Rubenstein, Anton

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[[Image:rubinstein repin.jpg|thumb|Rubinstein's portrait by [[Ilya Repin]].]]
 
[[Image:rubinstein repin.jpg|thumb|Rubinstein's portrait by [[Ilya Repin]].]]
  
'''Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein''' ({{lang-ru|Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн}}, [[November 28]], [[1829]] – [[November 20]], [[1894]]) was a [[Russia]]n [[pianist]], [[composer]] and [[Conducting|conductor]]. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival to [[Franz Liszt]], and he ranks amongst the greatest keyboard virtuosi.
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'''Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein''' ({{lang-ru|Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн}}) (November 28, 1829 – November 20, 1894) was a [[Russia]]n [[pianist]], [[composer]] and [[Conducting|conductor]]. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival and contemporary of [[Franz Liszt]], and he ranks amongst the greatest of keyboard virtuosi. Anton Rubenstein felt that the realization of true piano performance entailed a principled, [[human being|human]] effort. He lived his life in taking responsibility to inculcate a personal transformation in [[musician]]s and audiences through the illustrious music for the [[piano]].  
 
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== Life ==
 
== Life ==
Rubinstein was born to [[Jewish]] parents in [[Vikhvatinets]] (now in [[Transnistria]], [[Republic of Moldova]]). He learned the [[piano]] from an early age, and made his first public appearance at the age of nine. His teacher, Alexander Villoing, took him to [[Paris]], where he played for Chopin and Franz Liszt, and heard them play. In [[Berlin]], he and his brother [[Nikolai Rubinstein|Nikolai]] studied composition and theory with Siegfried Dehn. Here he met with, and was supported by, [[Felix Mendelssohn]] and [[Giacomo Meyerbeer]]. He then moved to [[Vienna]], where he briefly taught, before returning to Russia in [[1848]] where he worked as a musician to the sister-in-law of the Tsar.
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Rubinstein was born to [[Jewish]] parents in [[Vikhvatinets]] (now in [[Transnistria]], [[Republic of Moldova]]). He learned the [[piano]] from an early age, and made his first public appearance at the age of nine. His teacher, Alexander Villoing, took him to [[Paris]], where he played for Chopin and Franz Liszt, and heard them play. In [[Berlin]], he and his brother [[Nikolai Rubinstein|Nikolai]] studied composition and theory with Siegfried Dehn. Here he met with, and was supported by, [[Felix Mendelssohn]] and [[Giacomo Meyerbeer]]. He then moved to [[Vienna]], where he briefly taught, before returning to Russia in 1848 where he worked as a musician to the sister-in-law of the Tsar.
  
He began to tour again as a pianist in the late [[1850s]], before settling in [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]], where in [[1862]] he founded the [[Saint Petersburg Conservatory|St. Petersburg Conservatory]], the first [[music school]] in Russia. He also continued to make tours as a pianist, and spent a short stint teaching in [[Dresden]] towards the end of his life.
+
He began to tour again as a pianist in the late 1850s, before settling in [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]], where in 1862 he founded the [[Saint Petersburg Conservatory|St. Petersburg Conservatory]], the first [[music school]] in [[Russia]]. He also continued to make tours as a pianist, and spent a short stint teaching in [[Dresden]] towards the end of his life.
  
[[Image:Anton Rubinstein bust altered 2006-07-26 1221CDT PsCSJPG.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Portrait bust of Anton Rubinstein on his grave in [[Tikhvin Cemetery]],[[Saint Petersburg]] ]]
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[[Image:Anton Rubinstein bust altered 2006-07-26 1221CDT PsCSJPG.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Portrait bust of Anton Rubinstein on his grave in [[Tikhvin Cemetery]], [[Saint Petersburg]].]]
Rubinstein died in [[Peterhof]], having suffered from [[heart disease]] for some time. All his life he had felt himself something of an outsider; he wrote of himself in his notebooks -
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Rubinstein died in [[Peterhof]], having suffered from [[heart disease]] for some time. All his life he had felt himself something of an outsider; he wrote of himself in his notebooks:
  
 
''“Russians call me German, Germans call me Russian, Jews call me a Christian, Christians a Jew. Pianists call me a composer, composers call me a pianist. The classicists think me a futurist, and the futurists call me a reactionary. My conclusion is that I am neither fish nor fowl – a pitiful individual”''.
 
''“Russians call me German, Germans call me Russian, Jews call me a Christian, Christians a Jew. Pianists call me a composer, composers call me a pianist. The classicists think me a futurist, and the futurists call me a reactionary. My conclusion is that I am neither fish nor fowl – a pitiful individual”''.
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The street in St. Petersburg where he lived is now named after him.
 
