Pianist Nikolai Rubinstein: biography, creativity and interesting facts

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Nikolai Rubinstein is a popular Russian composer and conductor. Known as one of the founders of the Moscow Conservatory (he served as the first director).

Short biography

Nikolai Rubinstein was born on June 14, 1835 in Moscow in the family of a small manufacturer. Previously, Nikolai's family lived in the small village of Vykhvatintsa (Pridneprovye), but 3 years before the birth of the boy, his parents decided to move to the future capital of Russia.

In the period from 1844 to 1846, Nikolai lived in Berlin with his older brother Anton and his mother.

At the age of 12, Rubinstein and his family returned to Moscow again, where the future musician lived almost until the end of his life.

Who was Nikolai Grigorievich Rubinstein by profession? At the age of 20, the young man graduated from Moscow University and became a lawyer.

Since the whole life of a young man was permeated with music, he toured in parallel with his studies as a lawyer, and in 1858 (3 years after receiving the profession) he decided to devote himself entirely to concert activity.

In 1859, Nicholas made every effort to open a special departmentImperial Russian Musical Society in Moscow.

The reader from the first lines of the article became aware that Nikolai Grigorievich Rubinstein founded. In 1866, a man took the post of director of the same Moscow Conservatory. He held the position until the end of his life.

Prolific for the pianist was 1872, at which time he played a well-known concert in Vienna and organized a concert at the World Music Exhibition in Paris.

The death of this outstanding musician was recorded in 1881 in the capital of France, but the man was buried in Moscow, in the vast Novodevichy cemetery.

Relationship with brother

The Rubinsteins (Anton and Nikolai) have always been quite friendly, as both could not imagine their lives without music.

When Nikolai was 9 years old, he and his brother Anton were moved to Germany, to Berlin, where the boys studied music. At that time, they toured almost all European cities.

Nikolai always took an example from his older brother, even the Moscow Conservatory he created was an attempt to repeat his brother's success. After all, Anton opened a conservatory in St. Petersburg 14 years earlier.

Music activities

Nikolai Rubinstein, interesting facts from whose life you can learn from this article, began his musical activity at the age of 4 under the strict supervision of his mother, and from the age of 7, the boy and his brother were invited to various concert performances asterritory of Russia and in European countries.

During his stay in Berlin, the boy studied with such prominent people as Theodor Kullak (studied the basics of playing the piano and piano) and Siegfried Den (studied the theoretical foundations of music). In Moscow, he moved to study with the famous Russian music teacher Vasily Villuan.

At the age of 23, the young man had already fully decided on his life purpose and left the legal field for the sake of regular concert activity.

In 1859, Nikolai received the post of conductor of symphony orchestras in the department of the Imperial Russian Musical Society.

In 1866 he took up the position of piano teacher at the Moscow Conservatory.

Throughout his life, Rubinstein held about 250 concerts as a conductor. Concerts were held both in Moscow and in other Russian cities.

And in 1870, Nikolai held 33 concerts, and all proceeds were donated to the Red Cross.

Abroad, the man did not like to hold concerts, the only countries for which he made exceptions were Austria and France. But even performing at concerts abroad, he still preferred Russian music, for which he was called an ardent propagandist.

Nikolay preferred to perform already known pieces of music. During his life, he composed only a few pieces and romances for piano playing.

The extraordinary sociability of a musician

Pianist Nikolai Rubinstein always had a speci altalent: he could get along with any person, regardless of his age, gender and outlook on life. That is why in his younger years the musician was invited to join the "young editorial office" of the Moskvityanin magazine published by Pogodin. And then the young man became a member of the artistic circle, whose members were the most prominent creative personalities of that time.

It is noted that in 1859, when Botkin, Tolstoy and Obolensky were developing the project of the Chamber Music Society in Moscow, it was Rubinstein who was seen at its head. Unfortunately or fortunately, life turned out in such a way that Nikolai devoted himself entirely to the Moscow Conservatory.

Development of the Moscow Conservatory under the leadership of Rubinstein

When in 1866 Nikolai Rubinstein, whose biography is full of interesting facts, contributed to the opening of a music conservatory in Moscow and took over as its director, almost no one (even his brother) believed that in this way a man would at least slightly advance the musical sphere in masses.

But a few years later, thanks to the special managerial and organizational skills of the man, the conservatory became the best musical institution not only in Moscow, but in almost all of Russia.

