The Masters and Their Music / A series of illustrative programs with biographical, / esthetical, and critical annotations

by W. S. B. Mathews

CHAPTER IV.

RUBINSTEIN AND TSCHAIKOWSKY.

ANTON RUBINSTEIN.

For the purposes of the musical amateur and pianist, the two most important of the well-established Russian composers are Rubinstein and Tschaikowsky. It is by no means easy to make up a satisfactory half-program from either composer, and this without in any way disparaging their remarkable genius, which had personal qualities of a very marked character and a richness of musical inspiration in certain directions rarely surpassed. But in both these masters there is an element which is peculiarly Russian; a fondness for force as such, and for stormy passion. Moreover, both composers have in their nature intense contradictions, which render it extremely difficult to compile a short list of pieces in any way satisfactorily representing their individualities.

Anton Rubinstein, as is well known, was one of the most distinguished piano virtuosi who hay appeared since Liszt. He was born, November 28, 1830, at a place called Wechwotynez, and died at Peterhof, near St. Petersburg, November 20, 1894. Soon after his birth his parents settled in Moscow, where his father had a pencil factory. Rubinstein's mother was very musical, and from her he received his earliest instruction, up to his seventh year, when he became a pupil of a local musician named Villoing, who was his only teacher. In 1840 he appeared in Paris, whither his teacher had preceded him, and his talent was fully recognized by the highest authorities, Liszt among others. In compliance with a suggestion of Liszt, he went to Germany to complete his studies, but first undertook a concert tour through Holland, England, Scandinavia, and Germany. In 1844 Rubinstein's parents removed to Berlin in order to give Anton and his younger brother Nicolas a musical education, and the boys became pupils of Dehn, the celebrated contrapuntist. When Anton was about sixteen years old his father's illness recalled the mother to St. Petersburg, and the young musician was left to provide for himself as best he could by giving lessons and by concert engagements, which were very few. In his autobiography he has narrated the dreadful straits to which he was reduced, nearly dying of starvation, and laying the foundation of gastric trouble which lasted him all his life long. In 1848 he settled again at St. Petersburg, where he was so fortunate as to win the patronage of the Grand Duchess Helene. Here he wrote several operas, of which "Dimitri Donskoi" was produced in 1852, and has been performed many times since. In 1863 he founded the Conservatory of St. Petersburg, and remained its director five years. Meanwhile his fame had become very much established as a pianist, through his concert tours in various parts of Europe, and in 1872-1873 he visited America and made a very successful concert tour, a part of which was in association with Theodore Thomas' orchestra. The season in America netted him something less than $60,000, but the tour was a great burden to him in many ways, and after returning to St. Petersburg he resolutely declined most munificent offers to return again to America. He received many favors from the Imperial family of Russia, having been made Imperial Russian Councillor of State and a Knight of the Russian Order of Merit; but after 1890 he declined all public offices, and resided for some years in Dresden.

As a pianist Rubinstein was one of the most remarkable that the history of the instrument has known. He had a beautiful touch, enormous power, and great delicacy. Being of an emotional nature, he sometimes played like an angel, but at other times quite the reverse. It is notorious of him that in the warmth of public performance, false notes were always liable to occur. Yet in spite of them the playing was so essentially musical and genial that it used to be said that the public would rather hear Rubinstein play false notes than hear Bülow play none but right ones.

Rubinstein composed in every department of music. Besides several operas written for the regular theater, he originated a sort of biblical drama, which was, in fact, an oratorio designed to be staged and acted; in other words, a biblical opera. Of Israelitish race, the stories of the Old Testament appealed to him with intense force, and his "Tower of Babel," "The Maccabees," "Sulamith," "Paradise Lost," and, later, "Christus," were very important and interesting works.

