of his composition — and that was all he wanted .

’ I n fact , Rubinstein s star was steadily rising to its meridian . H e had that great capacity for - taking pains which Goethe praises , and his time night and morning was devoted unceasingly

W e o f to his art . hear less , however , his

o f pianism than his works , perhaps because

Rubinstein himself, whether as player or con

’ o w n ductor, supported them and Rubinstein s genial nature is needed for his compositions ,

o f and is the soul them , although few under stand this .

1 8 2 D im itr This year too, 5 , his ﬁrst opera, y

D o nséo i , was performed for the ﬁrst time , and with great success , at the Grand Theatre and it is to this opera that Rubinstein owes o ne of the

o ne o f warmest friendships in his life , that of — L I FE I N B E RL I N SE T TL EM E NT I N R USSI A 2 7 the most learned and remarkable women o f her D e time, the Grand uchess H el ne . I t is characteristic o f her intelligence that she should at once have divined the true gold , the coming greatness o f his genius and in the summer o f 1 8 5 2 we ﬁnd Rubinstein domiciled

K a m e no i K a m e no i at her palace in Ostrow , or

I sland as it reads in E nglish . H o w happy the young composer was here

One o f can guess , for the palace the Grand D uchess was the resort of all that was learned , beautiful , and brilliant in human form in — Russia o r passing through it a sort o f royal hotel Rambouillet ; then add to this the beauty o f its surroundings, especially in Spring and summer . Those who have not been in Russia can

o f W have no idea the wild , fragrant , itching beauty o f the northern summer ; the white

o f poetic nights ; the greenness , the delicacy

K a m e no i bloom and foliage ; and this Island , situated in the N eva, sheltered by other islands — as lovely as itself, this island , with its beauti ful pinewoods and groves , the haunt of the

e its nightingale and thrush , its fr shness , — quietude , and loveliness , was then as now a 2 8 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

miniature Arcadia, a ﬁt home for a poet and — a dreamer a n artist with the hot blood o f youth coursing through his veins , and the long

fo r ing the mystic and beautiful in life , unspoiled by time , untouched by reason , along with the hope and belief in the future that made life an ecstasy deep in the recesses of his heart .

H ere Rubinstein , at the request of the D Grand uchess , commenced composing his

Tno m a s tne F o o l V e n e a nc e three operas, , g , and

S iée r ia n H u nte r the , all taken from Russian

D e n subjects , for the Grand uchess was an t hu sia stic o f . lover Russia , a believer in its resources and under the inﬂuences o f his royal friend , the hope and belief Moscow had ﬁrst planted in Rubinstein as a child again sprang up , and stronger than ever . I n 1 8 5 3 were published the two well-known melodies for pianoforte , one of them , the F beautiful melody in major, being dedicated H I H D e to . . . the Grand uchess H el ne ; and at a concert the same year given by himself he F played the major trio , the A minor sonata for piano and violin , and also that gem amongst - all his works , the well known sonata for piano and V ioloncello in F major that has been

30 A NTON RUB I N S TE H V

was preparing himself for his great concert tour, when he was to return to the scenes o f his

S w the childish triumphs , and ho to world at large what Anton Rubinstein , the child prodigy, had become . I f those who invariably croak over prodigies

o f would only remember this , what a world words they might wisely save themselves , for just a s all remember the prodigies who have

o u t so not turned geniuses , all seem to forget Tasso reciting and composing verses at seven years o ld ; Blaise Pascal at the age o f six dis covering unaided the thirty-second proposition of Euclid ; Mozart at the same age wri ting a pianoforte concerto ; and every musician o f note , almost without exception , a prodigy , whe

o r ther as executant composer, in most cases both , as Beethoven , Bach , H andel , Chopin , L M endelssohn , and iszt . C H A P T E R I V

GREAT CONCERT T OU R

I N 1 8 1 2 th 5 4, on the March , Rubinstein gave a concert in St . Petersburg previous to making his second European tour (the ﬁrst having been made in his twelfth year) , and at this concert the F major symphony was performed as well as the concerto in G major, No . 3 . H e had then reached the summit o f all possible ambition as pianist and composer , and all St . Petersburg enthusiastically acknowledged

o f this . H e was one of the ﬁrst artists the day ,

o ne if not the ﬁrst , and must remember that in those years L iszt was no infrequent visitor in

St . Petersburg ; besides this, Rubinstein was also spoken of as one of the ﬁrst of living

so . composers , and recognised

o n Rubinstein started his tour in high spirits , and everywhere met with enthusiastic success ; 3 2 A NTON RUB I NS TE I N

o ne in fact , his tour was triumphal march

: through Europe he came only to conquer . I n Rotterdam he and L iszt had a curious experience . Both artists were engaged for the music festival there , and , living together in the o ne hotel , they were in the habit of driving

o u t . together On one occasion , having some

o f business at one the shops near the quay , they drove there but , the business ended, they returned to their carriage , only to ﬁnd it had ff gone o and was nowhere to be seen . There was nothing , therefore , to be done except walk home , and this they started to do . L At that time both were young men . iszt ,

d a nd iﬁ e d tall , stately, , although disordered in attire , wearing light kid gloves , and with long golden hair thrown back on his shoulders ;

B e e tho Rubinstein , with his lion head and y o f enish cast features , was no less striking in

o f appearance . The appearance both , how ever, awoke the sense of the strange , and to the vulgar mind , therefore , the ludicrous , in the — - minds o f the ﬁ she r w o m e n brawny red armed Amazons— loitering about the quays with their

o f creels ﬁsh , and they gathered in a consider able number about the two artists . GRE A T CON CE R T TO UR 33

L iszt , aristocratic to his ﬁnger tips , was in despair, and as the women , gathering closer about him , observed this they became more and more hilarious and rude, till ﬁnally the two unhappy artists had to come to a dead stop , the women forming a ring and dancing around them , plucking them by the sleeves and coat tails and laughing uproariously .

At length matters became insupportable , and

o ne o f Rubinstein , in his sudden passions , L broke through the ring , iszt following ; and taking to their heels the two artists ﬂed to their

o f hotel , followed by the derisive shouts their tormentors till they got safely under cover . On this concert tour R u binstein did not

o f visit E ngland , because the Crimean war,

fo r o f then going on , he was , like all Russians the day , forbidden E ngland ; and the sight of the British ﬂeet anchored in the Baltic , which he had seen through a telescope from Cron stadt , was enough of things English for him that year . L I n September he was in eipzig , where he

o ne o f ﬁrst met his music publishers , Bartholf

1 8 6 Senff, and in J anuary of the year 5 Senff took some o f his works . 3 4 A NTON R UB I I VS TE I N

o f Shott, however, Mayence , had already

so published many other works for him , that fortune in all senses was smiling o n the young - composer pianist . - During the season 1 8 5 5 5 6 P a r a dise L o st w a s given with great success at Weimar, and the same season sa w Rubinstein playing in V ienna .

no w The war being over, Rubinstein in 1 8 5 7 came to L ondon to electrify all with his

u . wonderf l touch , power, and artistic excellence é H e made his d but as a fully ﬂedged artist ,

o f no longer a child prodigy , at the concerts

’ ‘ a nd tha t J ohn Ella s Musical U nion , eminent “ conductor tells u s that never since the last

o f Philha r appearance Mendelssohn , at the

1 8 w a s so monic Concert , 47, much enthusiasm expressed by a musical audience as at the début o f Rubinstein in 1 8 5 7 at the Musical ” U nion . At the same time there were certain critics in London who wrote in disparagement ; but all their zeal was but spilt ink , for nothing could efface his splendid genius ; and the mediocre

o f talent they were farming , the cause their

o n a s L onslaught Rubinstein as well iszt also , GREA T CON CER T To UR 35 quietly but surely got sent to the level it merited , and taken down from the height it assumed . During his stay in London an amusing incident occurred with Rubinstein at Court . H is friend the Grand D uchess H elene had given him a letter o f introduction to Prince

o n Albert , and this coming to England Rubin stein forwarded through the Russian embassy . A short time after he received a note from Colonel Phipps appointing a day when Prince r Albert was to eceive him , and when the day arrived the colonel came to Rubinstein ’s hotel to fetch him . On arrival at the palace Rubinstein was

o n desired to wait by a certain door, and a given signal to enter . This was simple enough , and at the signal Rubinstein entered and found to his astonishment the entire royal family — a cousins , aunts , and uncles wearing full decor tions and orders , standing in a semicircle to receive him . What did it mean

Rubinstein advanced and bowed . The

Q ueen , Prince Albert , and entire family acknow ledged this by another bow then came a dead 36 A NTON R URI NSTEI N

silence , Rubinstein staring at the circle , not having the faintest idea what further move he — was expected to make the royal family , stiff and silent, staring back at him . I t was a nightmare and a disagreeable o ne for Rubinstein , till , recovering himself sufﬁciently to look about him , he espied a pianoforte not

o ff far , and going over to it he opened it , and sitting down commenced to play . I mmediately the semicircle broke up ; whispers and smiles followed , and at length Prince Albert came up and stood by the c o m

- L o n poser pianist whilst he played . ater Rubinstein learned that his letter having come through the Russian embassy, while several secret diplomatic missions connected with the

o n late war were going at the same time , he had been mistaken for a secret agent o f the Russian court coming to London in the d is f guise o a musician .

1 8 8 L I n 5 Rubinstein came again to ondon , the success and enthusiasm being greater than ever ; and o n this occasion he played at o ne

’ ’ D r of . Wylde s concerts Beethoven s G major concerto .

o f L Before either these ondon visits , at the

C H A P T E R V

ET ER B R FOU ND I NG OF T H E ST . P S U G

C ON SERV ATOR%

I N 1 8 6 2 the St . Petersburg Conservatory, ’ Rubinstein s work and idea, was founded ; and were it for nothing but this , the great pianist composer must have earned the heartfelt gratitude o f Russia and Russian musicians in doing fo r his native land what M endelssohn — had done for Germany in L eipzig a n inv a l u able service to posterity . I n 1 8 6 1 musical taste in Russia was at a - stand still ; the court and aristocracy were patronising I talian Opera , already in its decline

— o f the miserable decline hackneyed melodies , - maudlin sentiment , and worn out voices .

H e nse l t , like a miniature Chopin , was busy ing himself only with the aristocratic amateurs , f many of them the fairest ﬂowers o St . Peters S PE TE R B RG CO ER VA TOR % T. S U NS 39 burg sa l o ns ; and altogether the future was not promising , the middle classes being without

o r guide opportunity . There was no con s e r v a to r fe w y in all Russia , and the musical schools were ill managed and inadequate , and the Russians , just like the English people of the same time , were entirely dependent for their

o n teaching and their music foreign artists ,

o f having no resources their own . Rubinstein had all along seen the necessity for a conservatory and studied the chances of

its success , and on his consulting the Grand

D e Wie lho r sk i uchess H el ne and the Count , as n n well as some other frie ds, they entered willi gly and enthusiastically into his scheme ; and ﬁnally, when all preliminary business had been safely arranged and a grant from the Government

o n obtained , Rubinstein succeeded in founding,

o f the school the Russian Musical Society, the

present St . Petersburg Conservatory, now second - to none in Europe , thanks to the never ending

care and concern of the great pianist . H e needs no other monument to his philanthropy and

patriotism he can have no greater . I n founding the Conservatory; Rubinstein

took the directorship , gave large sums for its 40 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

maintenance , remained in St . Petersburg giving lessons to the pupils who had ﬂocked from all

o f — t o o parts Russia, and this when he was making fortunes by his yearly concert tours , — and in short spared himself no amount o f worry, toil , and trouble to produce the result Russia and Russian students are beneﬁting by - to day. D uring this directorship , and presumably

o f because it , Rubinstein was unable to be at D resden in the season of 1 8 6 3 to witness the

o f F e r a m o r s ﬁrst representation his , the

’ L a l l a Ro o k/i libretto taken from Moore s , which had a magniﬁcent reception . But although - the great pianist composer missed some o f the splendours and triumphs offered his genius - through his praiseworthy self sa c r iﬁ c e for the

o f Conservatory, he found some the more

o f ordinary joys man for, no longer the rolling

1 8 1 8 6 1 stone he was from 5 4 to , when he went t from town to town in triumph , shut ing himself all alone in Swiss chalets o r in German water

- — in ing places, where , although a bachelor, he

a n variably took entire house for himself, to “ save himself from the gaze o f the crowd and - the pianoforte playing of English ladies, as he PE TE R B RG C E R VA TOR % 1 S T. S U ONS 4

—h e . says , settled down quietly in St Petersburg , giving concerts and conducting them , looking after the Conservatory , going very much into

so in society, and ﬁnally , like many ordinary div id u a l s , falling in love and getting married to

V T sc he k u a n . o o ff a Russian lady , Mlle era . H is marriage took place on the 1 2 th J uly

1 8 6 5 amidst great rejoicing , and in the same year he began another great concert tour, being at L eipzig in September ; Madame Rubinstein o f course accompanying him . I n 1 8 6 7 we ﬁnd him playing his fourth con

D . D . 0 certo in minor, Op 7 , at resden The same year he was at Paris during the

Exhibition , and greatly astonished a pretty J apanese there by singing after her o ne o f her

n o w songs . I n 1 8 6 7 he gave up the direction o f the

Conservatory, having left all in order, and

o ne again commenced his concert tours , follow

1 8 0 ing the other in rapid succession . I n 7

To w e r o B a oe l the f , composed during the two preceding years , was given at Konigsberg ; and during the years immediately preceding his great concert tour in America he ‘ wrote that

o f D o n u ix o te most charming overtures Q , many 42 A NTON R UB I N s TE I N

. string quartettes , songs , the fantasia in C sharp

L e o no r e for piano and orchestra, and his splendid

o ne o f ballad for piano, the most superb pieces in piano literature . This year Rubinstein was in Germany giving

1 8 1 concerts , and in 7 in Austria for the same

o n 1 2 th purpose , being in I schl the J uly, - when the sixth anniversary o f his marriage day was kept by all his assembled friends with due rejoicing , and during this summer and the

n D e m o n followi g he was writing his opera ,

’ r m n ff s founded o n L e o to beautiful poetry .