The street in St. Petersburg where he lived is now named after him.
  
== Composition ==
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== Compositions ==
''See also [[List of compositions by Anton Rubinstein]]''
 
[[Image:AntonGRubinstein.jpg|right|framed|Anton Rubinstein - photo from cover of "[[The Etude]]" magazine, March 1913 edition.]]
 
 
Rubinstein was a prolific composer, writing no less than twenty [[opera]]s (notably ''[[Demon]]'', written after [[Lermontov]]'s Romantic poem), five [[piano concerto|piano concerti]], six [[symphony|symphonies]] and a large number of solo piano works along with a substantial output of works for chamber ensemble, two concertos for [[violoncello concerto|cello]] and one for [[violin concerto|violin]], free-standing orchestral works and [[tone poem]]s (including one entitled ''Don Quixote'').
 
Rubinstein was a prolific composer, writing no less than twenty [[opera]]s (notably ''[[Demon]]'', written after [[Lermontov]]'s Romantic poem), five [[piano concerto|piano concerti]], six [[symphony|symphonies]] and a large number of solo piano works along with a substantial output of works for chamber ensemble, two concertos for [[violoncello concerto|cello]] and one for [[violin concerto|violin]], free-standing orchestral works and [[tone poem]]s (including one entitled ''Don Quixote'').
  
Rubinstein's music demonstrates none of the nationalism of [[The Mighty Handful|The Five]], and in fact he spoke out against Russian nationalism, leading to arguments with [[Mily Balakirev]] and others who felt that his establishment of a Conservatory in St. Petersburg would damage Russian musical traditions. In the tirades of the Russian nationalists, the Jewish birth of Anton and his brother was frequently held against them. Nonetheless, it is [[Nikolai Rubinstein]]'s pupil Tchaikovsky who has become perhaps popularly identified with Russia more than any other composer.  
+
[[Image:AntonGRubinstein.jpg|right|framed|Anton Rubinstein, photo from cover of "[[The Etude]]" magazine, March 1913 edition.]]
 +
Rubinstein's music demonstrates none of the nationalism of [[The Mighty Handful|The Five]], and in fact he spoke out against Russian nationalism, leading to arguments with [[Mily Balakirev]] and others who felt that his establishment of a Conservatory in St. Petersburg would damage Russian musical traditions. In the tirades of the Russian nationalists, the Jewish birth of Anton and his brother was frequently held against them. Nonetheless, it is [[Nikolai Rubinstein]]'s pupil Tchaikovsky who has become perhaps popularly identified with Russia more than any other composer.  
  
Following Rubinstein's death, his works began to be ignored, although his piano concerti remained in the repertoire in Europe until the First World War, and his principal works have retained a toehold in the Russian concert repertoire. Falling into no dynamic tradition, and perhaps somewhat lacking in individuality, Rubinstein's music was simply unable to compete either with the established classics or with the new Russian style of Stravinsky and Prokofiev. Rubinstein had consistently identified himself with the more conservative traditions in European music of his time. He had little time for the music of [[Richard Wagner]] and other musical radicals. Mendelssohn remained an idol throughout Rubinstein's life; he often performed his music in his own recitals; his own solo piano music contains many echoes of Mendelssohn, [[Frédéric Chopin]] and [[Robert Schumann]].
+
Following Rubinstein's death, his works began to be ignored, although his piano concerti remained in the repertoire in [[Europe]] until the [[World War I|First World War]], and his principal works have retained a toehold in the Russian concert repertoire. Falling into no dynamic tradition, and perhaps somewhat lacking in individuality, Rubinstein's music was simply unable to compete either with the established classics or with the new Russian style of Stravinsky and Prokofiev. Rubinstein had consistently identified himself with the more conservative traditions in European music of his time. He had little time for the music of [[Richard Wagner]] and other musical radicals. Mendelssohn remained an idol throughout Rubinstein's life; he often performed his music in his own recitals; his own solo piano music contains many echoes of Mendelssohn, [[Frédéric Chopin]] and [[Robert Schumann]].
  
 
Over recent years, his work has been performed a little more often both in Russia and abroad, and has often met with positive criticism. Amongst his better known works are the opera ''The Demon'', his Piano Concerto No. 4, and his Symphony No. 2, known as ''The Ocean''.
 
