Nikolai Grigoryevich Rubinstein (; – ) was a Russian
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
, conductor, and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
. He was the younger brother of
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein, who founded the Moscow Conservatory.
As a pianist, Rubinstein ran ...
and a close friend of
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...
.
Life
Born to
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
parents in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, where his father had just opened a small factory, Rubinstein showed talent at the keyboard early on. He studied piano first with his mother, and while the family was in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
between 1844 and 1846, he studied piano with
Theodor Kullak
Theodor Kullak (12 September 1818 – 1 March 1882) was a German pianist, composer and teacher.
Background
Kullak was born on 12 September 1818, in Krotoszyn. He began his piano studies as a pupil of Albrecht Agthe in Poznań. He progressed suf ...
and
harmony
In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...
and
counterpoint
In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...
with Siegfried Dehn; during this time both he and his brother
Anton
Anton may refer to: People
*Anton (given name), a list of people with the given name
*Anton (surname), a list of people with the surname
Places
*Anton Municipality, Bulgaria
**Anton, Sofia Province, a village
*Antón District, Panama
**Antón, ...
attracted the interest and support of
Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonie ...
and
Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Meyer Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera ''Ro ...
. When the family returned to Moscow, Nikolai studied with
Alexander Villoing, who also toured with him. He studied medicine to avoid army conscription, graduating from
Moscow University
Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, and six branches. Al ...
in 1855.
As a result of his playing, Rubinstein was welcomed in all the fashionable artistocratic houses in Moscow. He co-founded the Moscow branch of the
Russian Musical Society
The Russian Musical Society (RMS) () was the first music school in Russia open to the general public. It was launched in 1859 by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Anton Rubinstein, one of the few notable Russian pianists and composers of th ...
in 1859 and the
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...
in 1866 with
Prince Nikolai Petrovitch Troubetzkoy, serving as director of the latter until his death in 1881. He hired
Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...
, then newly graduated from the
Saint Petersburg Conservatory
The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory () (formerly known as the Petrograd Conservatory and Leningrad Conservatory) is a school of music in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty member ...
, to teach harmony at Moscow Conservatory. He actively encouraged Tchaikovsky's creative efforts and performed his compositions. Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky had a well-known falling-out over the latter's
First Piano Concerto, but Rubinstein later revised his position and became an ardent champion of the work. Rubinstein conducted the premiere of Tchaikovsky's opera ''
Eugene Onegin
''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (, Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: Евгеній Онѣгинъ, романъ въ стихахъ, ) is a novel in verse written by Alexander Pushkin. ''Onegin'' is considered a classic of ...
'' in 1879. Tchaikovsky wrote his
Piano Trio in A minor in Rubinstein's memory after he died from
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
Rubinstein also conducted and performed music of the nationalistic music group "
The Five" to a much greater degree than his brother. In 1869, when the group's leader,
Mily Balakirev
Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev ( , ; ,BGN/PCGN romanization of Russian, BGN/PCGN romanization: ; ALA-LC romanization of Russian, ALA-LC system: ; ISO 9, ISO 9 system: . ; – )Russia was still using Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in E ...
, was forced to resign as conductor of the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Musical Society, Rubinstein gave Balakirev his support,
playing at concerts of the Free Music School as Balakirev's guest. He also gave the first performance of Balakirev's piano work ''
Islamey
''Islamey: Oriental Fantasy'' (), is a composition for piano by Russian composer Mily Balakirev written in 1869. Harold C. Schonberg noted that ''Islamey'' was "at one time…considered the most difficult of all piano pieces and is still one of ...
'', the work for which he is best known today.
Pianism
Nikolai Rubinstein was generally regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his time, although now his reputation is overshadowed by that of his brother Anton. His pianistic style was quite at odds with that of his fiery brother. He instead opted for a restrained classicism more in line with the musical values of
Clara Schumann
Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...
than
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...
.
Edward Garden
Edward James Clarke Garden (1930 – 23 September 2017), commonly known as Teddy Garden, was a British musicologist and academic. In 1969, he received a PhD from the University of Edinburgh for his thesis on "Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev". He was J ...
writes in the ''New Grove'' (2001), "His performances emphasized salient details of the structure of a piece and revealed great clarity of detail."
[Garden, ''New Grove (2001)'', 21:850.]
According to
Harold C. Schonberg
Harold Charles Schonberg (29 November 1915 – 26 July 2003) was an American music critic and author. He is best known for his contributions in ''The New York Times'', where he was chief music critic from 1960 to 1980. In 1971, he became the fi ...
, Anton Rubinstein is reported to have said that "if Nikolai had really worked on it, he could have been the better pianist of the two."
[Schonberg, 279.] One of Nikolai's pupils,
Emil von Sauer
Emil Georg Conrad von Sauer (8 October 186227 April 1942) was a German composer, pianist, score editor, and music (piano) teacher. He was a pupil of Franz Liszt and one of the most distinguished pianists of his generation. Josef Hofmann called von ...