1 8 2 o f I n 7 , during the early weeks Septem ber, he started for America, where he appeared

2 1 in 5 concerts , and composed variations to the % tune o f a nke e D o o dl e .

m a n o f Besides this he conducted y ‘ his sym phonies , playing all his own concertos for pianoforte . Rubinstein sa w all the sights and enjoyed

America immensely , taking exception , however, to the taste o f the people in ca lling his concerts “ ” “ ° a s shows . This he could not get used to if my concerts were menageries %” he used to cry indignantly when some o ne inquired after the Show . S E TE R B RG CO E R VA T OR % T. P S U NS 43

I n America Rubinstein had many strange

o ne o f his experiences . Amongst others , after concerts , when he had been playing various selections from Chopin and Schumann , an “ American , looking, as Rubinstein describes , as ” u if all America was in him , came p to the great pianist, and , patting him condescendingly o n : o u the shoulder, said patronisingly Waal , y

’ hev played well , M r . Rubinstein , but why don t yo u play something for the soul P “ %” Fo r the soul said Rubinstein nai vely ; m well , I have played for the soul , for y soul , not for yours . R O n another occasion , ubinstein was giving a concert in N ew Orleans at the theatre there , when the audience narrowly escaped a calamity , for there happened to be a window covered with a copper curtain , and from an opposite window the su n shining on this curtain created

f ne the appearance o ﬂames . Of course some o

o f chanced to see this and raised an alarm ﬁre,

creating an instant panic , which Rubinstein with great good sense managed to allay by simply sitting quietly before the pianoforte and waiting

o f i till the real cause the panic was d scovered .

’ Rubinstein s success in America was a w ildly 44 A NTON R UB I N s TE I N

enthusiastic one , and since this , his ﬁrst and only visit, the great pianist has been invited over yearly by various impresarios . These invitations Rubinstein would have long since

o f accepted , for his remembrances America are — “ some of the pleasantest o f his lif a charming ” o f people , highly artistic , and full energy is his description of those he met there—but for

se a the voyage , which is too much for his “ o n s e a nerves . To look the , that is delight ” o n ful but to be it, he says sometimes , with his ” expressive gestures , horrible .

1 8 Rubinstein returned in J une 73 , after his

2 1 5 performances , to Peterhof as fresh and full o f energy as if he had been sitting at his ease at home , and at once commenced writing

' M a c c oa e r a and the dramatic symphony No .

D . 4, minor

o n These ﬁnished , he started a tour in I taly

' 1 8 1 8 M a c c a éae r in the year 74, and in 75 his was given in April for the ﬁrst time in Berlin , and his dramatic symphony and D e m o n for — the ﬁrst time in St . Petersburg , enough cer t a inly to satisfy the heart of the most ambitious o f composers , three great works given for the

o ne ﬁrst time in year .

46 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

fo r o n the ﬁrst representation , the morning o f the day a N ihilist was hanged . And as the M erchant K a l a sc hnik o ff also suffers this fate in the play at the orders o f Ivan the

o ne Terrible , and the music and whole opera is

o f splendid and realistic piece tragedy, the two s event coming together created such a painful , even horrible , impression on the public , that the authorities stopped the play at once . I t was most unfortunate that these events should

K a l a sc fi n iéo have happened together, for fi as an opera is incomparable , the dramatic fire , the movement , and entire music being superb .

sa Strange to y, although all the other operas o f Rubinstein have been given outside Russia , s in Germany , England , Au tria , and America,

o ne o f o f this , the best them , and for foreign

o f lands one the most interesting , owing to its original Russian colouring , has not yet been given . C H A P T E R V I

N ERO

ON I st o f 1 8 the N ovember 79 , in H amburg , Rubinstein witnessed o ne o f the most brilliant o f the many great triumphs he has known dur ing his long and fruitful career, in the production

N r of his e o at the H amburg Opera H ouse .

The performance lasted four hours , a scene o f steadily increasing enthusiasm , till at the end the illustrious composer, laying down his

b o w baton , turned to to a house that had risen e n m a sse in a state of the wildest excitement to cheer him and bring him with the singers four teen times before the curtain , although the hour

. o ne o f was past midnight H ans von Bulow , the audience , was among the most enthusiastic and , after all was over and the singers absolutely refused to come on again , Rubinstein was

his escorted to hotel by his enthusiastic friends, 48 A NTON R UB I Ns TEI N and the brilliant event ended by an enjoyable supper, where the great composer had to listen to endless speeches as the enthusiasm and champagne ﬂew apace . M uch o f the success was due to the fact of

’ Rubinstein s conducting in person , for he pos sesses in an enormous degree the power o f infusing all his o w n ﬁre and enthusiasm into an orchestra ; in this, indeed , he is unequalled , and for this reason he is o ne o f the most beloved o f conductors by his orchestras ; for, as the

sa o f is members y, the pleasure playing only realised under his baton .

s a Strange to y, Rubinstein has never been

o f . conductor the opera in St Petersburg , a circumstance that is quite inexplicable to a — foreigner who visits Russia Rubinstein , whom German I ntendants would give anything to cage for a few months in some German town as opera

% N e r o director After had been performed , Rubinstein was again o n o ne o f his concert

su m tours , writing at Peterhof the following

1 8 8 0 his m — mer, , ﬁfth sy phony in G minor that known as the Russian symphony .

This symphony was given when still in M S .

o f at St . Petersburg in October the same year “ NE R O 49

’ under Rubinstein s own direction , and had a splendid success . From St . Petersburg he

D e m o n started for H amburg, where was given for t he ﬁrst time in Germany . After this Rubinstein was in Berlin and all over

Europe giving concerts , being in M adrid in

1 8 8 1 L February and in ondon in M ay, after giving concerts all over Scotland, England , and I reland with his usual reward of enthusiastic

o f success , some the scenes at his farewell con certs being beyond description . This season in London Rubinstein appeared — in three capacities as pianist , composer, and — conductor his D e m o n being given in Covent

o w n Garden under his direction , and after

To w e r o B a Oe l T r e b e lli wards his f , and Albani

i i i n D S ng ng e m o n .

’ D e m o n is founded o n o ne o f L e r m o nto ff s most beautiful poems , but the subject is not suited to an Opera, for the story of the devil coming o n earth and falling in love with a beautiful woman , however effective as a poem ,

o n is impossible to be represented the stage .

o f I t is unreal , and utterly wanting in that sense actuality without which a dramatic piece is and must always be a failure . 4 5 0 A N T OI V R UB I NSTE I N

When given at Covent Garden , even with all possible accessories, the Opera was not a success . N o o ne could feel interested in the devil , and no one could suppose a devil in love with Tamara, besides which the story ’ and L e r m o nto ff s poem were unknown to the majority . I n Russia, where the people are still

’ i L e r m o nt o ff na ve and superstitious and read , this opera is o ne o f the favourite ones o f

’ -o f - L Rubinstein s , but in matter fact ondon it fell ﬂat .

This year Rubinstein lost his brother N icolai , who was then director o f the Moscow C o nse r v a t o r o ne o f y, and the most distinguished musi c ia ns — a in Russia, pianist who would have become a renowned virtuoso but for the all absorbing attraction o f his more ta lented brother .

I t was a great loss to Rubinstein , the news o f which reached him in the beginning o f the year amidst all his triumphs at M adrid . I n Paris in the month of J une he gave two L concerts , after his ondon engagements were over, and then the great pianist , after a most

o n arduous spring, hurried to Peterhof to spend his summer in quietness there . “ NERO 5 1

As a rule , this was denied him at Peterhof, for, surrounded by his friends and admirers , he found himself compelled to be lionised ; and

no t had it been for the regular hours he led , composing invariably for a certain number at a t ime , all work would have been impossible to him as it is , it is quite impossible to imagine how he could ﬁnd time even to Copy all he has - — written , which he invariably does himself for, except at Peterhof fo r a few brief weeks in the - summer time , he was constantly ﬂitting from town to town giving concerts o r conducting his works .

At this time his family , two sons and an only daughter, were growing up . And strangely,

’ t o o o f , none them musicians , partly Rubinstein s o wn fo r fault perhaps , he himself discouraged them purposely .

so n The elder , J ames, was nearly ﬁfteen years old , having seriously commenced his studies ; Anna, some years younger, Rubin ’ stein s special favourite , was growing lovelier

o f every day, a perfect picture delicate beauty

so n w a s and the younger , Alexander , then a little fellow , still a baby .

Amidst all his many labours , the great ‘ 5 2 A NT ON R UB I NSTE I N

i pianist had hardly t me to be very domestic , b u t we can well imagine , after all his travels , how deligh tful it was for him to rest at Peter hof, and how eagerly his wife and children must have been looking forward to the time when the great pianist would be home again .

At Peterhof, Rubinstein kept open house , and o n the evenings when he and D avidoff the great violoncellist and Auer the eminent H un garian violinist made music , large as the villa is , it was always too small to hold the multitudes that sought admission ; and o u t o n the lawns that surround it, under the trees , on the steps — — o f the terraces everywhere were groups of people listening in dead silence to the sounds that ﬂoated out to them from the open windows - o f the music saloon . The winter of 1 8 8 1 s a w Rubinstein again o n

o f 1 8 8 2 a concert tour, and in J anuary his ﬁfth symphony was given under his own d ir e c tion at Leipzig with distinguished success .

5 4 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

V o r de n Co u l isse n dung , mich an dem Werke

z u b e the ili e n durch einen Beitrag g . So ergreife ich denn die gebotene Gelegenheit , die Frage

ﬂa c hti Pu nc te n wenn auch nur g , in einigen

z u I st schriftlich beantworten . doch der Titel

I hres Buches der Sache , die ich vorzubringen habe , durchaus entsprechend .

D a s ist Oratorium eine Kunstgattung , die mich seit jeher zum Protest stimmte ; die bekanntesten Meisterwerke dieser Gattung haben mich (nicht bei ihrem Studium s o n

‘ A u ffuhr u n e n dern beim H oren , in den g )

a o ft m isz e immer kalt gelassen , j geradezu g

Die stimmt . Steifheit der Formen , sowohl der musikalischen, wie insbesondere der poetischen , erschienen mir stets in v Ollig e m Widerspruch z D u der hohen ramatik der Stoffe . N un gar die g r o sz a r tig e n Gestalten des alten Oder neuen

Testaments von H erren in schwarzem Frack , mit weisser H alsbinde , gelben H andschuhen , D ein N otenheft vor dem Gesicht Oder, von amen

o ft in modernster , extravaganter Toilette, singen z u z u horen und sehen , das hat mich immer

‘ e s tOr t z u dermassen g , dass ich reinem Geniessen

U nw il lk ii r lic h n iemals gelangen konnte . erfasste GE I STLI CHE OPE R 5 5

fuhl te mich der Gedanke , ich , dass alles was ich

C o nc e r to r a t o r iu m als erlebt viel grossartiger, packender, richtiger und wahrer auf der Buhne

Co s tii m e n De c o r a tio ne n in und mit , mit der

m ii sse vollen Action darzustellen sein . Freilich

' m ti sse n z u diesem Zwecke die Texte die e r z ahl ende Form verlieren und in die dramatische umgearbeitet werden , eine Arbeit die mir als keine schwierige erscheint und den m u sik a l ischen Theil in keiner Weise b e e int r ac htig e n

w ii r d e .

“ D e m E inwand dass biblische Stoffe ihrer

’ i b H eiligkeit wegen n cht auf die Buhne ge oren ,

w ii r d e kann ich nicht beistimmen . E s dem

‘ ’ Theater damit ein testimonium p a u p e r ta tis

e e nii b e r a u s e ausgestellt , ihm g g M issachtung g s r o c he n a p , w hrend es doch gerade den hochsten

Cu l u r z w k n t e c e dienen und entsprechen soll . I n B ild e rg a ll e r ie n beispielsweise ist es meines

Wissens die Sixtinische M adonna allein , die in einem nur ftir s ie bestimmten Raume ausgestellt

’ ist ; die anderen H eiligenbilder der g r Osste n M eister hangen hau ﬁ g neben T e nie r ssc he n

a n Schenkstuben , ohne dass die einen Oder

e inb ii sse n deren an Wirkung . D ass das B e d ti r fniss heilige Stoffe auf der 5 6 A NTON R UB I Ns TE I N

z u V Buhne sehen , beim olke seit jeher ein M reges war, beweisen unter Anderen die y s te r ie ns ie l e p des Mittelalters , der grosse Ein

Ob e r a m druck , den noch heute ein J eder von m e r a u g ungeachtet der mehrmals naiven Musik ,

z u die den Passionsspielen geboten wird , sicher

m ac ht i mitnimmt . Wie g musste erst der Ein

’ -A u ffuhr u n e n druck von Buhnen g , Bach scher , ’ ’ H a nd e l s c he r M e nd e l sso hn s c he r , und anderer

Werke sein . I ch erinnere , um ein wenn auch

a nnahe r nd e s z u nur Beispiel geben , an die schone feierliche Stimmung in die man bei

T r a ns a r e ntb il d e r n z u den p versetzt wird , die einer gewissen Zeit des J ahres in der Ber liner Akademie der KUnste mit Ab s ing u ng von a Capella Choren des D omchors gestellt werden . “ D a jedoch die Anschauung class es eine a Entweihung dieser Stoffe w re , wenn sie auf

w ii r d e n die Buhne gebracht , noch eine so all

e gemeine ist , dass ihr immerhin Rechnung g

s o tragen werden muss , habe ich die Schaffung

’ einer eigenen Kunstgattung in s Aug e gefasst,

‘ ' die in einem eigens fI I r diese Gattung z u

f nd D erbauenden Theater ihre Statte a e . iese Kunstgattung ware im Gegensatz zur weltlichen GE I S TL I CH E OPE R 5 7

‘ ’ z u die Geistliche Oper nennen , das Theater Geistliches Theater in Gegensatz zum weltlichen

K a nstl e r Cho r e r so na l Theater, mit einem und p

ftir e c ie ll e n eigens die Sp Zwecke herangebildet , mit besonderen V e r ha l tu ng sr e g e l n flir das — ‘ Publicum e s sollte gleichsam eine Kirche

’ der Kunst entstehen .

Es hiesse diese Idee ganz falsch auffassen , wollte man darin ein meinerseits g e w ahl te s V V M ittel zur erbreitung , ertretung, Forderung kirchlicher Interessen Z iele Oder Z wecke — ersehen ftir mich gilt nur einzig und allein die

Kunstfrage , die wir in diesem Falle als eine

B e w ir kl ic hu n w ﬂ r d i e hohe , schone und der g g

v o n erscheint, frei anderen I nteressen und

Fragen irgend welcher Art . Wohl habe ich die Schwierigkeiten die ein solches Problem

e in e se hn u ntib e r w indlic h bietet , g , jedoch als

s ie sind mir nie erschienen .

