The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-05
RUBINSTEIN AND WAGNER.

The Former Thought the Latter Sent
Music "to the Devil and to Chaos.''
His veneration for the classics was al
most fanatical, and for him the last word
had been said in music when Chopin laid
down his pen. In the genius of his con-
temporaries he had absolutely no belief
The compositions of Berhoz he considered
wild and unsatisfactory; Wagner he dis
liked; List as composer had no place in
his respect; and he looked askance at
Tschaikowsky.
Remembering Rubinstein's position as a
composer, at first glance certain sequence
of ideas would lead one to suspect that the
inevitable jealousy commonly supposed to
exist between 1.-TWO of a trade" was at the
bottom of this. But any such suspicion
wrongs Rubinstein. He was not a man of
that sort. For four years I studied his
modes of thought and character infinitely.
/ saw him in many trying positions and
was often surprised to find how little out
disturbed the serenity of his convictions,
and how free he was from those petty ieal-
ousies and weaknesses too often found in
the character of artists, great or small.
In his incapability to appreciate the
composition of his contemporaries Rubin
fact of his acknowledging this incapability
actually shows the honesty of his charac-
ter and convictions, since it was a brave
thing for a man of his position to fly in
the face of the acknowledged and cherished
ideas of his contemporaries, If for no other
reason than for fear of ridicule; and Ru-
binstein was not man to brave ridicule if
he could by any means honorably escape
it.
Rubinstein himself was sometimes puz-
zled, even more than were others, by his
antipathy to the music of his contempora-
ries; and once, while discussing this ques-
ton, he said to me: 81 cannot under
stand it or myself. can seemingly ex-
plain it only by supposing was born too
soon or too late"
The real explanation lies, however, in
the fact that Rubinstein's genius was
essentially lyrical and subjective. He
never tried to paint the emotions in tone
colors as Wagner did. He invariably sang
about them and of them without ever
thinking of creating their musical proto-
types. With him it was song first and
song last and song always. Therefore he
differed from Wagner and failed to under
stand him.
1t was a subject Rubinstein's intimate
friends frequently discussed with him, and
many were the battles fought in the cause.
On one occasion he grew positively angry
and cried out with his usual impatient
toss of the head:
,"You find it good; do not. Wagner
has sent music to the devil and to chaos.
He has been original at the expense of
true art, and all VINO follow him-since
not one in thousand will have his clever
ness-will find themselves in the end only
doomed to wander in a wilderness of bar
renness and darkness. Their labors will
produce nothing that can live. As for this
motive business you all rave over, what is
it? Where is the beauty? Can one call it
art? Must a singer come on the boards
with his photograph pinned on his breast
in the shape of q motive? No, and again
no. 1t is false, and so l can only re-
gard it."
When it comes to a matter of opinion
emphatically expressed by great man all
arguments must cease, since of all things
great mans rooted opinion is most diff
cult to remove. The more one works at it
the closer it seems to stick. This was GER
tainly so in Rubinsteins case. He dis
liked Wagner intensely and was sincere in
his dislike
1t was positive pain for him to see his
pupils or those who surrounded him be-
come Wagner enthusiasts; and enthusiasts
all who admire Wagner are bound to be-
come Ihave many times seen him sit at the
symphony concerts in perplexed wonder.
=, w ~ VII uAAuCiAliS dPPlduSe bud6
followed Wagner number. He seemed
unable to grasp the reason, and surely
there was absolutely no sham in his dis
like; 1T came from his very soul.
1t must, however, be rememb ered that
against Wagner the man and Wagner the
composer-even when half Europe was
abusing him-Rubinstein never uttered
word. de was utterly above this. He was
one OF the few artists whose personal dis
likes were limited 1t was against Wagner
the innovator and teacher that he spoke
Alexander Macarthur in the Century for
May.