Over recent years, his work has been performed a little more often both in Russia and abroad, and has often met with positive criticism. Amongst his better known works are the opera ''The Demon'', his Piano Concerto No. 4, and his Symphony No. 2, known as ''The Ocean''.
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==Legacy==
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The legacy of Anton Rubenstein was the prowess he displayed on the piano wherein he could coax a beautiful tone, along with a rhythmic flexibility, from the piano with a dexterious use of the pedal for subtle nuances in chords and tones. He helped to found the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music in the hopes that he could share his talent with any pianist who was disciplined enough to study and practice the piano. Teaching and performing became his lifestyle which greatly influenced the musical culture of Russia.
  
 
== Other Rubinsteins ==
 
== Other Rubinsteins ==
Anton Rubinstein was the brother of the pianist and composer [[Nikolai Rubinstein]], but was no relation to the 20th-century pianist [[Arthur Rubinstein]].
+
Anton Rubinstein was the brother of the pianist and composer [[Nikolai Rubinstein]], but was no relation to the twentieth-century pianist [[Arthur Rubinstein]].
  
 
== References ==
 
== References ==
  
* Barenboim, Lev Aronovich, ''Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein (2 vol.)'', (in Russian), Moscow 1957-62
+
* Barenboim, Lev Aronovich. ''Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein (2 vol.)'', (in Russian). Moscow, 1957-62.
* Khoprova, Tatyana, (ed.), ''Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein'', (in Russian), St. Petersburg 1997 ISBN 5-8227-0029-2
+
* Khoprova, Tatyana, (ed.). ''Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein'', (in Russian). St. Petersburg, 1997. ISBN 5-8227-0029-2
* Reimann, Heinrich, ''Concert von Anton Rubenstein. Programm-Buch, Berlin: Concert-Direction Hermann Wolff'', 1892. OCLC 68632777
+
* Reimann, Heinrich. ''Concert von Anton Rubenstein. Programm-Buch, Berlin: Concert-Direction Hermann Wolff''. 1892. OCLC 68632777
* Rubinstein, Anton Grigorevich, ed. L. Barenboim, ''Literary Works (3 vol.)'', (in Russian), Moscow 1983
+
* Rubinstein, Anton Grigorevich. ed. L. Barenboim. ''Literary Works (3 vol.)'', (in Russian). Moscow, 1983.
* Sachs, Harvey, ''Virtuoso: the life and art of Niccolo Paganini, Franz Liszt, Anton Rubenstein, et al'', NY, NY: Thames and Hudson, 1982. ISBN 0-500-01286-5
+
* Sachs, Harvey. ''Virtuoso: the life and art of Niccolo Paganini, Franz Liszt, Anton Rubenstein, et al''. NY, NY: Thames and Hudson, 1982. ISBN 0-500-01286-5
* Zilberkant, Edward, ''Anton Rubenstein and the 19th century piano sonata'', Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Library, 1996. OCLC 37044467
+
* Zilberkant, Edward. ''Anton Rubenstein and the 19th century piano sonata''. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Library, 1996. {{OCLC|37044467}}
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
*[http://members.chello.nl/mvpaasse/rubinstein.htm Some information on Anton Rubinstein]
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All links retrieved October 30, 2021.
*[http://www.smerus.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/rubinstein.htm Networking Rubinstein - his contacts in his early career]
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*[http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/rubinstein-qt1.htm Soundbites from String Quartet No.1 in G, Op.17 No.1]
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*[http://www.imslp.org/index.php?title=Category:Rubinstein,_Anton Free Public Domain Sheet Music by ''Rubinstein '' at '''IMSLP''']
*[http://www.imslp.org/index.php?title=Category:Rubinstein,_Anton Free Public Domain Sheet Music by ''Rubinstein '' at '''IMSLP''']
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[[Category:Musicians]]
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[[Category:Biography]]
  
[[Category:Music]]
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{{Credit|138021271}}
[[Category:Art, music, literature, sports and leisure]]
 
[[Category:Romantic composers|Rubinstein, Anton]]
 
[[Category:Opera composers|Rubinstein, Anton]]
 

Revision as of 12:06, 30 October 2021

Rubinstein's portrait by Ilya Repin.

Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein (Russian: Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн) (November 28, 1829 – November 20, 1894) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival and contemporary of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the greatest of keyboard virtuosi. Anton Rubenstein felt that the realization of true piano performance entailed a principled, human effort. He lived his life in taking responsibility to inculcate a personal transformation in musicians and audiences through the illustrious music for the piano.