1 . D ie z u So beschaffenden Geldmittel , welche die Sache erfordert sind kaum in

z u Frage stellen , da Angesichts der absoluten N euheit des U nternehmens grosse Einnahmen

i h r k e i d il r f n mit S c e t erwartet werden e . “ 2 Kil nstl r fr a . Bietet auch die e g e keine n bedenklichen Schwierigkeiten . An Soliste die 5 8 A NTON R UB I NSTE I N sich ausschliesslich diesem Genre zuzuwenden a h tten , fehlt es nicht ; denn einer grossen Zahl — bisheriger C o nc e r tsang e r und S ang e r inne n e s

ie b t u nb e sc hafti te g deren viele und viele g , wenn — ‘ ’ auch tii c htig e ware das geistliche Theater

w ij r d e n eine Rettung . Ebenso sich nicht wenige s e c ie ll z u p diesem Genre heranbilden , als ihrer

r h nd I nd iv id u a l itat e nstp e c e . “ S c e nis c he 3 . Schwierigkeiten kommen bei

Rie se nfo r tsc hr itt e n den , welche Maschinerien und decorative Theile gemacht und tagl ic h machen , kaum mehr in Betracht . Allerdings m ii sse n D e Architekt , M aschinenmeister und c o r a te u r das Theater diesem sp e c ie lle n Genre

Wie z u anpassend einrichten . das machen sei , L kann ich als aie hier nicht entwickeln , doch schwebt mir eine wesentliche A e nd e r u ng des

‘ T he a te r e b au d e s Zu g , des Orchester wie des

m s a l s sc ha u e r r a u e notwendig vor. Bei der

b e r ti c k sic hti t Buhne selbst musste g werden , dass

D r e ithe il i k e it viele Stoffe die g der S cene ,

H immel , H olle und Erde , erfordern . “ D ie fa r 4 . Schwierigkeiten den Chor, poly

z u phone Satze (wie z . B . Fugen) auswendig singen , sind an sich nicht gering . Aber der Chor b e w al tig t heutzutage in tinse r e n modernen GE I STL I CH E OPE R 59

Opern Schwierigkeiten musikalischer Art , die nicht viel weniger bedeutend sind (die E rmo g l ic hu ng fordern w iir d e auch ein hOhe r e r

G a e ne ta t g als an den weltlichen Theatern) .

c a z u Au h kann j bei der heutigen , entschieden empfehlenden , Anwendung von Statisten das Ag ir e n der singenden Massen auf ein M inimum r e d u c ir t und dadurch eine grosse Schwierig

‘ k e it I m -T a c t e sin e n a d e s A ir e ns , das g w hrend g , gehoben werden . M it der Er m o gl ic hu ng dieser vier H aupt p u nc te erscheint mir die Sache selbst technisch l b nsf hi e e a g . So schwebt mir denn ein Theater v o r , in welchem man in chronologischer Ord

’ r a na nte ste n nung , die p g M omente der beiden

Ku nst fo r d e r u n e n Testamente , allen hochsten g

a u ffiihr Die t . entsprechend , Begebenheiten wie die Pe r so nl ic hk e ite n der beiden sind j a

so von grossartiger schoner und poetischer Art, dass eine V eranschaulichung derselben durch Darstellung auf der Buhne mit B e ihiilfe aller

KUnste D d e s nicht ermangeln wird , den ank

Pu b lic u m s V z u ( olkes) gewinnen , den Skeptiker z u inte r e ssir e n a , j sogar den Orthodoxen , der

ﬁ b e r ha u t ﬂie t das Theater p g , weil er es als

‘ ’ d e e r ditio n z u f . einen lieu fp ansicht, entwaf nen 60 A N TOI V R UB I NS TE I N

Wenn die bildliche I llustration der heiligen

e s Schrift keine E ntweihung ist , warum sollte die dramatische sein Wenn nun ein derartiges U nternehmen in ’s — L eben treten w ii r d e selbst nur fur die Meister werke unserer Cl a ss ik e r (in der oben ange — deuteten U marbeitung) e s ware damit schon gewiss ein g e niig e nd reiches M aterial fur lange D ii Z eit vorhanden . och aber scheint es mir w n s c he nsw e r th Co m o nis , dass unsere jetzigen p ten sich auch mit dieser Kunstgattung b e sc haf t ig te n und das M aterial ferner bereicherten .

m ii sse n ind e ss S ie sich klar bewusst werden , dass es nicht allein der Stoff ist , der ihr Werk

‘ ’ zur Geistlichen Oper stempelt , , sondern dass es wesentlich der musikalische Styl sein muss

M u sik stij c k e (wie z . B . breitere Formen der ,

e r ha b e nd e r e D mehr Polyphonie , eclamation als

a in der weltlichen Oper) , j selbst der S toff musste nach anderen Gesetzen als den fa r die weltlichen Opern geltenden behandelt werden es erfordert nicht unbedingt ﬁ b e r r e ic he H and t lung , es kann und muss mehr Gewicht geleg werden auf den Ausdruck der Stimmungen

‘ ' fLI r ein Bild , ein dramatischer M oment darf oft

e nti e n D ie r Osse r e einen ganzen Act g g . g Aus

6 2 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

D a s Repertoire der geistlichen Theater wird nur den Stoffen nach ein begrenztes den M usikalischen Co m p o sitio ne n nach aber u n im begrenztes sein , da hier nicht , wie weltlichen

-M u sik se tz e n Theater, das I n eines schon ein mal (namentlich wenn mit Erfolg) c o m p o nir te n

I m G e e nthe il Stoffes ausgeschlossen ist . g den selben Stoff k Onne n verschiedene Co m p o niste n immer w ieder bearbeiten und a u ffij hr e n ohne

’ ftI r c ht e n z u mussen , vom Publicum des schon einmal c o m p o nir te n Stoffes halber abgewiesen z u h i u werden . N icht die N e e t des Stoffes hat

z u inte r e ssir e n hier , sondern die Behandlung desselben , und der ihm verliehene musikalische

so d a s Ausdruck . U nd erschien mir Bestehen eines geistlichen Theaters neben einem welt

in c u l tiv ir te n lichen der ganzen Welt, in jeder

' g r Osse r e n the a t e r fahig e n Stadt nicht nur ein

M O l ic he s o thw e nd i e s g , sondern sogar ein N g sind doch Oratorien ﬁ b e r a l l an der T a g e so r d

V e r ﬂa nz u n v o m nung, es bedarf eben der p g C o nc e r t sa a l auf die B uhne ; es muss nicht

e r z ahl t . mehr , sondern dargestellt werden M it dieser I dee trage ich mich seit langer

u n z a nz i denn fUnf d w g Jahren . I ch habe Manches zur V erwirklichung derselben versucht und in T GEI S LI CH E OPER ; 6 3 ihrem I nteresse mit vielen hervorragenden und inﬂu ssr ic h n Pe r sOnlic hk e ite n e e e gesprochen . I ch war— unter manchen anderen Planen

' a auch der Meinung , dass der regierende F rst eines kleines deutschen Landes die I dee e r

ﬁ nd e t o ft greifen solle , sich doch gerade da

K Uns lic he Pﬂ ausgesprochene t und e g e . Aber

Gr o sshe r z o der g von Weimar meinte, dass er

A u sftihr u n sich die g eines solchen Planes , wenn ub e rh a u t a m O l ic h p , nur in ganz grossen St dten g a d chte . E in anderes M al dachte ich an Berlin , als an ein Centrum der Civilization und des

’ K unstlebens D e r damalige M inister von ’ — M uhl e r a n ihn hatte ich mich gewandt weil dem Cu l tu sm inis te r nun doch einmal alles

‘ ’ z u nac hst — Geistliche angeht sagte mir, dass

' ' I li fLI r er meine dee nur f r das alte , nicht aber

' das neue Testament gelten lassen konne , auch m tisse sich die Pr iv a tu nte r ne hm u ng der Sache b e m ac hti e n g , der Staat konne sich nicht damit befassen . Weiter meinte ich in England einem

ti nsti e n z u ﬁ nd e n g g Boden fur meine H offnung , da dort mehr als selbst in Deutschland das

ﬂe t D e r D o f Oratorium g e p g wird . ean West ’ minster, Stanley sagte mir er konne sich

' dieser I dee nur in v o l k sthti m l ic he r W e ise v e r 6 4 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

' ' w ir kl ic ht denken ; er w LI r d e sie auf dem M arkte — in der Bretterbude am Platz ﬁ nd e n l Eine Zeitlang versuchte ich um wenigstens einen

z u ﬁ nd e n v o r l a uﬁ Anfang , meinen Plan g nur

z u auf alttestamentarischem Boden stellen , das neue Testament noch auszuschliessen , und wandte mich so an die Spitzen der J ud isc he n D Gemeinde in Paris . iese wollten meine Plane

ﬁ na nz ie ll u nt e r stii tz e n gern , schreckten aber v o r der dann fa r das Publicum als von ihnen

z r ij k ausgehenden moralischen I nitiative u c .

‘ a J , sogar an Amerika dachte ich , an die kuhnen unternehmungslustigen transatlantischen I m p r e sa r ie n Rie se ns e c u l a , die aus meinen I deen eine p — ' tion machten sollten fast ware die Sache dort

K a nstl e r n gelungen , aber der Mangel an bewirkte dass der schon weit gediehene Plan wieder fallen gelassen werden musste . Selbst - eine K u nstl e r Association hielt ich dieses Unter

w ii r d e % nehmen selber leiten , geistig materiel

d a fii r und administrativ arbeiten sollte, aber die grosse Schwierigkeit eine g r Osse r e Anzahl von K il nstl e r n fur eine neue I dee in d e r musik a l isc he n z u Kunst gewinnen , hat mich auch von

V z u r ii c k e sc hr e c k t diesem orhaben g . So habe ich denn selbst mein Gedanken an GE I STL I CH E OPE R 6 5

V e r l o r e ne s P a r a die s die Buhne entstandenes ,

a l s s ate r zuerst Oratorium erscheinen lassen , p

v o n aber, der nie ganz aufgegebener I dee

e and e r t wieder angetrieben , das Werk g ihm doch die dramatische Form gegeben und es ’ e r in s geistliche Oper genannt . Ebenso g g mir

Tnu r m Oa u mit dem . U nd da ich die H offnung auch heute nicht aufgebe cl ass mein Plan fr iihe r Oder sp ate r einmal wird aufgenommen werden so schreibe ich meinen K a in u nd

A Oe l M o se s D a s Eo ne L ie d Cnr istu s , , und in — dieser Weise o b der Tag der sc e nisc he n D arstellung kommen moge Oder nicht—gleich ” A NT B N T E N S . viel % . RU I I

Tr n l a tio n a s .

V ER% H ONOU RED S I R — I , have been asked several times and by different people what I meant and understood by the title “ Sacred ” Opera , which I gave to my comp ositions

P a r a dise L o st and Tﬁ e To w e r of B a Oe l . I h have often answered t is question verbally , but also wished , having been often asked to do so , to treat the subject in writing ; but before I had decided what form I should give to my thoughts , whether I should exp ress them in a 66 A NTON R UB I NSTE I N

o r pamphlet, a book , a newspaper article , your honoured letter came inviting me to contri

to V r de n C u l i n bute something your work o o sse . I willingly seize the Opportunity to answer the

— —in question although but lightly some points , the title o f your book being so ﬁtting fo r what f I have to of er.

The Oratorio is an art form which I have w al ays been disposed to protest against . The best known masterpieces o f this form have

o f (not during the study the m , but when hearing them performed) always left me cold ; indeed ,

o f often positively pained me . The stiffness

o f the musical , and still more the poetical , form always seems to me absolutely incongruous with the high dramatic feeling o f the subject T o se e and hear gentlemen in dress coats , white - cravats , yellow gloves , holding music books

o r e x tr a v a before them , ladies in modern , often

o f gant , toilets singing the parts the grand imposing ﬁgures o f the Old and N ew Testa ments has always disturbed me to such a degree that I could never attain to pure enjoyment . I n voluntarily I felt and thought how much grander , more impressive , vivid , and true would be all I GEI STLI CH E OPE R 6 7

- had experienced in the concert room if r e p r e

o n sented the stage with costumes , decorations ,

o f and full action . For this end , course , the texts would have to exchange their present — narrative form fo r a dramatic o ne a work which

t o does not seem me difﬁcult , and which would

in no case injure the music . I cannot agree with the tenet that biblical subjects are inappropriate to the stage because

of their sacredness . I t would surely be a te stim o niu m p a up e r ta tis and a slight to the

theatre , which instead should serve the highest

o f . purposes culture I n picture galleries , to

take a parallel case , the Sixtine M adonna is the only work I know o f which has a room all to itself ; other sacred pictures o f the greatest - masters often hang near Tap rooms o f f Teniers , and this does not spoil the ef ect of

r either the o ne o the other . The popular demand for the exhibition o f sacred subjects o n the stage is Shown from the

r - o f Myste y plays the M iddle Ages , and we know the great impression which at the p resent

is o n A m m e r a u no twi h day made all at Ober g , t

’ ‘ ’ standing the often nai ve music ; hOw great an

o f impression , then , should the works Bach , 6 8 A NT ON R UB I NS TE I N

Handel , Mendelssohn , and others make when dramatically rendered % To take a somewhat analogous case , what a ﬁne solemnising effect is produced o n o ne by the transparencies a c companied by the singing o f the a c af e l l a o f the Cathedral Choir, periodically exhibited in the Berlin Academy of Arts . The opinion that representation o f sacred subjects o n the stage would be a profanation o f them being o ne s o general that it cannot be

o u t o f o f put view , I have thought a particular species o f art which would ﬁnd place in a special theatre to be built for this purpose . This

o f c o ntr a distinc species art should be named , in “ ” t o its tion the secular, the sacred opera , theatre the sacred theatre , with specially trained artists and chorus , and special rules and regula “ tions for the public . I t should , in fact, be a f church o art . I t would be a total misapprehension of this idea if any o ne were to se e in it an expedient chosen

' by me fo r the propagation o r a d v a nc e m e nt o f

Fo r Church interests and aims . me the question

o ne o ne is solely an art , and which appears to

o f me beautiful , noble, and worthy realisation ,

o r apart from all other interests questions .

