Arthur Rubinstein – pianist (b. 28 January 1887 – d. 20 December 1982)
was a Polish and American pianist. Widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his day, he received international acclaim for his interpretations of classical music compositions, particularly Chopin. Rubinstein played in public for eight decades with a vast repertoire consisting of Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Schubert, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, and Schumann, amongst others.
Arthur Rubinstein was born in Lodz, Congress Poland (part of the Russian Empire for the entire time Rubinstein resided there) on 28 January 1887, to a Jewish family. He was the youngest of seven children of Felicja Blima Fajga (née Heiman) and Izaak Rubinstein. His father owned a small textile factory.
Rubinstein's birth name was to be Leo, but his eight-year-old brother claimed that "His name must be Artur. Since Artur X (a neighbour's son) plays the violin so nicely, the baby may also become a great musician!" Thus, he was called Artur, although in English-speaking countries, he preferred to be known as Arthur Rubinstein. His United States impresario Sol Hurok, however, insisted he be billed as Artur, and records were released in the West under both versions of his name.
At age two,...
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