He wrote six symphonies, one of which, the famous "Ocean Symphony," was lengthened out from time to time by supplementary movements, so that, at last accounts, it has seven movements, all of which are sometimes played. He wrote a large amount of chamber music and a great many piano pieces of every sort. As a composer for the piano he was extremely unequal. In the vast volume of his works will be found an immense amount of noisy, stormy, unsatisfactory music. Yet many of these works, which as wholes are repugnant to almost every person of good taste, contain beautiful ideas which with a different treatment might have given rise to extremely beautiful productions. He is most successful in his smaller creations, such as the Barcarolle, one or two numbers of the series of portraits called Kamennoi-Ostrow, and that famous Staccato Study. He wrote a large number of songs, some of which, upon Russian subjects, are in queer minor scales. Many of them are extremely beautiful.

PETER ILITSCH TSCHAIKOVSKY.

Peter Ilitsch Tschaikowsky, all things considered, was the most important and artistically satisfactory composer of the Russian school. He was born December 25, 1840, and died November 5, 1893, at St. Petersburg. He studied law and entered the Government service, but, showing a marked inclination for music, at the advice of Rubinstein he entered the conservatory as a pupil when he was already eighteen or nineteen years of age. Such was his success in his new field that within a few years he was made professor of harmony in the school, a position which he retained for eleven years. From that time he devoted himself entirely to composition. In his earliest tendencies he was extremely Italian, with a fondness for sweet and sensuous melodies with simple harmonies. Later on he developed a more virile vein, and Riemann well says of him that he "was a highly gifted, true musician, but at the same time a good Russian; hence are found in his works thoughts of almost maidenly delicacy and sentiment and of the most refined construction; yet, side by side with them, others of semi-Asiatic roughness and brutality."

Owing to his having resided at times in Switzerland, Italy, etc., his works were quite soon recognized and played, and the University of Cambridge in 1893 conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Music.

Tschaikowsky was the composer of eleven operas, the first having been produced in 1869 and the last in 1893. All of these, as I understand, were performed, and several of them are standard favorites in the Russian repertory, the most important, perhaps, being "Eugen Onegin," which was also produced at Hamburg in 1892. He wrote six symphonies, of which the last, the so-called "Pathetique," was completed shortly before his death. The Fifth Symphony is a more popular and commanding musical work than any other of its class written since Beethoven. According to the idea of Mr. Theodore Thomas, it is too emotional and dramatic for a symphony; but it is extremely powerful and beautiful music, and the world has recognized it and takes pleasure in paying it honor. Among the most satisfactory of the Tschaikowsky compositions are the songs, which are among the most impassioned and beautiful of recent years; the melodies are flowing and thoroughly vocal, while the harmonies have that singular originality and heart-searching fervor of which Tschaikowsky was the greatest exponent. Many of his orchestral works have been cut for the Aeolian, and persons possessing that convenient instrument can easily explore the treasures of them.

His piano compositions present a very curious contradiction; while the composer produced in one instance a concerto for piano and orchestra, in B-flat minor, which contains extremely strongly marked and productive themes worked out exquisitely for the piano and for the orchestra, his works for piano solo are generally not altogether satisfactory. Possibly this may be due to innovations of style and technic which later will become easy to the players; but at present an easy piece by Tschaikowsky requires more or less preparation. The following program, on the whole, seems to represent his peculiarities with some success:

PROGRAM FROM RUBINSTEIN AND TSCHAIKOWSKY.
Rubinstein:
Tarantelle in B minor.
"Kamennoi-Ostrow," No. 22.
Valse Caprice, in E-flat.
Barcarolle in G major.
"La Melancholic."
"Polka Boheme."
Melodie in F.
Staccato Study in C major.
Tschaikowsky:
Scherzo from Opus 2.
Barcarolle in G minor. Opus 37. No. 6.
Song without Words. In F major. Opus 12.
"Weihnachten" Waltz. Opus 37, No. 1.
Songs (_ad lib._).
Polonaise from "Eugen Onegin," arranged by Liszt. Or
Waltz from "Eugen Onegin," arranged by Pabst.

Excellent four-hand arrangements are to be had of all the orchestral works by Rubinstein and Tschaikowsky. Address the publishers of this work for particulars.