70 A NTON R UB I NSTEI N

v in the orchestra and the auditorium . E en in building the stage it would have to be remem bered that many subjects require the threefold f — o . division the scene H eaven , H ell , and Earth f 4 . The di ﬁculties for the chorus , the poly

ho no u s a s p singing ( in fugues) by heart, are by no means insigniﬁcant ; but the choruses nowadays overcome in our modern operas m u s ical difﬁculties which are hardly less serious (and

o f then , course, the salary would be greater the greater the difﬁculty) . A serious difﬁculty , that o f singing in time with each other during the act ing , can be obviated by resort to the modern and highly desirable expedient o f employing super nu m e r a r ie s as far as possible , and reducing to a

o f minimum the action those who are to sing. These four principal difﬁculties being got over, the thing itself seems to me technically practicable . I ﬁgure to myself a theatre in which the most important occurrences o f both Testaments would be represented in chrono

in logical order, a manner answering to the highest claims o f art . The events as well as

o f so so the personalities both are imposing,

and so beautiful , poetical that a visible pre se nta tio n o f them on the stage with the help o f GEI S TLI CH E OPE R 7 1

all the arts could not fail to win the gratitude \ B f the public, to interest the sceptic , and to disarm even that special class o f persons who avoid the theatre because in their eyes it is a l ie u

de e r iti o f p d o n . I f the illustration H oly Scrip

o f ture by means painting is no profanation , why then should the dramatic method be so I f now such an enterprise were to be real — ised were it only for the masterpieces o f o u r classic authors (after the manner I have already — mentioned) w e should surely have rich material enough fo r a long time to hand ; still I think it - desirable that o u r composers o f t o day should

o f occupy themselves with this species art, and

further enrich its material . But they would

have to understand , and clearly too, that it is no t the subject alone which marks their work “ ” so as being sacred opera , but that it must be

u constit ted , essentially , by its musical style (as,

fo r instance , broader forms , more polyphony , a declamation more elevated and solemn than in

secular opera) . The material itself also would have to be treated o n other principles ; it does not require great dramatic gesture more weight should and must be laid o n the expression o f dispositions o ne tableau and o ne dramatic mo 72 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

f ment may often su ﬁce for a whole act . The

o f greater prolongation prayers , lamentations , a thanksgivings, and rejoicings , which in secul r opera would be a fault, is here a necessity ; the ordinary dramatic laws no longer hold good . The aim and purpose would be to produce a f o . frame mind , a spiritual frame Of existing operas based o n biblical materials the j o sep ﬁ o f Mehul is perhaps the only o ne which is adapted for sacred opera ; in all the others the musical expression is too worldly, and the treatment o f materials too much in

o f a s accordance with the rules secular opera, ,

o f for instance , by the addition love scenes , which are not indicated in Scripture These indeed must not be considered as excluded ; only they must not be invented , but must be such a s — already exist in the texts for instance , J udith D and H olofernes , Samson and elilah , Canticles ,

so a s and many others ; even ballets, far they are indicated by the narrative , are admissible o f - course not with the modern ballet rhythms , such as waltz , polka , and other forms , but with true oriental colouring . The repertoire of the sacred drama would

a s be limited in subjects , but, regards rendering GEI STL I CH E OPE R 73

o f ha s these , unlimited ; because a subject been

o ne used by composer and given with success , another need not be precluded from using the

a s same subject, in the secular drama . On f the contrary, dif erent composers can always work o n the same subject without any fear that the public may reject it because the subject has

e fo r is no t o f b en already used , it the novelty the subject that has to interest here , but the treat

o f ment it and the musical expression it receives . And so the existence o f a sacred drama in conjunction with the secular throughout the whole cultivated world , in every town which is

no t able to have a theatre , seems to me only possible but necessary . Are not oratorios everywhere the order o f the day % Oratorio wants but a transplantation from the concert hall to the stage . I t should no longer be related ; it should be represented . I have had this idea fo r more than twenty ﬁve years ; I have put forth many efforts fo r it s

its realisation , and have spoken in behalf with many prominent and inﬂuential persons . I once thought , amongst other plans , that the reigning prince o f some little German State m ight seize

fo r o ne the idea , ﬁnds in such places very 74 A NT ON R UB I NSTE I N oft en a practical love and care for art but the Grand Duke o f Weimar thought the execution

so of such a plan , if possible at all , would be only

o f in large towns . At another time I thought f Berlin as being a centre o civilisation and art .

o f I was informed by the then minister worship ,

V o n M uhl e r —fo r , all that concerns sacred affairs must be sent in the ﬁrst instance to the minister o f — cultus , that he could let my idea pass only fo r no t fo r the Old Testament , the N ew , but that the State could not take it up .

N ext , I thought I might ﬁnd a more

a s favourable soil for my hopes in England , there oratorio is cultivated more than even in

D o f Germany ; but ean Stanley , Westminster, told me he could only believe this feasible in a popular way—that to his thinking its proper place was at the markets and fairs .

For some time I tried , in order to make at least a beginning , to apply my plan , at ﬁrst only to the Old Testament , excluding the New, and I turned to the heads o f the J ewish community r in Paris . They were glad to suppo t my plan

su ﬁnancially, but did not wish the public to p pose that the initiative had come from them .

%e s o f , I even thought America, of the bold GEI S TLI CH E OPE R 75 and enterprising Transatlantic impresarios who would be able to make such a magniﬁcent

o u t o f speculation my ideas , and in fact the

o f thing had almost succeeded , until the dearth artists caused the already well-developed plan

o f to fall to the ground . I even thought an artist association to conduct this enterprise, working for it intellectually, materially, and administratively ; but the difﬁculty o f gai n i ng over any considerable number o f artists fo r a new musical idea frightened me from this design .

P a r a So, thinking of the stage , I wrote my dise L o st - , then remodelled it for the concert hall as an oratorio , and ﬁnally, instigated by the idea which I have never given up , I gave it the dram

o f w a s atic form sacred opera . The same thing done with Tne To w e r of B a Oe l ; and as I do not even now give up the hope that my plan

o r will , earlier later, be taken up , I am writing in

Ca in a nd A Oe l S u l a m itd M o se s this way my , , ,

Ck r ista s o f , whether the day representation comes — o r A NT U B NST E N . not no matter . . R I I

When Rubinstein ’s letter appeared it excited much surprise and controversy ; the leading musical journals copied it, and criticised it , some 76 A NTON R UB I NSTE I N

’ giving the composer s idea a severe handling , for all rushed to the conclusion that were this - idea taken up , then good bye to the grand old form of oratorio .

N othing , however, could be more absurd . Sacred Opera never will and never can usurp the place of oratorio and why should it % there f is room and need for both in the ﬁeld o art .

o f Rubinstein , full his idea like all reformers , never takes this into consideration , although it were better for his idea had he done s o ; he

: ﬁnds oratorio stiff it annoys him , he tells us , and therefore he would banish it altogether, regardless o f the tastes o f the many who revere and love it . A mistake , but then Rubinstein is not a man when full o f an idea to pick and choose his words . At the same time t here are his opponents who raise their hands in pious horror over “ % sacred opera . Sacred subjects in a theatre ho w horrible , they cry ; and yet if one were to inquire “ Why horrible % they would be at a loss for a clear and logical answer .

o f o u r o ne o f This , the state theatres , is the

o f o u r o f disgraces nineteenth century , and nine

o f fo r teen centuries Christianity ; the theatre ,

78 A NTON R UB I NS TEI N o f the idea will be no longer among us to guide

o n his idea its ﬁrst perilous way to realisation .

As a medium for educating the people , although Rubinstein so grandly disdains all this , there exist no means comparable to the

no stage , place where the human passions are so worked upon for good o r evil ; and ye t plain as this must be to every thinking individual , the modern enigma o f its application is that to-day o u r theatres are used solely for the latter purpose . That there are some amongst the exoteric few capable o f grasping morality through meditation and instruction no o ne denies ; but that there are many more who grasp it only

o e r a tic through p means , the ranting and

o f raving of tearful Methodism , the shrieking

o f Salvation Army soldiers , the thousands hardened hearts melted to compassion by the

o f pictured agonies Christ , all prove . I n the slums o f L ondon there are thousands o f wretched human beings who are born and live and die as dogs do , without any other idea - in their famine worn brains than to prey o n

o n each other and the world at large, ignorant

o f throughout their miserable lives redemption ,

o f of Christ , even God . GEI S TL I CH E OP E R 79

“ H ere is a site for such , E ine Kirche der ” “ Kunst , as Rubinstein would have E ine

Kirche der Kunst for the people , an inﬂuence that would reach where the tract and the voice in the pulpit never do , and never can . The nearest approach to the sacred opera of Rubinstein is the decennial Passion Play

A m m e r a u u at Ober g , lovingly although r dely got up and the author o f that most interesting

A r t i n tne M o u nta ins sketch , , gives the following description But (and because nothing we can ever sa y will persuade many readers that the Passions

’ spiel at Ober A m m e r g a u is a good and right thing to do) let u s not trust individual impres sions , but rather record the truth drawn from individual sources , that to many minds the fact o f having once seen the events recorded in Gospel narrative pass before their eyes has done more to impress the Scripture narrative ” o n them than a life o f teaching . This surely is a far-reaching argument for

sacred opera and its beneﬁt to thousands, written by o ne w ho ha s witnessed but a very feeble attempt at sacred Opera ; whilst another

o f writer , a clergyman and a corresp ondent the 80 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

‘ ll . M i s Co M . A T m e . , the Rev M alcolm , , Writes Openly in his letter to that paper

so f I have never seen af ecting a spectacle , no r o ne m o r e c a l c u l a te d to d r a w o u t Me Oe st a nd

” tée r pu r e st fe e l ing s of Ee a t . Further o n he adds : We a r e ap t to fo rg e t tha t t/i e de epe st a nd m o st l a sti ng i mpr e ssio ns a r e g e ne r a l ly tno se w/z ic n r e a c /i tne m ind tﬁ r o ug /z o f tke ey e . A good portrait an absent friend gives a far better idea o f him than the most brilliant verbal description , and this is true in a special sense o f minds not accustomed to

f o f trains o reasoning . By means imag es

o n printed the eye , their minds will grasp in a few hours a whole series o f facts which it would take months , perhaps years , to convey to the understanding without the aid o f pictorial representation , and even then the impression will not be half so real nor so enduring a s that

o f which passes through the avenues the senses .

H ere , in a single day, the history and destiny o f the human race were engrained o n the minds and hearts o f some thousands o f persons in a way they are never likely to forget . I do no t sa téo u /i I tniné it l zi n r o Oa Ol e y, g g ly p , that the same effect could not be p roduced by means GEI S TL I CH E OPE R 8 1

o f u t written or oral instr ction , but I say wi hout

t it u l n t Oe r o d u c e d o r ea r s hesitation /za t c o d o p f y . “ I am not ashamed to confess , for my own

I Ha ve r e a l ise d He r e w it/é a Uiv id ne ss I part , that l za v e ne ve r fe l t Oef o r e the marvellous unity which binds together the Old Testament with the N ew .

o n o f I f this , then , is the effect a minister the Gospel o f the rude representation o f Ober

A m m e r a u o f g , what would not the effect be such a “ Kirche der Kunst as Rubinstein would have on the carel e ss and the indifferent , on the thousands o f youths o u r present-day enlightened professors of science are leading

o f o r into the mire scepticism and doubt , at best into the not less harmful indifference o f utilitarianism H ere surely is the antidote to all this—here the inﬂuence to guide the masses into those beautiful paths that even a S chopenhauer must praise— the paths that follow up the virtue

o f which Christians value as a state happiness , and philosophers as the highest good . Were sacred drama o r sacred opera an in

o f w novation the age , then we might ell pause before it ; but though the leaders o f the early 6 8 2 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

Church freely denounced the heathen plays o f the Greeks and Romans , they never decried the theatres as such , although in their time these had been degraded from their ﬁrst great per fe c tio n and perverted . Aristophanes and his brilliant mockery had been o ne o f the chief

o f t o o f causes this , for please the taste the

o f people , at the expense everything noble and

o f . great , instead elevating it, was his aim - The miracle plays fell for the same reason . H istory tells us what the effects o f the terrible tragedies of Sophocles were ; it tells

o f o f c o nd e m us also that enigma all times, the nation o f Socrates through the Cl o u d s o f Aristo

o u r o w n it phanes . N earer time shows us what Beaumarchais and his F iga r o could do in France . And what more is needed to prove the inﬂuence o f the theatre o n the lives % and thoughts o f men

Rubinstein , however, disdains all this . The whole question with him is an art o ne but even

o ne above this question lies greater, and that not the beneﬁt to art , but the beneﬁt to humanity . C H A P T E R V I I I

S U LAM IT H H I ST ORI CAL CONCERT S

AFT ER Rubinstein had launched his novel idea o f se t S u l a sacred opera, he about composing m it/z o f is , the music which perhaps the most lovely o f anything he has written . And on this account it is all the more to be regretted that the great composer should have run counter to the prejudices o f a large portion o f the public by taking o ne o f the most ideal and beautiful Christian allegories for the voluptuous reality of a love song .

Of course Rubinstein is a believer in M .

to o f Renan , and belongs the new school biblical interpreters but if J erome ﬁfteen centuries ago , with access to sacred manuscripts and traditions

o f long since lost , has erred in his conception

’ o f Solomon s Song, the new school philosophers , without the enjoyment of any o f these a d v a nt 8 4 A NT ON R UB I NS TE I N

ages , can hardly be expected to be in a position — to remove his error nay , they can only add to it and the majority who view the question so —quite apart from those who are bigoted— will always look askance at the libretto o f this

’ opera, and censure Rubinstein s questionable taste in selecting it . S u l a m itﬁ was given o n the 8 th November

’ 1 8 o w n 8 3 at H amburg , under Rubinstein s direction . ’ Before this , however, Rubinstein s most

t o interesting letter Bartholf Senff, the music

o f L publisher eipzig, with reference to the request o f the latter that Rubinstein would edit

se t o f t he a complete the classics, appeared in

L i n l April number of the eipzig S g a e .

’ Rubinstein s answer was remarkable . After pointing o u t the many apparently accurate read

o f ings the great masters , and the impossibility o f knowing not only how a passage should be

- o f te m i played; but the all important question p ,

s a c he declined , inasmuch as he considered it r il e g e for any person to meddle o r interfere with the classics and present them in any

a the one dress , necess rily personality, pure and

the simple , of editor ; but he suggested that

86 A NTON R UB I NS TEI N

o f certs , and playing the G minor concerto

Beethoven .

o n H e then went a tour in H olland , was in V ienna in April , thence returning to Russia . I n Peterhof this year the A minor sym

w a s phony written , his sixth ; and meantime Rubinstein was preparing his arduous pro

f r gramme o the great historical concerts . V These were given at Berlin , ienna, S t . L Petersburg, M oscow , Paris , and ondon . They

o f embraced the entire literature the pianoforte ,

o f and consisted seven recitals, the programmes being the following

R E C I T A L I

’ Ca rme n s Whistle . ’ B u l l T he Kin s u n in i . , j . g H t g J g La T n b r e u se L a a o i e La Fl e u r ie é é , F v r t , , L e a o e o a n La a n o ine Le B v l t Fl tt t, B d l , n Re ve il Ma ti . R a m e a u R Le a e d e s Oisse au x L a o u e a o e , . R p l , P l , G v tt

e t Va ria tio ns.

Fu gu e d u Cha t . r So na ta A d u . i u isi a e . a /z . n B c S . a ta e o , j F Chr m t q

Gigu e B d u r .

Sa ra b a nde e t Ga vo tte . “ ”— SULA M I TH H I S TORI CA L CONCE R TS 87

B a k u Fu r c u d u . S . e e e t e o , j . Pr l d g , C m ll, D

e u e o du r o . Pr l d E m ll, E , E m ll a r o nio u s a c s i Air a nd a ia H m Bl k m th, V r i t o ns.

