More from and about
Artur Rubinstein
(biographical info at bottom of page)
  

I accept life unconditionally.  Life holds so much--so much
to be happy about always.  Most people ask for happiness on condition.
Happiness can be felt only if you don't set conditions.

   

Of course there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings.
  
  
I'm passionately involved in life: I love its change, its color, its movement. To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, to have houses, music, paintings--it's all a miracle.  I have adopted the technique of living life miracle to miracle.


Even when I'm sick and depressed, I love life.
  
  
At every concert I leave a lot to the moment. I must have the unexpected, the unforeseen. I want to risk, to dare. I want to be surprised by what comes out. I want to enjoy it more than the audience. That way the music can bloom anew. It's like making love. The act is always the same, but each time it's different.

      
I was born very, very lazy and I don't always practice very long. but I must say, in my defense, that it is not so good, in a musical way, to overpractice.  When you do, the music seems to come out of your pocket.  If you play with a feeling of 'Oh, I know this,' you play without that little drop of fresh blood that is necessary – and the audience feels it.


The seasons are what a symphony ought to be: four perfect movements in harmony with each other.
   
Life is the game that must be played, this truth at least, good friends, we know; so live and laugh, nor be dismayed as one by one the phantoms go.
     

Sometimes when I sit own to practice and there is no one else in the room,
I have to stifle an impulse to ring for the elevator man and offer him money to come in and hear me.

   

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Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back.
   

At breakfast, I might pass a Brahms symphony in my head.  Then I
am called to the phone, and half an hour later I find it's
been going on all the time and I'm in the third movement.

  

    
Artur Rubinstein (January 28, 1887 – December 20, 1982) was a famous Polish-American pianist, best known for his performances of Chopin and his championing of Spanish music.

Rubinstein was born in Łódź to a Jewish family, and studied in Warsaw. He made his debut in Berlin in 1900, followed by appearances in Germany and Poland and further study with Paderewski. In 1904, he went to Paris, where he met the composers Ravel, Dukas, and Saint-Saëns, and the violinist Jacques Thibaud.

Rubinstein made his New York debut at Carnegie Hall in 1906, and thereafter toured the United States, Austria, Italy, and Russia. In 1912, he made his London debut.

During World War I Rubinstein lived mainly in London, accompanying the violinst Eugčne Ysa˙e. From 1916 to 1917, he toured Spain and South America, developing an enthusiasm for the music of Granados, Albéniz, Villa-Lobos, and de Falla. In 1932 he withdrew from concert life for several years to work on his technique and repertory.

During World War II, Rubinstein lived in the United States and became a naturalized citizen in 1946. He retired from the stage in 1976, as his eyesight was rapidly deteriorating.

Although best known as a soloist, Rubinstein was also an outstanding chamber musician, partnering with Szeryng, Heifetz, Piatigorsky, the Guarneri Quartet. In addition to Chopin, he also recorded the music of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, and Dvořák.

Rubinstein was married in 1932 to Aniela Mlynarska, daughter of conductor Emil Mlynarski. They had four children: their daughter Eva married William Sloane Coffin; their son John Rubinstein is an actor. Though he never divorced, he carried on a series of affairs during his marriage and left his wife for another woman near the end of his life.

Rubinstein died in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1982 at age 95.
  

  

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Yes, life can be mysterious and confusing--but there's much of life that's actually rather dependable and reliable.  Some principles apply to life in so many different contexts that they can truly be called universal--and learning what they are and how to approach them and use them can teach us some of the most important lessons that we've ever learned.
My doctorate is in Teaching and Learning.  I use it a lot when I teach at school, but I also do my best to apply what I've learned to the life I'm living, and to observe how others live their lives.  What makes them happy or unhappy, stressed or peaceful, selfish or generous, compassionate or arrogant?  In this book, I've done my best to pass on to you what I've learned from people in my life, writers whose works I've read, and stories that I've heard.  Perhaps these principles can be a positive part of your life, too!
Universal Principles of Living Life Fully.  Awareness of these principles can explain a lot and take much of the frustration out of the lives we lead.