It was Nikolai Rubinstein who contributed to the fact that the conservatory was given the right to teach according to its own curricula - they were developed directly by the teachers of the educational institution. In addition, the only department of ancient Russian church singing in the whole of Russia was created there.

In the team of teachersthe conservatory housed the best composers and musicians of the time.

Litigation

Despite the high achievements of the man in musical terms, not all representatives of the authorities of that time treated Rubinstein with respect. For the slightest mistake, Nikolai was immediately remembered for his belonging to the Jewish people and his low rank.

Especially vividly this attitude manifested itself in the period from 1869 to 1870 during the trial. The trial was connected with the fact that Rubinstein expelled from his office a student who violated all existing rules, a certain P. K. Shchebalskaya. A seemingly insignificant situation turned out to be the subject of a lawsuit due to the fact that this student turned out to be the daughter of a general, and the musician was just a provincial secretary.

The decision of the court was not in favor of Nikolai. The court ruled that Rubinstein, as the lowest in rank, insulted the general's daughter and is now obliged to pay them a fine in the amount of 25 rubles. If Nikolai did not have this money, he would have to spend 7 days in prison.

According to newspaper clippings of that time, almost all Muscovites discussed this case, and only thanks to the intervention of the Senate, the verdict was canceled.

Second Power Showdown

No sooner had Nikolai Rubinstein moved away from the past shame than he was branded as despotism.

In 1879, the Council of Professors of the Moscow Conservatory adoptedthe decision to ban the teacher of this institution, Shostakovsky, from speaking in public in order not to disgrace himself or the conservatory.

But Shostakovsky did not agree with this situation and announced that Rubinstein is a despot and envious, because he does not want a pianist of equal strength to become famous. Shostakovsky's words were reinforced by the fact that he was also the son of a general, and his family was under the patronage of his brother Alexander II.

And again everything went around the second circle. The persecution of the musician began in the newspapers and behind the eyes. Again the Senate had to intervene.

Nikolai Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky

Among the teachers of the Moscow Conservatory, who were among Rubinstein's friends, was the famous Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

When Pyotr Ilyich found out about the persecution of Rubinstein because of alleged despotism and envy, he simply could not tolerate such slander, so he wrote a letter to Russian art critic Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov, who insulted Rubinstein almost the most.

The letter included the following lines: “Where light, benefit and greatest merit open before me, you see only darkness, harm and even some crimes. But I want to tell you that all your accusations directed at Rubinstein are groundless. I worked for 12 years under his leadership, and I'm just incredibly offended to hear vile accusations against a bright person. Such accusations can only lead to Nikolai abandoning his offspring. In terms of his career,in this way he will only move upward, but I do not want the deeds so reverently created by him to perish.”

Pedagogical ability

Many of Rubinstein's students claimed that he was just an incredible teacher, especially in the following moments:

1. Rubinstein believed that students should understand all areas of music, and not focus on just one.
2. Nikolai demanded that the students express their individuality, and not unquestioningly imitate other outstanding personalities.
3. He was demanding. If the student was not ready for the lesson, he loaded him with such a flow of information and tasks that no one would make such an oversight next time.
4. He focused on passion. If a student really likes something, then he will succeed.

The sayings of Rubinstein's students

Despite the severity of the pianist, all the students were delighted with his teaching. This is evident in some of their sayings:

1. E. Sauer: “He had a special flair that allowed him to identify the strengths of each student. He said: to each his own. Each individual talent requires an individual approach, and if it is provided, then the talent will sparkle with bright colors.”
2. A. Siloti: “In the lessons, Nikolai Rubinstein showed us such skill that we involuntarily wanted to achieve at least a small amount of his abilities. At the same time, he played each of his students differently in order to touch individual strings.souls.”

Rubinstein's funeral

Despite the ambiguous attitude towards the pianist during his life, his funeral was indeed honorable.

Street lights were lit throughout Moscow as a sign of mourning. People brought a huge amount of laurel wreaths to the memorial service, and a myriad of flowers were piled near the coffin.

In order for Nikolai Rubinstein, whose brief biography was presented to your attention in the article, to always remain in the memory and hearts of people, Tchaikovsky wrote the a-moll trio “In Memory of a Great Artist” in honor of him.

This man deserves respect, and he really still remains in the heart of every connoisseur of music.