Fu gu e E mo ll . Sa a a n e e t a ssa c a i r b d P lle . i u r u e d . G g , A

ria c o n a ia io ni o . A V r z , D m ll

o n o o . R d , H m ll La Xe no ho ne Si e Le s a n u e u s p , byll , L g r

te ndre s.

La C o mpla inte . T ia i F e e e t o ns o . h m Va r t , m ll n i in a a s e o . F t , C m r

i u e a o . G g , G m j r o n o ino R d , A m r . a u c All t r a .

R E C I T A L II

So na e n . 2 . 1 . t , Op 7, Op 3 , Op 5 3 , Op . 5 7,

. 1 . 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 Op 9 , Op , Op . 9, Op . .

R E C I T A L III

M m n . 2 i s o e s u s c a e . Op 94, M l

inu e . o u M t, Op 9, Impr mpt . 1 2 n i . o e a ic c o so . Op , M m t C pr 6 n i a io n a l . a a se . Op 5 , I v t t V l 2 P l l a c a r . o d u . Op 7 , E a ria i ns i V t o Sér e u se s. 6 . 1 a ic e o . Op , C pr E m ll So n s Wi o u o s d u r in o . g th t w rd , H , A m r 88 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

ia n o n e ll i u r r M e nde l sso /zn . e ne G d e d d d u o . V t , A , E , H m ll d u r d u r d u r d u r E , A , E , F .

Vo lkslie d . F m o ll .

Sc he rzo e Ca pric c io so . F mo ll .

R E C I T A L IV

Fa n a i r Sc/zu m a nn. . 1 s a d u . Op 7, t C K i l r ia na r e s e . i Etu de s Symph o n qu e s. na a So t F m o ll . n a i iic k De s n Fa t s a St e : Ab e ds. I n r c d e Na ht . T r a m r n u e swir e .

u Wa r m . 8 2 a l . o e s o e . Op , V g l Pr ph t a nc in Ro m e D m o r .

Ca rniva l .

R E C I T A L V

o c u ne s a o a B o d u r . N t r , E m j r, A m j r,

. n n a n in o e e . Op 95 , C t E f t Et ise a u e tu is Eu e . O J , t d

E u . . e o Op 5 4, t d A m ll a i n d u r u r o nso o d . C l t , D , E ’ n Au b o rd d u e So u rc e . La i a in o n o a G t G d l . Au f d e m a sse z u Sin e n ie Sc u e W r g (L d h b rt). na i c Se re de (L e d S hu be rt) . Ko ni ie Sc u e r Erl g (L d h b t) .

So irée s d e Vie nne . Eu e c o nc r a r e d e o . t d t, D m j

90 A NTON R UB I NSTEI N

R E C I T A L VII

E u e d u r . t d , A

F mo ll . u r E d .

C m o ll .

E mo ll . u r E d .

H mo ll . u r A d .

A mo ll .

Ce s m o ll .

C mo ll . T a a n r te lla . i a n a s n a . I sla me y. F t e Orie t le

Tc l za zRo w sR . a n sa ns y Ch t Pa ro le s.

Wa ltz Sc he rzo .

o a nc e o . R m , F m ll Sc e o a l a u ss h rz R e . R u binste in T u sll t u I V. e e . , N Alb m 1 6 a Op . , W ltz . — This gigantic undertaking played , too , — L from memory Rubinstein ﬁnished at ondon ,

1 8 8 6 J une , meaning it to be his last appearance o n European concert platforms as pianist , and a ﬁnal farewell to that wonderful career which has been o ne o f the most brilliant things the

a musical world h s known this century .

D o f uring this cycle concerts, and when in “ ”— SULA M I TH H I STORI CA L CONCE RTS 9 1

Paris , Rubinstein became ill ; fortunately the indisposition proved to be only temporary and slight, though at the time sufﬁciently alarming

fo r the - to his friends , great pianist composer

not only enjoys extraordinary health , but has

never been seriously ill during his whole life .

H e quickly recovered , and returned to Peterhof

o f 1 8 8 6 in the June , to be welcomed with heartfelt enthusiasm by his many admirers

there . This summer he commenced his great sacred

M o se s oratorio , and in the winter he went

s m to St . Petersburg and conducted the y phony concerts to the immense delight o f the

whole musical world there . Only those who know the great concert-hall

where these symphony concerts are given , the

S a l l e de N Ol e sse a s is o it called , can have any idea o f the brilliant scene ; for from o ne end t o

another the immense apartment was packed ,

and never, as under Rubinstein , have the

o f immortal symphonies Beethoven , Schubert ,

so o r so and Schumann been given listened to . During his conductorship cordons o f mounted

‘ police were stationed along the streets t o

-tr a fﬁ c regulate the tremendous carriage , and 9 2 A NTON R UB I N S TE I N the most brilliant season o f these concerts was

o f 1 8 8 6 -8 that 7, when Rubinstein wielded the baton , and sent orchestra and audience alike

his o w n into ecstasies , through great musical genius .

94 A NTON R UB I N S TB I N

residence at St . Petersburg , and formally f assumed the direction o the Conservatory . All winter the press was busy printing letters

w a s on the subject , and the Conservatory itself l o ne o f ts/zisto sc a nd a l s scene , as the Russians sa y, for Rubinstein not only turned away pupils, and completely altered the programme o f o ff study , but also sent professors and gave others lower places .

That all this was necessary is beyond question , for Rubinstein has something better to do than raise tempests about his head ; and further, an

o f - artist and composer world wide renown , with thousands o f impresarios beseeching him to

s it accept their plans , could have no motive to down in the chair o f a conservatory directorship and needlessly make work for himself ; but

Rubinstein , with characteristic impetuosity, went

o ne s o at the thing with fell sweep , that the f whole o S t . Petersburg connected with the Conservatory was in o ne uproar and in tw o ’ parties . H owever, Rubinstein s word was law ;

a s things regulated themselves he pleased . H e took four pianoforte students under his o w n

1 C e a n sc a n al s o u b e the i e a a ns a io n the e a nin l d w ld l t r l tr l t , m g b in e e sc a n a s a sc a n a s e c o e . g mpl t d l , g r t d l R B I T I I N PE TE R B RG U NS E N S T. S U 95

’ care , and twice in the week had a teachers

se r ia tim class , when he went through the entire

o f literature the pianoforte , and by the spring

so Co nse r v things had quieted down , and the a to r y was so bowed in adoration before its

illustrious director, that even the most quarrel

some became still .

1 8 8 I n 7, amidst all the strife , Rubinstein had

o f the honour becoming a grandfather, his only daughter Anna presenting him with a grand

—a n child honour, however, the great pianist - composer good hu m o u r e dly grumbled at ; and in the summer o f 1 8 8 8 he went for the summer

Go r u sc ﬁ a to Peterhof to ﬁnish , and commence

o f M o se s the ﬁfth and sixth books , having

n m o ld paid his a nual visit to his other, now an

o f lady over seventy , living at Odessa, and wrapped up of course in her illustrious so n

Anton . - The beginning o f the season o f 1 8 8 8 8 9 saw

Rubinstein again at his post in the Conservatory, and during this season he gave semi -public recitals there to the pianoforte pupils and a select few who were lucky enough to gain

admittance . Anythi ng to equal these musical feasts would 96 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N be impossible to have ; Rubinstein was almost

o f invariably in the best humours , enthusiastic

o f and full ﬁre , in love with the music he was interpreting , and in his remarks to the pupils delightfully witty and learned . At these lecture

se r ia tim recitals , as they were termed , he went through the whole series of pianoforte literature , beginning at our E lizabethan composers , Byrd ,

Bull , Gibbons , playing all the early masters o f the French and I talian schools , when ﬁnally the Bachs were reached , after which came

Handel , Mozart , H aydn , Beethoven , S chubert ,

Weber, Mendelssohn , Schumann , Chopin , Thal L berg , and iszt .

They were golden nights , passing all too

no w quickly . All applause was forbidden , but and again bursting enthusiasm could not be restrained , and a cheer would simultaneously rise from every throat . Rubinstein would rush off the platform shaking his head and his hands and laughing, and doing his best to look angry at the ﬂagrant disobedience to his orders , when in reality even he himself must have been “ ” ready to cry bravo % to his o w n wonderful play

1 o f ing . All this terminated on the 4th May, when the incomparable pianist was presented

98 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

o f spoke it to the Tsar, and hinted darkly at

— o f intrigue not the political ideas the play, which those who knew the opera denied to be objectionable , but personal intrig ue against Rubinstein— being the cause which had induced various c éino o niés to represent the opera a s being impossible to render . This w a s enough for Alexander for no more honest and straightforward sovereign has ever sat o n the throne o f Russia and he su m marily arranged to judge between his contending subjects by having fo r himself a complete r e p re s e nta tio n o f the opera, to which the public were not admitted . This took place , and the next order that came from his I mperial Majesty was that there was nothing objectionable in the

o n r e opera , and that it was to be placed the

r - p e t o ir e o f the opera house for the season . This was a severe blow for the enemies o f the gifted c o m o se r ~ a nd p , a correspondingly sweet triumph for his friends the opera was accordingly given .

I t had a Splendid success , for not only is the music magniﬁcent, rich , gorgeous in melody, - and striking in its Russian tone colour, but the to u t e nse m Ol e of K a l a sc /z niéof is o ne superb climax o f dramatic power. Three representa R B I TE I I N PE TE R B RG U NS N S T. S U 99

in tions had been given , when the astounding

’ t e llig e nc e came that the opera was by the Tsar s

P b d e n stz e v . o e o orders again withdrawn , M and the Russian Metropolitan having taken objection to the ﬁrst act , in which a prayer and at the same time an orgie with I van , in both cases central ﬁgures , take place .

S o again the opera has been laid aside , and - certainly the art world has little reason to be

Po b e d e no st z e v grateful to M . and to the Metro politan therefor . I t is also the greatest pity in the world that when writing this opera Rubin stein and his librettist were s o artless as to present in all its reality and completeness an unpleasant historical truth , and we can only hope , “ — now that Rubinstein is an excellency he was — made so in the spring of 1 8 8 8 that he will be

K a l a sc /z n iéo courtier enough to rewrite ﬁ , and present it and its historical truths in a dress to suit the holy synod and Russian requirements , fo r K a l a sc /i n i/éoﬁ and its music are much to o beautiful to be lost . I n the summer at Peterhof o f this same year

’ 1 8 8 9 came the anniversary of Rubinstein s d eb u t

o n 2 d o f 1 8 at M oscow the 3 J uly 39 , and the great pianist was honoured with quite an ovation . I o o A NTON R UB I NSTE I N

On this occasion telegrams from all parts o f the world were received by the great composer,

o ne the Tsar sending a particularly ﬂattering . And o n the composer attending at the palace to

fo r thank his I mperial M ajesty his kindness , — Rubinstein w a s detained for luncheon quite an unusual honour in autocratic Russia . A few days before this event Rubinstein ﬁnished his Co nc e r tstu c ée fo r pianoforte and orchestra, dedicated to his pupil M . Breitner at

Paris .

’ ’ The ofﬁcial jubilee o f Rubinstein s ﬁfty years musical career, which coincides with his sixtieth

o n birthday, was celebrated in St . Petersburg

o th — D Saturday, 3 N ovember uke George of - M ecklenburg Strelitz presiding . A gold medal specially struck by the I mperial Society of

o f Music was presented to the hero the day , who was also appointed an honorary citizen o f

o f Peterhof, an honorary member the U ni

o f . versity St Petersburg, and last, but not

Wo r o nt z o ff D a shk o ff least , Count announced the pleasure o f his I mperial M ajesty that Rubinstein should receive an annual pension o f g 30 0 sterling from the imperial privy purse .

C H A P T E R X

T H E V I LLA AT PET ERH OF

’ I N 1 8 74 the dream o f Rubinstein s life was accomplished in the building o f his villa at

Peterhof. L ike Beethoven , like Schumann , and like

Mendelssohn , Rubinstein is extremely sensible to the charms o f nature ; and at Peterhof he is surrounded by all that nature in her most lavish mood can give to this Russian Arcadia o n the f shores o f the Gulf o Finland .

se a Peterhof lies by the , a beautiful wooded

o f tract land dotted over with villas , the imperial palace , surrounded by its gorgeous fountains , facing the water, and the golden domes of its churches gleaming on all sides through the trees .

I t is some twenty versts from St . Peters

o ne o r burg , and , whether goes by land water, a 10 2 A NTON R UB I NSTE I N

delightful journey . By rail the way lies through groves and woods , Skirting delightful dells with sparkling rivulets rushing past the forget-me nots and ferns ; and through rich meadows , where the cows tinkle their bells all day long as they stand lazily knee-deep in the long lush

o r o x - grasses and clover , lie amongst the eye daisies and buttercups chewing their cuds .

By water the route is not less lovely . The broad blue waters o f the N eva are full o f movement and colour ; the luxurious steam ships , with their imperial ﬂags ﬂying , belong ing to the Tsar and his family, are moored by the splendid granite quays . As far as the eye reaches , on all sides are splendid palaces , gardens, churches , and public buildings . At - the mouth o f the river lie the great war ships the Tsar is always building , and a little way o u t o ne in the gulf, whether looks back on the

o f city with the great gray pile St . I saacs and its golden dome looming grandly and solemnly

sk o r against the blue y, the innumerable palaces

o r o f and churches , onwards to the shores Fin - land, dim and low lying in the distance , the scene is alike beautiful , brilliant, clear, well deﬁned , and unequalled in colour . m 4 A NTON R UB I N S TE I N

carnations are blossoming in all the gardens ,

o f when the pretty balconies the Russian villas ,

d a tsc ﬁ a s or , as they are called , are brilliant with

su n scarlet geraniums and fuchsias , and the big ﬂowers make a broad spot o f golden brilliance amidst all the green—Peterhof is cool and verdant . Squirrels and doves are everywhere, and the noisy grasshoppers alone disturb the silence .

But in autumn , when all the woods are

o n . taking their russet hues, it is matchless N ature then is not more lovely anywhere ; the

o ne o f ground is vast carpet leaves , and look

o ne where will , the golden reds , yellows , browns, and faded greens are mingled in a confusion o f colour superbly beautiful .

I n winter it is all whiteness , solitude, and

o n weirdness . Snow lies everywhere the bare

o f branches the trees , that take a thousand fantastic shapes , and during those long moon s - light nights the whole place , fro t bound, glitters under the white rays ; and as the traveller rushes over the trackless ground in a sledge ,

to o f wrapped the eyes in furs, the j ingling

’ the the bells on horses necks sounding merrily, t and returns to St . Petersburg over he fro ze n TH E VI L LA A T PE TE RH OF 10 5 waters o f the Gulf o f Finland and the N eva at a pace that seems to snatch his breath from him , it is always with regret he leaves behind the white loveliness of Peterhof.