Life

Rubinstein was born to Jewish parents in Vikhvatinets (now in Transnistria, Republic of Moldova). He learned the piano from an early age, and made his first public appearance at the age of nine. His teacher, Alexander Villoing, took him to Paris, where he played for Chopin and Franz Liszt, and heard them play. In Berlin, he and his brother Nikolai studied composition and theory with Siegfried Dehn. Here he met with, and was supported by, Felix Mendelssohn and Giacomo Meyerbeer. He then moved to Vienna, where he briefly taught, before returning to Russia in 1848 where he worked as a musician to the sister-in-law of the Tsar.

He began to tour again as a pianist in the late 1850s, before settling in St. Petersburg, where in 1862 he founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory, the first music school in Russia. He also continued to make tours as a pianist, and spent a short stint teaching in Dresden towards the end of his life.

Portrait bust of Anton Rubinstein on his grave in Tikhvin Cemetery, Saint Petersburg.

Rubinstein died in Peterhof, having suffered from heart disease for some time. All his life he had felt himself something of an outsider; he wrote of himself in his notebooks:

“Russians call me German, Germans call me Russian, Jews call me a Christian, Christians a Jew. Pianists call me a composer, composers call me a pianist. The classicists think me a futurist, and the futurists call me a reactionary. My conclusion is that I am neither fish nor fowl – a pitiful individual”.

The street in St. Petersburg where he lived is now named after him.

Compositions

Rubinstein was a prolific composer, writing no less than twenty operas (notably Demon, written after Lermontov's Romantic poem), five piano concerti, six symphonies and a large number of solo piano works along with a substantial output of works for chamber ensemble, two concertos for cello and one for violin, free-standing orchestral works and tone poems (including one entitled Don Quixote).

Anton Rubinstein, photo from cover of "The Etude" magazine, March 1913 edition.

Rubinstein's music demonstrates none of the nationalism of The Five, and in fact he spoke out against Russian nationalism, leading to arguments with Mily Balakirev and others who felt that his establishment of a Conservatory in St. Petersburg would damage Russian musical traditions. In the tirades of the Russian nationalists, the Jewish birth of Anton and his brother was frequently held against them. Nonetheless, it is Nikolai Rubinstein's pupil Tchaikovsky who has become perhaps popularly identified with Russia more than any other composer.

Following Rubinstein's death, his works began to be ignored, although his piano concerti remained in the repertoire in Europe until the First World War, and his principal works have retained a toehold in the Russian concert repertoire. Falling into no dynamic tradition, and perhaps somewhat lacking in individuality, Rubinstein's music was simply unable to compete either with the established classics or with the new Russian style of Stravinsky and Prokofiev. Rubinstein had consistently identified himself with the more conservative traditions in European music of his time. He had little time for the music of Richard Wagner and other musical radicals. Mendelssohn remained an idol throughout Rubinstein's life; he often performed his music in his own recitals; his own solo piano music contains many echoes of Mendelssohn, Frédéric Chopin and Robert Schumann.

Over recent years, his work has been performed a little more often both in Russia and abroad, and has often met with positive criticism. Amongst his better known works are the opera The Demon, his Piano Concerto No. 4, and his Symphony No. 2, known as The Ocean.

Legacy

The legacy of Anton Rubenstein was the prowess he displayed on the piano wherein he could coax a beautiful tone, along with a rhythmic flexibility, from the piano with a dexterious use of the pedal for subtle nuances in chords and tones. He helped to found the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music in the hopes that he could share his talent with any pianist who was disciplined enough to study and practice the piano. Teaching and performing became his lifestyle which greatly influenced the musical culture of Russia.

Other Rubinsteins

Anton Rubinstein was the brother of the pianist and composer Nikolai Rubinstein, but was no relation to the twentieth-century pianist Arthur Rubinstein.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Barenboim, Lev Aronovich. Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein (2 vol.), (in Russian). Moscow, 1957-62.
  • Khoprova, Tatyana, (ed.). Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein, (in Russian). St. Petersburg, 1997. ISBN 5-8227-0029-2
  • Reimann, Heinrich. Concert von Anton Rubenstein. Programm-Buch, Berlin: Concert-Direction Hermann Wolff. 1892. OCLC 68632777
  • Rubinstein, Anton Grigorevich. ed. L. Barenboim. Literary Works (3 vol.), (in Russian). Moscow, 1983.
  • Sachs, Harvey. Virtuoso: the life and art of Niccolo Paganini, Franz Liszt, Anton Rubenstein, et al. NY, NY: Thames and Hudson, 1982. ISBN 0-500-01286-5
  • Zilberkant, Edward. Anton Rubenstein and the 19th century piano sonata. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Library, 1996. OCLC 37044467

External links

All links retrieved October 30, 2021.

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