The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-10-08
AN HOUR WITH RUBINSTEIN.
THE GREAT PIANIST ON MUSIC and
WOMAN'S RIGHTS.


He AnnIyzes his Hearers and Declares
tn. Art OF Music Near Death-Wagncr
a Humbug-singers who Get Thou
sands u Night Willie Composers
Starve. 81:
A reporter of the New York Sun called a
few days ago on Anton Rublnsteln. The ia
nous Russian pianist was comfortably seated
In his room at the Clarendon Hotel.
THE GREAT PIANIST.
s.You smoke ?" Mr.. RubihsteIn said, Offering
the reporter a cigarette.
=. Th ere, reporter : tsrs declined %nDy cs a2sS,n E. 81 presume
Mr.. Rubiastein (iaughinH Yes; but they
are mostly musicians. soIae o flbem are very:
funny. One came this mo4ing and asked me-
whether some compositions which he brought
me we're classical. [ae laughed heartliy.1
Another came to me to telHane that he had In
vented q new theory OF m9aical composition;
posing, which could not but revOlutiOnize the
music of the world. [He laughed again.
While the great pianist spoke. the reporter
had an opportunity TO scan bis face. What q
| romantic head !! There are rich clusters of
| the blacklist hair around IT. They fall almost
down to his shoulders, and every time his
head moves he has 10 brush his hair out Of
his eyes. It is a brilliant rich setting to a
long, dark face, and 10 8 complexion that
| seems almost bronze. Tie face Is stern and
| rigid. The features SCENE immovable. The
| eyes are OF q pale blue, large and open. They
have a melancholy. lahgnid %lustre, a
steady, slow gaze, which Is Infinitely sad. A
his forehead is high and noble, bis mouth
large and firm, and his nose looks as II it had
been drawn tight, 30 as TO- be as austere as
possible. While he Laughed. his face looked
kindly and good. The lsrge mouth gives 1t al
expression OF frankness snd righteousness.
When the laugh Is over, he face resumes It's
melancholy expression. Hts voice adds to
this expression Of sadness. It is mellow, rich.
and soft as that of q womsR When he speaks
with feeling 1t qnavers anf touches the hear
eE. It sounds as gentle ane sweet as the tun-
Ing Of a harp.
A CONVERSATION. wrrA RUBNsTEIN.
Reporter. Where have fou had the most
apprecistlve audiences?
RublnsteIn. You mean where have | fonnd
the most love for music? There are very few
who are good listeners, who love music and
who understand 1t. They are q very small
percentage. Here there may be FIVE in a
hundred, there six, there seven, perhaps in
some places even ten; but In Pekin as. we'll as
in st. Petersburg, In Paris as well as In New
YORK. It Is still merely a question of percent
age. An artist has always to play 10 an audi
ence, the majority OF which are utterly indif-
erent to music, and and bis playing tedious,
or do not understand It..
Reporter. Do you enjoy playing In public,
or does 1t give you greater pleasure 10 play In
your room when you are alone?
Rublnstein. No; there 70 q great pleasure,
O profound satisfaction In playing before an
audience when you feel that 1t understands
you and feels every note you are playing.
RUBINsrEIN's BATTLE WITH LIFE.
Reporter. Have you had to battle with q
great many difficulties In your career?
Rublnsteln,% (supportlng his head on his arm
and brushing back his black halr.) Yes, as q
| composer, but not as q vlrtuoso. Every COM
| poser who dares to leave the beaten path and
| 90 his own way will have 10 fight q battle, q
very bitter battle, before he will obtain recog-
milton. [ae sroke with o peculiar expression
| of sadness, which seemed to be part Of the
face, yet Took nothing from Its kindness
THE FUTURE OF MUSIC.
Reporter. 1 presume 700 have made the
| future of music q subject OF considerable
study -,
Rubinstein. Yes; but I do not think 1t will
take The direction which Wagner wants 1t to
| lake. Wagner Is q humbug, q cheat. Hum
| bug ia now In fashion, and IL obtains recognt-
| ton In music as well as 1t does In religion, art,
| politics, science, business, society. they are
all governed by humbug. No, its not humbug,
It's cheating, and Wagner mas cheated many
| genius of the age. He has written some very
good thinea, but nothing that Is worth making
such q noise about.
Reporter. What will, In your opinion, be
the future of music?
Rubinetein. | think that music as an art Is
| on the decline. In 9 generation or Two we
| shall have no classical music worth speaking
| Of. The popularlzlng ana oemoeratic celaens
CIV of music will Kill that which is grand and
| noble In music, and the divine art-you will
| live to see twill pass into the hands OF The
| organ.grInder Street music-that is the
| mns,c of the future. They will have In thirty
| or forty years beer gardens where BeethoVen's
| symphonies and Handers oratorios WILL be ex-
| ecuted before a wlne-drinking and cigar
smoking audience.
Is THE ART OF MUSIC DYING ouTt
Reporter. You think The art as the art of
| the few Will die out?
RubiusleIn. Certainly; there are no COM
| posers now, and there will soon be no vlrtuo-
ST.. The opera will be a Thing OF the past be-
| cause there Ia nobody to compose new operas,
| and we cannot hear the same old operas for
| ever. And then-there is the worst OF It,
| there are no s~ingers-[with q terrible empha-
| sIsI-lhere are no singers.
Reporter. Are not Nilsson, Patti, Tletjens
/ great songstresses p?
RubInstsin. Oh, they are pretty singers
Gleblich;] but they are not like Pasta, or Nal
ibrsn or Grisi. [Kindling with enthusiasm.
IT'S very charming, but docking up with his
| dreamy eyss) it Is not that divine art that
| makes q tremble come over you az If cold
| water had been poured over you. You will
say, .Ab, but people will be the same thirty
wears hence; some will have good, some bad
%yyoices.n No, no. There are in history many In
stances where an art has suddenly risen to
| hlph perfection, and then again dwlndled into
worse than mediocrity: as. for instance, paint
Ing 10 Italy. There are still very good things,
many neat things done IN painting; but you
| will admit we have no Raphael, no Rubens,
no MicheaI Angelo. There may be some who
| will say some Interesting things Ia music, as
| there will always be men like Kaulbach who
| will paint an Interesting, though not q grand
or perfect picture. But the music OF the future
| Will be Insignificant when compared with the
/ sublime grandeur of lis past. Talking rapid
". but with the same lmmoVaDle expression
| Of countenauce.] There is really no chance
to say much more. SO many beautiful, so
many sublime things have been said In music
that It's utteranoes will be Insignificant In the
future.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COMPOSER y A
sONGSTER
Reporter. Will It not be q phenomenon If
suddenly all fine voices die out?