’ Rubinstein s villa is spacious and beautiful .

d a tsc /i a s o f I t is built , like all the Russian ,

- o n wood , painted a neutral gray green colour,

. o f t a gentle rise ground , wi h ﬂowers surround

o n ing it all sides , and some splendid trees in close proximity bending over to a beautiful

o f — stretch turf g reen , well kept , and soft .

o ne i To the left , as enters , lies a great fru t garden , and the entrance to the house is under a splendid porch covered over with V irginian creeper.

o f This leads into a long hall , at the end which

’ is the turret staircase leading to Rubinstein s w to er, where he sits alone , undisturbed through the day , composing ; his study being right at

o ne the top , a room with large low window looking o u t over a beautiful stretch o f wooded turf to the se a . H ere the great pianist -composer is in his element . The room is not very large , but still not small ; at the window stands his writing table , behind him a Becker grand pianoforte , 106 A NTON R UB I NSTE I N

o n - and his right hand side a great divan , ﬂanked - o n each side by immense music holders ﬁlled

o w n with his works ; and , above all , a sinister

o f bust in bronze Mephistopheles , which Rubin stein laughingly describes as his inspiration .

is The room semicircular, and except for a charming statuette o f the muse Euterpe at the

o f extreme end the pianoforte, facing the player, a handsome carpet , worked by some devoted

o f lady admirers the composer, and a few chairs , contains no other furniture .

’ This room is Rubinstein s especial delight ; all the rest o f the beautiful villa he leaves to his guests and his family, but this is sacred to himself, and but few even of his personal f friends are allowed a view o it . — The view from its windows morning , noon , — and night is delightful , especially at the latter time , when the water is silvered over with moon light , and the trees beneath take fantastic shapes under the white light o f the moon rays .

tw o The villa consists of stories , the entire ﬁrst story being devoted to reception -rooms - these , including a large dining room , billiard - room , music room , library, and three reception

10 8 A NTON R UB I NSTE I N

I n the seventies, what hospitality, what scenes the four walls o f this villa s a w when é Rubinstein gave his famous musical soir es , and

o u t all St . Petersburg trooped to Peterhof, known - % and unknown , to the great pianist composer No w things are quieter : the o ld ﬁre of

’ Rubinstein s youth is no longer with him ; he has lived more than half a century, his children

no w have grown up , and he revels in the quiet

o f ness and calmness solitude , with his books and his thoughts , his compositions and art, when only his friends and admirers allow him . C H A P T E R X I

RU B I NST EI N AS T EACH ER

O NE o f the incomprehensible sid es o f Rubin ’ — stein s character is this special aspect o f it his ability as teacher ; for, just as one could not suppose Sallust a moralist o r Seneca a man care less o f his fortune merely because they wished

so to pose as such , it is impossible to believe

Rubinstein , with his numerous caprices and - whims, his ever varying moods and vagaries , a good teacher simply because he gives lessons . A good teacher needs all those special qualities

— o ne patience , gentleness, calmness which certainly least expects to ﬁnd in Rubinstein .

o ne N evertheless , perhaps there is no in

Europe who could be more patient , more calm , more gentle than Rubinstein with those pupils who still have o r have had the inco mparable

o f good fortune calling him master. A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

And there certainly never has been a master

o r more particular, more exacting, more pains taking .

so his H is patience is limitless , but indeed is acquirement . H e never loses his temper, like

’ Bulow ; but Bulow s most cutting sarcasm is a mild thing in comparison to the biting lash of ’ o r o f Rubinstein s tongue, the keenness his - good humoured banter, when a pupil fails him .

c a n b u t s o This nothing equal ; , if , neither can anything equal his teaching for value and

a s for beneﬁt , well as for simplicity and insight . it H is method is not simple , neither is obscure or hard to be understood ; but it r e quires very much o f his pupils and his inst ru c tion is especially praiseworthy and valuable , inasmuch as it is free completely from all ih

a l i o r o f o n d iv id u ty personal caprice his w .

o w n t H e lays aside his aste completely,

keeping his pupils , almost exclusively to the

t o f s udy the classics , and only to the most accurate text of these . The musical world far and near has long

’ since decided that T a u sig s reading o f the

Chopin concerto in E minor is necessary, and

’ an improvement ; and that Bulow s editions of

1 12 A NT ON R UB I NS TEI N

colour himself, he never allows the pupil to “ ” follow his lead . I do so and so , monsieur,

W i i he says , th his genial laugh and na vete ; but that is no reason why you should follow

o u my example , for I do wrong ; be y warned ” of my caprice and do right . - I n this Rubinstein is pre eminently great , - - pre eminently an artist , pre eminently a great

master.

H is lessons are rather studies in poetry, in

o f o f insight, in the conception the ideal the

great masters , never a lesson in the ordinary f sense . Technique and all that sort o thing a pupil must have before coming to him ; but in

s o far as the beautiful can be made known , the

his soul of a piece fathomed , he does it for

pupils , and with them . There is no learning a

o f piece music with him , all that must be done before ; and in this sense he is certainly no

teacher, rather a prophet, for he busies himself

only with conception , explanation , and with truth . I f it were possible to have a musical A c a d e

L o f mus , a musical yceum , like those schools philosophy that ﬂourished under the plane-trees

o f that Plato loved , and under the shadow R UB I NS TE I N A S TE A CH E R 1 13

L c a b e tt u s o f M ount y , a blending the two , the ideal and the material , then Rubinstein should be the presiding deity but unfortunately other thoughts and other occupations divide the great - ’ pianist composer s time . The ﬁrst and last comp oser Rubinstein

is presents to his pupils J ohn Sebastian Bach , and for Bach he has an admiration little short o f worship . H e uses only the Bach Gesell ’ o f schaft edition this master s works , and for

Beethoven always Breitkopf and H artel . H e pays immense attention to the rhythm — and touch ; is less particular perhaps less — il fanciful than B low about the phrasing , and spares himself no trouble to instil into the pupil a conservative although broad idea and

V f iew o art . I n the best sense o f the word Rubinstein is

is a great master , and his teaching more purely m u sik a l isc n sa o f , as the Germans y, than that - any other master o f to day ; in fact it is a deep and abiding regret that Peterhof is not another Weimar for pianoforte students , were L o f . it only for a part the year , as with iszt C H A P T E R X I I

RU B I NST EI N A S PIAN I ST

V OLU M ES might be written in description o f

Rubinstein as a pianist , yet volumes would not

fo r o f a s describe him , to speak Rubinstein a

o f pianist is to speak a subject without end . Who could describe his wonderful touch that wonderful something o ne ﬁnds in his play — ing and misses in that o f all others the blended passion and spirituality , the grace , delicacy,

e r fe c lightness , warmth , dreaminess , romance , p

—in o ne tion , power, grandeur , splendour word , soul % T o have heard Rubinstein is t o have had o ne

’ o f life s best gifts , to have known a happiness

n tra scendent , a happiness words fail to describe, for with Rubinstein the notes are a means , not an end ; and even to wrong notes he can give , and generally gives, a conception , a form , an

1 16 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N displeasure of Rubinstein ’s critics —they are

t o w e very few and sca tered , in fact they their — being noticed to this arises from t w o causes Rubinstein ’s unique virtuosity and that con se r v a t is m in art which , having grandly beg un

ha s with Mendelssohn and Schumann , been degraded by their successors into pure pedagog

- se t o f ish red tapism in other words , a certain critics have fallen in love with the method o f ’ Schumann and M endelssohn s criticism , and , never having had the intelligence o r the perc ep

o f tion these masters , have overlooked the spirit

o f and the aim it , which is the broadening not

o f the narrowing pure art , with the destruction f o what is false .

o f The ﬁrst , however, is the real cause the

’ accusation against Rubinstein . Rubinstein s virtuosity is certainly Rubinstein himself, and

o ne Rubinstein only , and has but to hear him “ ” o f play the Appassionata Sonata Beethoven , - and any other well known pianist after him , to understand how great this is . But what does this % amount t o One never quarrels with o ne o f two singers w ho interpret the same part b ecause the voice o f o ne is more beautiful than the

o f voice the other, yet this is what certain critics R UB I NS TEI N A S PI A NI S T 1 17

are continually doing over Rubinstein , and not over Rubinstein alone . I t is the spirit that guides the conservatism of the age with regard - ﬁ fth to pianoforte playing ; in fact , there are

o f rate pianists who, because of their want indi v id u a l it y as virtuosi , pass with these critics as great artists , simply because these latter do not take the trouble to distinguish between original ity and personality in virtuosity and originality and personality in conception . The latter is naturally o ne o f the gravest

o ne o ne charges can lay against an artist , and of the wildest a critic could make against

fo r ha s Rubinstein , never there been an artist in his sane moments— all great artists have their insane moments— more faithful to the

o f conception the composer he plays than he .

When it is Beethoven , it is Beethoven when it is Chopin , it is Chopin ; when Bach , Bach ; and when Schumann , Schumann . A glance at his concert programmes shows “ o n us this , with such pieces them as the Appas ” ’ “ ’ s io na ta Sonata, Chopin s Berceuse, Bach s “ ’ “ Fantasia Chromatica , Schumann s C major ” a n a sia F t . All these four pieces require tem

e r a m e nt p in the pianist who attempts them , 1 18 A NTON R UB I NSTEI N and each the temperament proper to the com

’ poser s ideal . N o living pianist but Rubinstein possesses

o f ha s this diversity temperament ; but he it , and the critics who would deny it to him o r would censure him for it are indeed brave . Of course temperament in pianoforte-playing with some critics is, in their Opinion , the greatest evil ; and the mediocrities whom , wanting this , they cry up are a thriving com munity . But at certain intervals , when the lion — arouses himself and comes forth in other

o n o u r words, when Rubinstein appears concert — platforms it is amusing to watch these same mediocrities scampering o ff to their hiding places and to oblivion .

no t H owever, it would be absurd to allow that sometimes Rubinstein ’s temperament over “ ” “ ” masters him ; but sometimes and always are not the same thing . There are days

o u t o f when he is humour , when he plays wrong notes ; and , although there have been enthusiastic critics who maintain that the wrong notes o f Rubinstein are better than the

o f . right notes others , % this is not so Wrong notes are wrong notes and inexcusable . Better

12 0 A NTON R UB I NS TEI N from nature the instinct that divines every quality o f touch from the most perfect legato to m f the ost crisp and clear o staccatos . But this is no t all ; he can sing o n the pianoforte with all the beauty of a human voice , with pathos and sadness and all feeling, as he wills ; and those who have heard him play o ne o f his o w n most exquisite r o m a nc e s o r the nocturnes o f Chopin have been moved to a genuine enthusiasm from

o f the versatility his genius when , a second later, he ha s dashed into the enormous difﬁculties o f

o w n é o ne o f his tudes , a polonaise of Chopin , or L ’ iszt s wonderful rhapsodies , with a ﬁre and passion and a magniﬁcent virtuosity that carried all before it in its overwhelming

o f grandeur conception .

I n fact , it is this overwhelming temperament

’ o f Rubinstein s that astonishes and frightens reserved critics ; they cannot understand it nor him . To go through life with all that storm and stress , all that passion and feeling locked up in his breast, is something that appals them ” they cannot conceive it . I t is unnatural , they cry ; but, thank heaven , it is not that . I t - is gigantic , wonderful , awe striking , but never unnatural ; and it is what has made the great R UB I NS TE I N A S PI A NI ST 1 2 1

’ splendour o f Rubinstein s genius and his

success as a pianist . I t has been often remarked that Rubinstein

o f - will never form a school pianoforte playing,

and this is perhaps true . There has been but

one Rubinstein . And he will certainly never

’ form another ; for the secret o f Rubinstein s wonderful playing lies in his extraordinary

mastery over the tone and over his touch . H e has made it a special study and this is some

thing he can never teach .

i 15 I n fact , th s what makes the vast difference

’ between Rubinstein s playing and that o f all

others . One o f the criticisms oftenest and most

’ o n fairly passed the great pianist s playing is ,

that he never plays any piece twice alike .

And there is some truth in this . This, in fact , is o ne of the causes that have led certain critics to believe that Rubinstein does not enter into

’ the composer s idea .

But Rubinstein , like all great artists , is above

criticism . Critics and their pens can disseminate

what they will , but Rubinstein remains Rubin

so o ne o f stein , and has remained , the wonders

o f o u r a f f e o ne o o . g , and the blessings it C H A P T E R X I I I

RU B I NST EI N AS COM POSER

T H E o f coming Rubinstein to Russia, when a

o f o ne o f u n lad nineteen years , was the most fortunate steps of his life . Fame and honour and glory he has received in Russia and from

to o Russia, but the ﬁeld for his labours has been small . H e has done gigantic things in Russia , but Russia is not ripe enough to understand them, and therefore too often has he been

o w n misunderstood by his countrymen , and his plans for their good frustrated , crossed , and t over hrown .

r e H is place was in Germany , and had he mained in Germany he would no w be a greater

o ne o ne man , a happier , and better understood

o f for the real Rubinstein , the man and artist

so as he is , not ten in many hundreds of his - fello w workers know anything .

1 2 4 A NTON R UBI N S TE I N parted to a wider circle the art principles coming from him . I n his friends and equals he would have had an audience for his beliefs and ideas . m I n short, in Ger any he would have lived , he

o f would have been a power , an element strength

o f in the seething furnace musical life and work , an acting principal whereas in Russia , shut up for o m nths in a city like St . Petersburg , where the

O is very pera under imperial control , and an aris t o c r a tic c k ino o nié o f o f , one a body court ama t e u rs o f its . has the directions musical wellbeing ,

Rubinstein has had no place, and no possibility o f putting forth his o wn splendid power o f intel f % o . e t lect and thought even here , cribbed , cabined, and conﬁned , he has made his mark he has left a monument to his o w n greatness

o f in the Conservatory , a school music which , although the youngest , is second to none in

Europe .

This has been a H erculean work , but it has done nothing for Rubinstein the composer, and - still less for foreign art life . As a composer Rubinstein is o ne o n whom

o f the mantle Schubert has fallen , and as a

t o - melodist he has no rival and no equal day, for just as Brahms is the contrapuntal , Wagner R UB I NS TE I N A S COM POSE R 12 5

so the dramatic , is Rubinstein the lyric genius

of the age .

