Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

180 RUBINSTEIN EUCKEKS
'
Op.
Op.
. 91. SoDgB and Sequiem for Mlguoii
(from Qoethe'a Wil-
aeries of Russian songs.
'
105. A
Voice and PF. B. B.
heliii Melater') for Soloa, 106. 2 String Quartets (Efos. 9,
Chorus, and PP. Senflf.
10, At;, F min.).
2 Sceuua for Contralto and
Orcheatra. No. 1, 'Hecuba'
; No. 2. Hagar In tha
desert.' Senff.
Senff.
9 Books of Mlscellaneoua
108. Sth Trio for PF. and Strlnga
Pieces (12) for PF. aolo.
in C minor.
Senff.
109. Soiriies
SthPF.ConcertoCEb).
Muaicales.
Senff.
9 PF.
4th Symphony, Dramatic pieces,
'
(D miu.). Senff.
110. Eroica, Fantasia for PF.
2ad ConfVrto. Vcello and and Orchestra.
Orch. Sentf,
111. 6th Symphony (A minor).
Sextuorfof String8(D). SenfT, 112. '
Moses,' a Biblical opera in
3rd Sonata. PF. and V. (B
m'in.). Senff.
Quintet. PF. and Strings (G
min.). Senff.
Senff, 1888.
100. 4bh Sonata for PF. solo (A lis. Coacertatticic for PF. and
min.). Seuff.
Orch.
107. 5th Symphony (G min.). In
memory of the Orandduchesa
Hdldne Pauiowna.
8 talileaux. Part I. containing
four tableaux (Bilder),
was published by
101. 12 Songs. Voice and PF,
114. Akroatichon, for PF. solo.
Senff.
102.
115.
Caprice
Songs.
Basse. PF. and
Orch. Seuff.
lie. Concert- overture, 'Antony
103. Bal costumii. Set of ctaaracteriatic
pieces (20) for PF. 117. Christus, Biblical Opera.
and Cleopatra,'
4 hands. B. B.
118. Six PF. aoloa.
Biggie ; Variations ; Etude.
PF. aoio. B. B.
119. Suite in El> for orcheatra, in
aix movemeuta.
Without opua numliera appeared the following ;
Symphonic poem, 'BusaiJ,' Moscow, 1882.
I^ntaaia eroica for orcheatra.
Ouverture aoienneUe, for orchestra, with organ and chorua
(posth.), Tliree l>arcarolles (A minor, &, and C minor).
Pianoforte pieces —
: ' Valse caprice,' E flat, and Ungarische
'
Fhantasie,' ' Bussische Serenade,' ' Phantaaie.' 3 Morceaux caract^rlatiques,'
6 preludes, cadenzas to Beethoven's pianoforte concertoa,
and to Mozart'a concerto in D minor, arrangement of the march
in Beethoveu'a Buina ' of Athena,'
Rubinstein's appearance was remarkable. His
'head was of a very Russian type, without beard
or moustache, but with a thick shock of darkbrown
hair.
We hsbve said that Rubinstein's first visit to
London was in 1842. He was then (jnlyjust
twelve. Mendelssohn and Thalberg were both
here, and the Philharmonic was thus naturally
already occupied. Mention of him is to be
found in Moscheles's Diary for 1842 (Leben, ii.
90), where he is spoken of by that genial master
as 'a rival to Thalberg ... a Russian boy
whose fingers are as light as feathers, and yet
as strong as a man's.' In the Musical and
Dramatic Review of May 28, 1842, he is mentioned.
He did not return to this country till
185,7, when he appeared at the Philharmonic
on May 18, playing his own Concerto in G.
He came back in the following year, played
again at the Philharmonic on June 7, and at
the Musical Union, May 11. In 1869 he came
a fourth time, and played at the Musical Union
only (May 18, June 1). In 1876 he made his
fifth visit, played at the Philharmonic, May 1,
and gave four Recitals in St. James's Hall. In
1877 he again gave recitals, and conducted his
' Ocean ' Symphony (six movements) at the
Crystal Palace, April 21 ; he conducted his
' Dramatic ' symphony, and played Beethoven's
Concerto in G, at the Crystal Palace on June 4,
In 1881 he gave another series of Recitals at
St. James's Hall, his opera The Demon ' ' was
toought out in Italian at Covent Garden on
June 21, and his Tower ' of Babel,' with other
musiOj at the Crystal Palace on June 11. In
May and June 1887, he gave a final set of seven
historical recitals in St, James's Hall,
—
Rubinstein made sundry attempts as a writer
on musical subjects. 'The 'Autobiography'
^oken of above appeared in German to celebrate
his artistic jubilee in 1889, and was translated
into English by Aline Delano in 1890. (See
Mudcal Times, 1891, p. 105.) 'Die Kunst
und ihre Meister' appeared in 1892, as well as
'
Erinnerungen aus 5 Jahren. ' (German transl
in 1895.) A posthumous supplement to 'Die
Kunst,' etc., called 'Gedankeukorb,' was published
posthumously in 1897. Among various
biogi-aphies of Rubinstein may be mentioned
those of "W. Baskin (1886), N. Lissowski
(1889), A. MacArthur (1889), and Sandra
Droucker (1904).
Nicholas, his younger brother, bom at
Moscow, June 2, 1835, was also a fine pianist
and no mean composer, though overshadowed
by the fame of his great brother. He studied
under KuUak and Dehn in Berlin during
1844-46. In 1859 he founded at Moscow the
Russian Musical Society, which gives twenty
concerts each year ; and in 1864 the Conservatoriiim,
and was head of both till his death.. In
1861 he visited England, and played twice at
the Musical Union (June 4, 18). In 1878 he
gave four orchestral concerts of Russian music
. in the Trocadero at Paris with great success.
He died of consumption in Paris, Mar. 23,
1881, on his way to Nice for his health, widely
and deeply lamented. His latest published
work is op. 17—
' Sctee du Bal, Polonaise.'
His best-known piipils are Taneiev, Siloti, and
Sauer. The Musical Society gives annual
concerts in his memory, on the anniversaries of
his birth and death.
RUBINSTEIN, Joseph—no relation to the
foregoing—was born at Staro Konstantinov, in
Russia, Feb. 8, 1847, and acquired some fame as
a pianist and composer of drawing-room music.
He also obtained an unenviable notoriety
through certain newspaper articles in the Sayreuther
Blatter signed with his name, and
attacking Schumann and Brahms in a most
offensive and vindictive manner. He made
some good pianoforte transcriptions of the works
of Wagner, of whom he was an ardent if not
very judicious propagandist. He committed
suicide at Lucerne, Sept. 15, 1884. F. o.
RUCKERS, harpsichord makers of Antwerp,
who were working as masters between 1579 and
1667 or later, the first of whom, Hans Ruckers,
is always credited with great improvements In
keyboard instruments. It is certain that the
tone of the Ruckers harpsichords has never been
surpassed for purity and beauty of tone-colour,
and from this quality they remained in use in
England, as well as in France and the Netherlands,
until harpsichords and spinets were superseded,
at the end of the 18th century, by the
pianoforte. The art of harpsichord making, as
exemplified in London by Kirkman and Shudi,
was directly derived from Antwerp and the
.