Arthur Rubinstein: Master of the Romantic Piano
Arthur Rubinstein (28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish and American pianist. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his day, he received international acclaim for his interpretations of classical music, particularly the works of Chopin, and performed in public for eight decades.
Early Life and Education
Arthur Rubinstein was born in Łódź, Congress Poland, on 28 January 1887, to a Jewish family. His father, Izaak Rubinstein, owned a small textile factory. He was the youngest of seven children. His birth name was to be Leo, but his eight-year-old brother insisted he be named Artur, predicting he would become a great musician like a talented neighbor’s son.
At age two, Rubinstein demonstrated absolute pitch and an early fascination with the piano after watching his elder sister’s lessons. By four, he was recognized as a child prodigy. When his father offered him a violin, Rubinstein declined, believing his instinct lay with harmony and polyphony instead. The Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim, upon hearing the four-year-old play, told the family the boy had talent for greatness and offered to supervise his artistic education when the time came for serious study.
Rubinstein made his public debut on 14 December 1894 at age seven, performing pieces by Mozart, Schubert, and Mendelssohn. At ten, he moved to Berlin to continue his studies under Karl Heinrich Barth, whom Joachim had entrusted with his instruction. Barth’s pedagogical lineage traced back through Liszt to Czerny and ultimately to Beethoven. In 1900, at thirteen, Rubinstein gave his first performance with the Berlin Philharmonic.
Career and Achievements
In 1904, Rubinstein moved to Paris to launch his career seriously. There he met composers Maurice Ravel and Paul Dukas, violinist Jacques Thibaud, and performed Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in the composer’s presence. Through the Wertheim family, whose understanding of Chopin inspired him, he formed friendships with violinist Paul Kochanski and composer Karol Szymanowski.
Rubinstein made his New York debut at Carnegie Hall in 1906 and subsequently toured the United States, Austria, Italy, and Russia. His early American reception was poor; by 1908, destitute and hounded by creditors, he attempted suicide in his Berlin hotel room. He later described feeling “reborn” after this crisis, endowed with an unconditional love of life. In 1912, he made his London debut and found a musical home in the salon of Paul and Muriel Draper in Chelsea, where he met Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Casals, Pierre Monteux, and others.
During World War I, Rubinstein remained in London, giving recitals and accompanying violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. In 1916 and 1917, he toured Spain and South America, where he was widely acclaimed and developed a lifelong enthusiasm for the music of Enrique Granados, Isaac Albéniz, Manuel de Falla, and Heitor Villa-Lobos. He was the dedicatee of de Falla’s Fantasía Bética, Villa-Lobos’s Rudepoêma, and Stravinsky’s Trois mouvements de Petrouchka.
Rubinstein was appalled by Germany’s conduct during World War I, particularly atrocities in Belgium, and never played there again after 1914. His dislike intensified after World War II when most of his family in Poland were killed during the Holocaust. In 1919, he toured Great Britain with soprano Emma Calvé and tenor Vladimir Rosing. In 1921, he gave two American tours, traveling to New York with Szymanowski and Kochanski.
In 1934, acknowledging that he had neglected his technique in early years while relying on natural talent, Rubinstein withdrew from concert life for several months of intensive study and practice. He resumed touring the United States in 1937, and during World War II, he lived in Brentwood, Los Angeles, where his career became centered. He became a naturalized US citizen in 1946.
While best known as a recitalist and concerto soloist, Rubinstein was considered an outstanding chamber musician, partnering with Henryk Szeryng, Jascha Heifetz, Pablo Casals, Gregor Piatigorsky, and the Guarneri Quartet. In California, he provided piano soundtracks for several films, including Song of Love with Katharine Hepburn, and appeared as himself in Carnegie Hall and Of Men and Music.
Notable Events and Milestones
Rubinstein’s debut performance occurred on 14 December 1894 at age seven. His first Berlin Philharmonic performance came in 1900. His New York debut at Carnegie Hall in 1906 marked his entry into the American concert scene, though initial reception was poor. The suicide attempt in 1908 became a turning point in his personal outlook and artistic commitment.
His London debut in 1912 established him in a major European musical center. Tours to Spain and South America in 1916 and 1917 expanded his repertoire and introduced him to Spanish and Latin American composers. The 1934 withdrawal for intensive study represented a deliberate reset of his technical foundation. His move to California during World War II and subsequent naturalization as a US citizen in 1946 marked his full integration into American musical life.
Additional Resources
Arthur Rubinstein’s life and career are documented extensively in biographical archives and musical histories. Readers seeking more detailed information about his recordings, specific performances, and the full scope of his artistic contributions can consult Wikipedia’s comprehensive biography and other specialized musical reference sources.
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