New-York tribune., 1889-10-20
RUBINSTEIN.
A VISIT TO THE GREAT MUSICIAN WHOSE
JUBILEE Is ABOUT TO OCCUR.

IRON An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or THE TRursxf
ST. Petersburg. October 3.
RubInstein was a surprise TO m. Two gen
erations of music-lovers have been familiar with
his name and with his works. And when an. man
celebrates his iffieth anniversary Of active pro-
fessional life one looks upon Inn as veteran.
So | expected 10 find the grat Russo-Jewsh
tonemaster bearing the visible and outward MARKS
of age and its infrmities. But | was quickly un-
deceived on entering his presence. IL sialwaro
figure rose in greeting, the figure of an athlete or
a soldier; erect, vigorous, muscular HIS had
and face were leonine, more 30 even Tran the
had and face Of LyO'f Tols'oi, who looks more
like humanized lion than anything else
Rubnsteins brow is broad and massive, rugged,
and scanned with thought. lie has rather
swarihy complexion, like that Of Tartar or TURK
rather than of NoDeman, and, indeed, he is OF
Southern blood, having been born near the shores
Of the Black Sea Of jewish -Wallachian parents.
His small eyes are Of piercing intenness, and are
overs allowed by beling brows. His great masses
of almost black hair are scarcely touched with
gray. His beardless face both in featu.e and eS-
preston is almost counterpart OF the Beethoven
of sculptors. His who'e appearance is that Of a
robust man of middle life, so far different from
what / expected that I must have showed SUR
greeted me:
Ah you expected TO see decrepit Old fellow,
ehp Well fifty years do make long tme
to be in the harness, and not many OF my friends
have kept the pace so long. But then, you sea
| began work very young. have been playing
in public for more than half century, but was
only nine when | made my first appearance. SO
you sec that the years of my life arc yet long
way from three score and ten. And think am
good for few years OF service yet
I asked the great musician if he considered his
genius an nheritonce. He replied in the negative,
except, he added, as a certain musical instincs
may be said to be the common heritage of the
entire Jewish race
Ny father said Rubnstein had, believe,
absolutely no taste nor talent for music OF any
description, and would rather have had me follow
in his footsteps as petty provincial merchant.
But my mother loved music, and was clever
amateur pianist. My first instruction was To-
ceved from her. when / was about six years old
We had then moved to Moscow, and there I be-
came the pupil of NJ viloing. lie was French
nan by birth, Russian by adoption, and had
received his musical instruction from John Field,
who was an Irishman. SO YOU can see that I
became thorough cosmopolitan at the very out
set Of my career. Well, ! worked hard, and D
suppose my teacher must have been pretty well
pleased with my progress, for when | was nine
years old he took me concert tour with him.
We went far as Paris, and there for the first
time / met List. / can even now well remember
the kindly words of advice that he gave me.
wanted to enter the Conservatory, but they would
not receive me. However the concert tour was
successful Almost any infant prodigy was bound
to be popular in those days, and there were plenty
Of them, good, bad and Indifferent, before tha
public. SO NJ. Vlloing took around, to
London, TO Amsterdam, TO Copenhagen, TO Berlin,
and goodness knows whore else. Then | came
back TO Moscow for few years, after which my
mother took me and my younger brother Nicholas
10 Berlin. There | studied composition under
Dehn who was also the teacher of Gnka.
:" l only seventeen years old when SET
out alone a music teacher to make my way
in the world. 1 began at Vienna, but soon
returned to Berlin from which the Revolution Of
s4S drove me back to Russia. or course 10
was my ambition to produce a grand opera, and
when was twenty-One / brought my first opera
out at ST. Petersburg. Two years later a very
fortunate event occurred made the acquaintance
of the Grand Duchess Helena. She the wife
of the Grand Duke Michael brother of the En-.
peror She a most accomplished woman,
although not musician and her advice. assist
ance and influence Of the greatest possible
service to me- IL was she who suggested and
assisted me to establish the Musical Society Of
Russia. This was in 1854, when, of course.
was no longer an infant prodigy Then / made
another tour of the European capitals and began
composing in earnest
Through the good offices Of the Grand Duchess
Helena / was made Imperial Concert Director, with
a life pension. But that brilliant position did
not tic me down to the Russian capital. On the
l have been a great traveller. There
is scarcely country on the face of the globe
that | have not visited. and scarcely important
city that / have not played in 1t was in 1874
that | crossed the Atlantic. The voyage was a
one, first, because Of my charming
one of whom was the prima donna
Pauline Lucca; and second, because of nv ex.
cruciating seaSickness In the spring of 1881
was in Lisbon, and right in the midst of the one
concert that | gave in that city l received the
news of the assassination of the Emperor Alexan-
der II, who had been my firm friend and valued
patron 1t was under similar circumstances at
Madrid that l heard of the death of my brother
Nicholas
At my request Rubinstein showed me the various
decorations which he has re elved. There was
large box full of them, many OF them OF alEose
inestimable value but he handed them as though
they were the merest trifes and indeed he Sc ems
TO regard such things very lightly. In Russia,
Rubinstein is a Commander of the Order Of Vladi-
mer; in France he is a Knight of the Legion "a
Honor; in Germany he is Knight Of the Crown
of Prussia in Spain he is Don Antpnio; in Sweden
he wears the Cross OF Gustavus in Denmark the
Order Of Danebrog. When he spoke of the future
tlooll for musical art his tone WIS not hopeful.
He feared that for many years to come the world
would lack both great composers and great per-
formers. OF the musicians OF the past whom he
knew, he spoke with the utmost enthusiasm,
es specally of AlenGs sssohn Schumann and Chopin
are also ranked by him in the highest circle Of
the musical Valhalla.
THE TALE OF WHITE HOUSE RAT-HoLE.
From The Washington Post.