As a song writer Rubinstein is superb , a rival o f Schubert ; all that is exquisite in the

o f D e poetry Moore , Byron , Goethe , H eine ,

ha s o f Musset, he embodied in strains immortal beauty . Anything more lovely than his H ebrew melodies o f Byron i t I S i mp ossible to imagine ; they are the perfection , even the exquisite

o f perfection poetry . What can be more tender “ ” than his Asra, the weird beauty and originality o f which is beyond comparison o r sweeter than

o f the many songs spring , in which the wild f r u/zl ing sl uf t seems caged % — These alone pearls strewn in the way o f o u r f daily life , pearls of ered to all , comprehensible — by all , these alone are sufﬁcient to have secured

for Rubinstein deathless fame .

o f Amidst all the dross and tinsel the age ,

o f o f their beauty , like the beauty the dawn ,

o f o f the sweetness ﬂowers , all those beautiful

things in N ature , water and wood and mountain ,

exist for us always and at all times . They are the most precious treasure a nation

t r ifle s can have . Trifles , , exclaims some 1 2 6 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N reviewer in his study as he ” glances at the two pages o f many o f them ; but these t r ifle s are pearls without price . Rubinstein has written more than two hun

o f o f o u t o f dred these , taking them , course, their opus arrangement .

The great pianist has led a busy life . With

o f o w n this vast number songs , and all his great concerts , his travels far and wide , the concerts

ha s he conducted, his work at the Conservatory , o ne might well consider these compositions the utmost he could accomplish , even with all his great and unexcelled powers yet we ﬁnd these to be but the thoughts and inspiration o f spare moments in the midst o f musical la bours that

o f are gigantic . I n this power work Rubinstein has no equal and no rival . H e has written ten operas four o n his ﬁrst

1 8 0 coming to St . Petersburg , about the years 5 and 1 8 5 1 three at the suggestion o f the Grand

D e o ne uchess H el ne , which were all except destroyed by a ﬁre in the theatre they were

L a l l a Ro o ké o r F e r a m o r s played in then , after ,

M r t K D ie K i nde r de r H a ide , e e / a u t a l a sc nn i

D Go r i u c ﬁ E N e r o e m o n s a . mf , , and This is

: o ne no colossal might well cry stop ; but , we

12 8 A NTON R UB I NSTE I N completely forgotten even by Rubinstein him self. I t has been sometimes remarked that Rubin stein has written too much ; but this is an absurdity . All composers , artists, and writers ,

o f from the necessity their very talent , must be lavish in production ; they write , not for them

o r selves others , but because they must write .

Time , however, and future generations will

o f judge this , but they certainly will do him more justice than we have done ; and when much o f the music o f o u r time has passed away o r o u r o u r sunk into oblivion , children and children ’s children will be honouring and enjoy ing the works and the genius o f Anton Rubin stein . H ad Rubinstein been a little less faithful to

Russia, a little less patriotic , a little less given

o f to sacriﬁcing himself for the interests others ,

o w n he might have witnessed this in his time . H is idea o f sacred opera would have been r e c e iv e d and made known , and he would have been a power inﬂuencing the art-world far and near . Germany would have known how to honour

ho w to him , listen to him , how to understand R UB I NS TE I N A S COM POSE R 1 2 9

—in him short , would have known how to have

o w n triumphed where Russia , to her grievous loss , has dismally failed .

Some years hence , when his mighty intellect has passed away, when his counsels , so often unheeded or derided , are no more to be had , and when those who have least valued him d ifﬁ awake to ﬁnd themselves , like seamen in c u l tie s , with no captain to direct them , they will understand this and regret .

L I ST OF RU B I NSTEI N’S WORK S

TA KEN FROM CATALOGUE OF WORK S I N T H E CONS ERV ATOR% R AT T P E ERS RG LIBRA % S . T BU

Onid ine s u fo r ia no t dy p fo rte . Six so n gs.

Tw o a n a ia f t s s. So n g.

T wo m e lo die s.

So ng .

Ma zu rka . u ssi n o n R a s g.

T e e ia no ie c e s o o na ise C a o a c o hr p p , P l m j r, Cr i nn ﬂa u e e t a a a o . v E , M z rk G m j r Die a c i a N ht g l . T a a n a f r ia no B a e o o r . r t ll p , m j Die c Le r he . o u ic r i Ca e fo a no o e ino . Impr mpt pr p f rt , A m r 9 130 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

a nn in . Op . 7. H o m ge to J e y L d

8 . ix a n S ro m c e s. ’ i in e r f r ia n o e o s i 8 . o t ie u r e s o o e e e ie V x p f rt , V lk l d, R v r ,

Impro mptu . c 9 . O te tt. f r ia n o e — a n n . T e e e o ie s o o so u sse 9 hr m l d p f rt Ch R , ’ L a a a a c e o c u ne su r e a u C . N t r l , t r t - K n u i s f r ia n . 1 o . a m e no i s o e o o a o o o e O tr w, tw ty f r p rtr t p f rt 1 T n c u n 0 . w o o t r e s.

1 1 . T e e ie c e s ia no and io in e o a ssio na o . hr p , p v l , All gr App t n n A da te . r Al le g o . ’ si a i 1 ie c e s ia no a nd c e o n a n e u a o . 1 . T e e hr p , p ll , A d t q Ad g

Alle gro Co n M o to . ro is u o Alle g R o l t . i n in a 1 1 T e e ie c e s a o a nd io o e o . . hr p , p v l , M d r t r n Alle g o Co M o to . r Alle g e tto . 1 n So a ta . i n n i i So na a a o a o a d o n . t , G m j r, p v l L e B a l a n a sia in te n nu e s , F t mb r ic 1 a e . . C pr i 2 o o na se . . P l

o n e a nse . 3 . C tr d a 4 . W ltz.

. n r 5 I te m e zzo .

o a . 6 . P lk

o a a u a . 7. P lk M z rk

M a u a . 8 . z rk

1 T e a r e w o o f e a c nu b e i 12 fo r Ru b ins e in e t O . h r h m r t ll p , t , a e i in e e o k s in c i o o c o m e nc e a a in a t ft r wr t g tw lv w r h ldh d, m d g

1 . Op .

1 3 2 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

i u n l u l No . . e e e ss e d G c k ic he a 3 M r t ll F hrt. T i i e fe St lle (Go e the ) . Die e e Ze e is n N b l rr se (G o e th e ) . a u Ti No . 4 . J gdl st ( e c k) . Di e a c e a n . No . 5 . R h (U hl d) 6 W l l ie e rha . No . . d e

ix o n e in S s s o r s o e . g , w d fr m H ix so n s S g .

T we lve so ngs.

Co nc e o a o . rt , F m j r

T we lve so ngs.

Ac hr o st c ho n fo r ia no a o . y p , L, F m j r

ino . A, G m r

‘ ﬂ U B a t a o . , m j r

ino . R, D m r

a o . A, F m j r

Su i e fo r ia no o r e e u e . t p f t , Pr l d

Minu e t .

Gigu e .

S ar a b a nde . a G vo tte . sa i Pa s c a lle . n Alle ma de . n Co u ra te .

Pa sse pie d. B o u r e e .

S o na a ia no a n d io o nc e o a o . t , p v l ll , G m j r

S o n a o . ymph y, F m j r

So na a fo r ia no o r e m a o . t p f t , F j r

S o n c e a n C a o . ymph y, O , m j r u Ove rt re . six ie c e s So i e s a t St. e e s u ré P t r b rg, p R UB I NS TEI N A S COM POSER 133

nc Ro ma e .

Pre ghie ra .

N o c tu rne .

Sc he rzo . u Impro mpt . n Appa ssio a to .

No . 1 o nc e o ia no o e a o No . 2 ( ) C rt (p f rt ), G m j r ; ( )

a c a ro e ino . B r ll , A m r n i o c e r o io n a nd o r c e s a . C t , v l h tr T e e s in u ar e t e s ino B ﬂa t a o r hr tr g q t t , E m r, m j , D ino r m . T we lve du e ts.

So na a F ino r io a a nd ia no . t , m , v l p Six c a a c e is ic ie c e s o u r a n s h r t r t p , f h d

N o c tu rne .

B a rc a ro lle . c u B e r e se .

Sc he rzo .

C a pric e . a c M r h . Six i fo r i n nc i n e c e s a o o e e a o e i o . p p f rt , M l h l , G m r n n B a o e o . E j ym t, m j r in e e ie o . R v r , A m r D ﬂ a ic e a t . C pr , i n a a ss o o . P , F m j r i a Co u e e e B o . q tt r , m j r T i B o a o . r , m j r ° Six u u e s ﬂa t F ino a o B m ino r G f g , A , m r, E m j r, , a o C in o . m j r, m r “ a o io i a a se o s . Or t r , P r d L t u a Q rte tte . T i S n o a o . h rd ymph y, A m j r 1 34 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

Six so n s. 5 7. g

i f r a n rc c na a nd a a o c o n ra o d o s ra . 5 8 . S e r t lt he t

u a e e a o r . 5 9 . Q rt tt , F m j

6 0 Co nc e r o e r u e B ﬂa t . . t v t r , ’ 6 1 T e e c o u se s fo r e n s o ic e s. . hr h r m v i ic s 6 2 Six c o u se s fo r a o u s o e . . h r v r v 6 a e u sa a Le r m o nto ff c o u s i 3 . W t r Nymph , R lk ( ), h r w th ’ o rc he stra fo r wo me n s vo ic e s.

' K r il 6 Six o a nc e s o s o ﬂ . 4. r m , w rd by

o nc e o V io o nc e o a nd o c e s a ino . C rt , l ll r h tr , A m r

6 6 . u a e e C a o . Q rt tt , m j r

6 ix u e s. 7. S d t

6 8 u c a a c e is ic ie c e s fo r o c e s a . . a s F t, h r t r t p , r h tr

ia no o e Ca ic e ﬂa t . 6 . i e ie c e s fo r 9 F v p p f rt , pr , A o c u ne a o N t r , G m j r

Sc e o ino . h rz , A m r

o a nc e B ino . R m , m r

Fo rc a ta ino . , D m r

ia n o e a nd o c e s a ino r . 0 . o nc e o fo r o 7 C rt p f rt r h tr , D m

i c s fo r ia no o e o c u ne . 1 . T e e e e 7 hr p p f rt , N t r a u M z rka . c o S he rz .

Six so ngs.

a n a sie fo r ia no o e a o . F t p f rt , F m j r a Ca nta ta with o rc he str . u d e e e o e e ie c e s Alb m P t rh f, tw lv p

So u e ni a o . v r, E m j r

u a e ﬂa t . A b d , E

a c e u ne e a o . M r h f br , G m j r

o u ﬂa t . Impr mpt , E

Re ve rie .

Ca ic e a o . pr , F m j r

1 36 A NTON R UB I N S TE I N

. T wo u e s ino a o r . 5 ét d , D m r, A m j 6 Sc e o a o . . h rz , F m j r a c a in . o e o . 7 B r r ll , A m r T wo ia n 8 . p o fo rte pie c e s e o s a r ino M l dy, F h p m r. ﬂ o u a t . Impr mpt , A

. T e e i c 9 w lv p e e s. f r i . . o nc e o o a no o e ﬂa t. Op 94 C rt p f rt , E ic s n . ra a No . i o no r . 95 D m t ymph y 4, D m 6 o nc o D ino i n . e o o c e o a nd o rc e s a . 9 C rt , m r, v l ll h tr

Se x e a o . 9 7. t t, D m j r 8 na f r ia no 9 . So ta o p fo rte . in u a e e o . 99 . Q rt tt , G m r

1 0 0 So na a No . in r f r i . o o a no o r e . t 4, A m , p f t

1 1 T so n s . 0 . we lve g

1 a ic u s . 0 2 . C pr e R se f r u n 1 0 . a s u e a e o o a s n n 3 M q r d f r h d (twe ty u mb e rs) .

ix i n 1 0 4 . S p e c e s fo r pia o fo rte

Elegie . a ia n V r tio s. E u t de . a c a B r ro lle .

Impro mptu .

B a lla de . T n we lve so gs. T wo s in u a e e s ﬂa t a nd ino tr g q rt tt , A F m r. i n u ss a n s o No . ino . R ymph y 5 , G m r T ri N in o o . o . 5 , C m r Twe lve pie c e s fo r pia no fo rte e u Pr l de .

Wa ltz. n No c tu r e . R UB I NS TE I N A S COM POSE R 1 37

c S he rzo .

Impro mptu . i c Re ve r e Ca pri e . B h n a u c a ige s. n n T he me a d Va ria tio s.

E u e ﬂa t . t d , E

Ero ic a Fa nta sia .

S o n o . 6 ino . ymph y N , A m r “ Sa c e o e a o u nu e s o se s. r d p r , f r mb r , M

Co nc e r tstii c k e ia no o r e a nd o rc e s a . , p f t h tr

W RK W H P N M BER O S IT OUT O US U .

n k ff M e rc ha nt K a l a sc h i o .

e r u e a nd o e a i i r D o nsk o i. Ov t r p r , D m t y d f r ia no T wo étu e s o p fo rte .

Fa nta sia fo r pia no fo rte o n two Hu nga ria n me lo

a rc a r o e a o fo r ia no o e . B ll , G m j r, p f rt

T ro t d e Ca va le rie fo r pia no fo rte .

a e n a s fo r c o nc e o s e e o e n . C d z rt , B th v

ino c o nc e o o a r . D m r rt , M z t x n s Si so g .

T wo so ngs. 1 38 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

So n u e ic . g, H t d h ’

So n a nso n d Am o u r . g, Ch

So n a e. g, F tm u i n Bl e t fo r p a o fo r te .

Ma rie Po lka . h i K So n e nn I c e se a e . g, W d l g

e a T o a s the Fo o %. Op r , h m

e a Si e ia n u n e s. Op r , b r H t r

e a e n e a nc e . Op r , V g

140 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

- o ne Apollo like beauty be the type before , then Rubinstein is ugly ; but if a splendid manliness o f o f carriage , a mouth and face capable all ex pressions, with a ﬁrm beautiful chin , a forehead wide , high , and thoughtful , and a striking indi v id u a l it y, be things admired before all mere

o f no lines regular beauty , then Rubinstein has rival .

o f I n fact , he has the appearance a genius and a great man , and his ugliness , as an

o f enthusiastic admirer his once described it, if ugliness , is a sublime ugliness . A peculiar droop o f the upper eyelids at the

o f o dd right and left sides the forehead , gives an expression to his face , and the serene thought fulness o f his forehead is strongly at variance with the lines o f passion and impetuosity about his mouth . The droop o f his eyelids makes it hard to

o n know what colour his eyes are, but rare occasions when they are lifted o ne gets a ﬂ a sh ing glance o f blue eyes that are oftenest full o f

o r s surprise a merry sarca m , for the less Rubin stein is surprised o r sarcastic the closer he keeps hidden those features some o ne ha s aptly described as the windows of the soul . R UB I NS TE I N A S M A N 141

H e wears neither beard nor moustachios , a e from v nity perhaps, sinc his mouth and chin are unusually handsome and powerful and the fashion in which he throws back his long thick hair from his forehead serves to show off the

ideal thoughtful beauty o f this latter to p e r fe c ‘

o ne tion ; in short , he is , as expects him to be , and o ne glance is sufﬁcient to mark him o u t as a personage , an artist , passionate and capri i c o u s . , a dreamer, and an enthusiast H e bears a striking resemblance to B e e tho

o il - ven , and in a beautifully ﬁnished painting of

A u e ne r o f V g ienna, taken when he was quite a

o ne young man , might easily mistake him for the great Bonn master . I n ﬁgure he is neither very tall nor o f medium height , but something between the two , well formed and in proportion ; and the only eccentricity he affects in his dress is a certain

o f disarray his necktie , very characteristic and well known . When amongst friends o r dispensing the

his friendly hospitality he is famed for, tempera

is ment is simple , genial , and kindly ; but he satu rated through and through with a certain Shake s e a r ia n is p humour, and it precisely with this 1 42 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N very humour he screens himself from the gaze of the world at large .