, wrote a comparison of the two brothers' playing styles in 1895:
It is difficult to say which was the better pianist. In every way as different as the brothers were in personal appearance—the one dark, almost to blackness; the other very fair — so different was their playing. The playing of Nicholas was more like that of Tausig, only warmer and more impulsive. Perhaps Anton Rubinstein was the more inspired player of the two, but he was unequal. Nicholas never varied; his playing both in private and in public was always the same, and he kept up the same standard of excellence.
Students
Nikolai Rubinstein's best-known piano students were
Sergei Taneyev
Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev (, ; – ) was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of musical composition, composition, music theorist and author.
Life
Taneyev was born in Vladimir, Russia, Vladimir, Vladimir Governorate, Russian Empire, to a cultur ...
,
Emil von Sauer
Emil Georg Conrad von Sauer (8 October 186227 April 1942) was a German composer, pianist, score editor, and music (piano) teacher. He was a pupil of Franz Liszt and one of the most distinguished pianists of his generation. Josef Hofmann called von ...
and
Alexander Siloti
Alexander Ilyich Siloti (also Ziloti; Russian: Александр Ильич Зилоти; 9 October 18638 December 1945) was a Russian virtuoso pianist, conductor, and composer.
Biography
Alexander Siloti was born on his father's estate n ...
.
Sauer and Siloti went on to study under
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...
. His other notable pupils included
Ina Lange
Ina Lange ( Forstén; 14 December 1846 – 23 October 1930), also known by her pen names Daniel Sten and Daniel Stern, was a Finnish writer, music historian, pianist and music instructor.
Early life and education
Ina Forstén was born into an u ...
,
Ernst Jedliczka Ernst Jedliczka (24 May 1855 – 3 August 1904) was a Russian-German pianist, piano pedagogue, and music critic. The ''Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition'' stated that Jedliczka "did much to spread Russian music in Germany, placing Russian co ...
and
Henryk Pachulski
Henryk Pachulski (16 October 18592 March 1921)In Russian sources he is given the patronym Albertovich. was a Polish-born pianist, composer and teacher who spent most of his life in Russia.
Of noble birth, he was born the son of a surveyor and f ...
.
As a composer

Rubinstein was also a composer of some note, though Garden dismisses his music as "unimportant.
Among his most popular works is his ''
Tarantella
Tarantella () is a group of various Southern Italy, southern Italian Italian folk dance, folk dances originating in the regions of Calabria, Campania, Sicilia, and Apulia. It is characterized by a fast Beat (music), upbeat tempo, usually in Ti ...
'' in G minor and his
Fantasia
Fantasia may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Fantasia'' (1940 film), an animated musical film produced by Walt Disney
** '' Fantasia 2000'', a sequel to the 1940 film
* ''Fantasia'' (2004 film), a Hong Kong comedy film
* ''Fantasia'' (201 ...
on a Theme by
Schumann
Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...
, both for piano solo. When asked why he did not compose more than he did, he replied that his brother Anton "composed enough for three."
[As quoted in Garden, ''New Grove (2001)'', 21:850.]
Worklist (incomplete)
* Op. 11 - Two mazurkas
* Op. 13 - Bolero
* Op. 14 - Tarentelle in G minor (pub. 1861 for solo piano; pub. 1877 for piano duet; also arranged for 2 pianos)
* Op. 15 - Polka for piano in E-flat major
* Op. 16 - Valse in A-flat major (later arranged for 2 pianos)
* Op. 17 - Scene de Bal (later arranged for 2 pianos)
* WoO - Two Feuilles d'Album
Notes
References
* Garden, Edward, ed. Stanley Sadie, ''New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Second Edition'' (London: Macmilian, 2001), 29 vols. .
* Maes, Francis, tr.
Arnold J. Pomerans and Erica Pomerans, ''A History of Russian Music: From ''Kamarinskaya ''to'' Babi Yar (Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press, 2002). .
* Schonberg, Harold C., ''The Great Pianists'' (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987, 1963). .
Note regarding dedicationof Tchaikovsky's 1st Symphony to Rubinstein
L.A Philharmonicreference to Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky's String quartet No. 1
about Rubinstein's role in founding The Moscow State Conservatory
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubinstein, Nikolai
1835 births
1881 deaths
19th-century classical composers from the Russian Empire
19th-century Russian classical pianists
19th-century deaths from tuberculosis
19th-century male musicians from the Russian Empire
Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery
Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from Judaism
Founders of Russian educational institutions
Jewish classical composers
Jewish classical pianists
Musicians from Moscow
Piano educators
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Russian male classical pianists
Russian Jews
Russian male classical composers
Composers from the Russian Empire
Pianists from the Russian Empire
Music educators from the Russian Empire
Russian Romantic composers
Tuberculosis deaths in the Russian Empire