When this book was first published, the author of this book was Russia's greatest living pianist and composer.
ON the 18th of November, 1889, Russia celebrated the Jubilee of her greatest living pianist and composer, Anton Rubinstein. Although from time to time various articles and criticisms on the life and works of the famous musician have been published, the biographical details, often inaccurate, possessed little or no value. It is a well-known fact that Rubinstein has always shown a reluctance to talk about himself or about his musical career. The idea suggested itself that it would be well to ask him to contribute materials for a brief biography. Having gained his consent, a stenographer was engaged to take down from the musician's own lips the story of his life. These notes were afterward read to Rubinstein and corrected under his supervision...Von Bülow once called him the Michael Angelo of music; and Rubinstein has said of himself: "I play as a musician, not as a virtuoso." It is this very sincerity that has won for him an exclusive position among the pianists of the world. When beneath his fingers the piano alternately sings like a human voice or thunders with all the force of an orchestra, it is not easy to realize the limited compass of the instrument. The accounts of the enthusiasm aroused by his playing seem almost fabulous.
In all the great cities of Europe the crowds that collected around the ticket offices, even when fourteen successive concerts had been announced, were so great as to require the presence of the police to preserve order. Among the delighted audiences of St. Petersburg and Moscow, who enjoyed the privilege of listening to his historical concerts, no true lover of music can have failed to appreciate that educational significance which lent to them a double value.