I n character he is like all great men , with strong passions and equally strong wills— con r a d ic r t to y.

0 N man has ever had a warmer heart , no man has oftener had more generous o r tender impulses than he ; yet when necessity arises no man can count the costs more deliberately o r be ﬁrmer against all sentiment ; in this he resembles Goethe strongly, inheriting the same from his grandfather, Roman Rubinstein . All his life long Rubinstein has given away vast sums to needy musicians and artists o f all

t s o kinds , al hough he has done with studied secrecy , and in his dealings with all he has been

%e t careful to a nicety of their feelings . , when

o f he again assumed the direction the St . - Petersburg Conservatory in 1 8 8 7 8 8 he went to work regardless o f the feelings o f the whole community .

There were then over eight hundred students, who had been admitted under the direction o f that gifted , kindly, and most amiable of men , D the late Carl avidoff. Of these eight hundred but three-fourths

144 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

o n t were , sent earth to bewilder and deligh

L . mortals , but at times iszt himself is rivalled Of course in his earlier years Rubinstein gave way to caprice more , but at no time have his caprices overmastered him . With his con sent they have whirled him from side to side , they have bent him and bruised him , but they have never blinded his vision and conception , nor broken him . Without caprice he could not have been

o f Rubinstein , that compound artistic greatness which has enthralled thousands in every town in Europe by the force and impetuosity o f his

o f genius , and raised millions hearts to feelings of boundless wonder and ecstacy .

ne c e s A vigorous mind, Burke tells us , is as sa r ily accompanied by violent passions as a great ﬁre with heat ; but Rubinstein has always controlled his passions , and in controlling these he controlled others . At the same time Rubinstein ha s never con

fo r o w n trolled others his beneﬁt, in fact quite

fo r the contrary , where all justice compelled him

— o w n to do this for instance , in regard to his

o f works , the playing his compositions and — operas pride made him do just the opposite . R UB I NS TE I N A S M A N 145

This , in fact , is the only weakness in an otherwise splendidly strong character ; and a

m a n weakness it is . The who is hungry and

’ goes hungry simply because he won t ask , even

receive , from willing debtors the bread he needs , — is a proud man surely a man strong enough “ s a o ld to y, like the patriarch , I will not take

sa any thing that is thine , lest thou shouldest y,

so I have made Abram rich . But even , he

is a weak man .

M an was made to support man , the world

leans and upholds itself, and the man who does all the upholding and is too proud to do any o f the leaning has a crank o f foolishness in his

brain , a pride that is a veritable weakness Rubinstein possesses a profoundly sens i t i ve

and nervous temperament , a temperament which

- o f to day sends him into the heights ecstacy , to — morrow into the depths o f despair oftenest now — the latt er and he delights in assuring his friends

that he is a cynic and a pessimist .

is By nature , however, he anything but this ;

his music tells us that , and his laugh alone gives

it the lie direct . When Schopenhauer cries o u t

to o f us in the bitter agony his pessimism , we

o r know it is true ; when Swift , with his keen 1 0 146 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

pointed irony and grim smileless visage , moves by us , we feel it without words at all , but with — Rubinstein never. A passing whim , a caprice, a triﬂing failure in everyday life o f his plans ; — such is his pessimism no more .

At the same time , Rubinstein is far from being a happy man but between unhappiness

i i and pess m sm what a vast difference ; in fact ,

’ Ol a se Rubinstein is but , even as Raleigh was Ol a se when he wrote those beautiful lines o f his on the melancholy , distaste , and disappointment

o n following all satisﬁed desires . There are

s o o f some natures , and for them , course, life

n t must be wearisome when o miserable .

' o f r Ol e Fifty years artistic life , the virtuoso o f which was o ne long series o f enthusiastic triumphs , with all its brilliance , toil , and worry , is not calculated to leave a man with such a restless ever-soaring imagination as Rubinstein has a philosopher , and Rubinstein is not a philosopher All that life could offer o ne individual has been given him , but it has not satisﬁed him , no more than it satisﬁed Beethoven , Chopin , Schu mann ; but Rubinstein is still more unhappy

fo r than they , for he looks nothing beyond this

148 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

I n public life Rubinstein is simple and u n

r r affected , ve y cou teous , and always at his ease , - although self conscious , ready at any time to be o f o ld use where he can , and a little fashioned

t r iﬂe s in his punctilious attention to .

’ t o H e is a patriot the heart s core , and his patriotism is no mere peg upon which to hang t the sentimentalities , but a solid du y as he sees — it a duty which he fulﬁls faithfully and u m tiringly .

o n al l H e is extremely well read subjects , speaking French , German , Russian , and E ng a lish ﬂuently , and understanding Sp nish and

I talian . H is favourite reading is history and

and o f poetry . Zola is his favourite novelist ,

D e Po u sh the poets , Goethe , H eine , Musset ,

L e r m o nto ff t o kine , , Sco t, Byron , M ilton , M ore ,

Burns , and of course Shakespeare . H e never

o r reads philosophy, and whether Plato Kant ,

o r Aristotle Comte, he looks on all as men who have wasted time .

o ne o r As a friend , can have no one truer warmer ; and although he calls himself a mis a nthr o e p , he is delightfully inconsistent , for the amount of marriage dowers he has given to penniless maidens when he was coining money R UB I NS TE I N A S M A N 149 o n his concert tours is a standing joke amongst his friends . This is his one great grievance now— his

o r present limited stationary income , for the - great pianist composer has a family , and what he has no t only prevents him from spending the proverbial shilling o n the needy applicants that clamorously assail him , but often enough is all too little for what he has to do with it .

N otwithstanding this , Rubinstein has the name of being a millionaire ; but although the great pianist-composer has made great fortunes all his life , he has known how to spend them t L t and give hem away , as isz and Mario did before him . Among the most curious traits in Rubin

’ stein s character are his superstitions ; they are few, but they exist ﬁrmly. Amongst these is

o r o f o u t his horror of travelling , rather setting o n — a journey , either on Friday or Monday two unlucky days as the Russians count them .

Of course it would be curious if Rubinstein , a Russian , were altogether without some fancies but still it is not the less strange to ﬁnd these

o f - with a man his thorough going character, and it is only perhaps when we remember J ohn 1 59 A NT ON R UB I N S TE I N so n counting his steps to arrange that his right foot entered a place ﬁrst , that we can believe it .

o f Chopin , course , was superstitious, as well

. sa w as Mozart Chopin even spirits , like Ben

o u r o w n venuto Cellini , Tasso , and Shelley ; but

’ then Rubinstein s eg o is a much more healthy thing than was that belonging to Chopin , and the very fact o f this superstition in the character o f a man like Rubinstein is to be wondered at

Side by side, however, with all his strength of character is a very remarkable romanticism , a longing and a seeking after the strange and hidden in N ature , and this is not the least of

’ o f Rubinstein s charms . At sixty years age

s o —it nearly leaves him still young, still able to enjoy what younger men have lost all taste for, and what gives to him the poetry in life , the beautiful simplicity which in o ne way o r another we ﬁnd invariably with all great men .

C H A P T E R XV

- RU B I NST EIN NOW ( 1 8 8 8 8 9)

A T present Rubinstein leads a quiet and more or less uneventful life . H e rises every morning

' at seven , when he takes his coffee ; and when he i . s is in St Petersburg , as he every winter ,

’ spring , and autumn , he goes at nine o clock to the Conservatory . Twice in the week there he has a small pianoforte class , twice in the week a class for e nse m Ol e playing, and twice in the week also an orchestral class ; for the rest he superintends the work o f the entire body o f professors ; those having complaints can g o to him each day from

’ o ne till two o clock ; he hears all pupils who are proposed for playing at the fortnightly

o f music evenings the pupils , and personally conducts all examinations . — The course o f the Conservatory one of the 1 5 2 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

— he stiffest in Europe has himself formed , and now there seems every likelihood that Rubin stein will soon be able to go o n to Kiev and

is hO there form a great singing school , as he p ing to do .

E xcept at Peterhof he does not compose, his whole time being given to the Conservatory , where he remains each day from nine till ﬁve ’ o clock , returning very often in the evening after dinner also . I t is very seldom now that Rubinstein plays at

u private ho ses , and never except at those of his

o ne o f oldest friends , of whom is the daughter D e D the Grand uchess H el ne, the Grand uchess

Catherine, where Rubinstein is oftenest to be

o u t heard ; he also rarely or never dines , for he

’ s ix himself keeps open house, and at his o clock

o f dinner one usually ﬁnds a large circle , and , course , whenever they visit St . Petersburg,

o f musical and artistic celebrities all kinds .

After dinner , if there happen to be no concerts , o r no duties for Rubinstein at the Conservatory,

o r he usually enjoys a game at cards , whist W preference . hilst cards are being played tea is served , and at an early hour, eleven usually , after a light supper— which Rubinstein never

1 54 A NTON R UB I NS TE I N

a s im pianist , it is wellnigh impossible that any p r e sa r io should tempt him to come amongst his — admirers a s o f o l d the lion pianist Anton — Rubinstein , therefore his works are all that the public will be concerned with , and these , as years roll o n and as they become known and

r e studied , if they do not efface this great

o f putation Anton Rubinstein the pianist, will long survive it ; fo r in o ne man have been united tw o o f o f o u r the most brilliant geniuses century ,

o f that Anton Rubinstein the pianist , whose wonderful career in all its brilliance , like some

is no w o u r glorious sunset, fast fading from view ,

o f and that Anton Rubinstein the composer,

so whose genius , unnoticed by many , like the sunrise is now in all its strength slowly rising in

o f the horizon Russian art , where it will remain fo r ever o ne o f the brightest orbs o u r century has ever seen .

T H E END

P r i nte d b R . 81 R. LA RK E d i n b u r h y C , g L a e l u l i /I d n F o l io H a n l t y P b s e i . dso m e y B o u nd in

H a -M o r c c lf o o .

I MPRESSI ON L M ED I IT .

MU S ICAL I NSTRUMENTS

H is o r ic Ra e a nd U i u e A S e ie s o f Fi t , r , n q . r fty

P a e s d a w b W LL I AM G BB a nd b e a u i u l t r n y I I , t f lly

in e d in o o u s W h D i i s A . e sc r o b . p r t C l r it p t n y . J

A L o H K NS P . S . . . IP I , nd

n 8 0 0. P r ic 6 I n Cr o w e s .

MU SI CAL STUDI ES

r i ns B FRA A S e rie s o f C o nt ib u t o . y NCI S H U EF

FER A u ho r o f Ric h a r d Wa e a nd the M u s c o f , t gn r i

’ the Fu u r e e tc . t ,

T he S u ie s c o nsis o f B e e o e n C o in o e i n S c o o s t d t th v , h p , F r g h l

( o f M u sic S c o e n a u e Ric a a ne a nd his Rin o f the , h p h r, h rd W g r g

’ Nib l u n The a ne e s i a a t B a ir e u th T e e e nc g , W g r F t v l , hr Fr h

’ ‘ ’ ’ ‘ ’ ’ O e a s B i e s Ca e n Go u no s P o l e u c te M a sse ne t s p r ( z t rm , d y ,

a nd The C a nc e s o f En is e Ro y d e h gl h Op ra .

D NB RGH ' ADAM HARLE B L K E I U : C S AC . I n Cr o w n P r ic e 6 s .

MU SI C AL HI STO R%

B r ie ﬂ Na r r a e d a nd T e c hn c a Disc u sse d i h y t i lly , w t

‘ a Ro o f the Na m e s o f M u s c ia ns a nd the T im e s ll i ,

' “ a nd Plsa c e s o f he i B ir hs a nd D e a hs B S ir t r t t . y

MACFARREN GEOR E A . G .

m H EN Pr o T E QUE .

A C RM G BOOK a nd o ne i c al l o sse sse o f u sic a a s e HA IN , wh h p d m l t t m a y re a d with ple a su r e a nd pro ﬁ t .

MU S ICAL TIMES . So c o mple te in e ve r y impo r ta nt pa rtic u la r a s to fo r m a tho r o u g hly e ia b e r e e r e nc e fo r the s u e n a nd e s e c ia fo r o ne who se e k s fo r in r l l f t d t , p lly l i in n a s e l a s b a e a c s te l g e nt o p i o s w l r f t .

GRAPH IC.

A o u s o r e no u to b e r e a a t a sin e si in it c o n a ins a s lth g h h t g h d g l tt g , t , o ne o u e x e c r o su c a n a u o ri a s Sir Ge o r e M a c fa rr e n a w ld p t f m h th ty g , la r g e a mo u nt o f info rm a ti o n o n a l l the qu e stio ns ne c e ssar y to b e tr e a te d o f u d o f m src in a n intro du c tio n to th e st y u .

BATLE% NEWS .

No u sic ia n o f a n k ind w e e r S n e r o r a e a nd w e e r he m y , h th i g pl y r, h th e x e r c ise s his a e n s i n c u r c o r in the u s c - a s o u to b e i o u t l t h h m i h ll , g ht w th t l in u I t e se r e s a a c e in e e i this ne a tly g o t u p Si x shil g vo l me . d v pl v ry mus ’ C a u s o e a nd u b ic a nd e e ib a ie s o u to a e it o n e i s e e s i h m , p l fr l r r ght h v th r h lv .

OLDHAM CHRONI CLE. A11 lo ve rs o f the highe r mus ic will ha il with de lig ht this mo st inval u ” u e a b le vo l m .

NEW % RK TR BUNE O I . One o f the m o st inte re sting a nd va lu a b le c o ntr ib u tio ns to re c e nt ’ u sic a e a ur e m l lit r t .

D I N B U RGH : ADAM CHARLES B LACK E .