Mu sic Biogra p hy

Taylor

Philip S. Taylor holds a Single Honors

degree in Russian from the University of
Wales, a postgraduate diploma in technical
translation from Polytechnic of Central London, and is a member of the Institute of Translating and Interpreting, U.K .

In this timely and well-researched

book, [Philip Taylor] has given the
Russian maestro his due after years
of comparative neglect. Bravo!
Edward Garden, Professor of Music
(Emeritus), Sheffield University

INDIANA

University Press

Russian Music Series

Malcolm Hamrick Brown, Founding Editor

A nton rubinstein

Clearly written and highly readable, Taylor

makes available more information about the
life of Rubinstein than any previous compilation in any language, presenting material that
can currently only be accessed in Russian.

A nton
rubinstein
A Life in Music
Philip S. Taylor

he first modern biography in English

of the Russian composer-pianist
Anton Rubinstein, this book places
Rubinstein within the context of Russian and
Western European musical culture during the
second half of the nineteenth century, exploring his rise from humble origins in Bessarabia
to staggering international fame, as well as
his subsequent rapid decline and marginalization in later musical culture. Taylor provides a
balanced account of Rubensteins life in three
key areas of activity: his career as a piano virtuoso and conductor, as a composer, and as
the founder of Russias first conservatory.
Widely considered the virtuosic heir to Liszt,
and recognized internationally as an equivalent cultural icon, he performed with most
leading musicians of the day, including Liszt
himself, Joachim, Clara Schumann, Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski, Saint-Sans, and Ysae. In
1859, Rubinstein founded the Russian Music
Society, which led to the establishment of the
St. Petersburg Conservatory three years later.
Among the first students to enroll at the new
conservatory in September 1862 was the young
Tchaikovsky.The relations between Rubinstein
and his most famous pupil are examined in
detail, as are those between Rubinstein and
his younger brother Nikolay, who founded the
Moscow Conservatory in 1866. Rubinstein was
awarded innumerable orders, decorations, and
marks of distinction, and his compositions were
performed all over Europe.

Bloomington & Indianapolis

http://iupress.indiana.edu
1-800-842-6796

INDIANA

Jacket illustration: Postcard of Anton Rubinstein

ca. 1880s. Courtesy Alexander Rabinowitch.