WEBVTT
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Maurice Levy: This is Maurice Levy speaking to Mrs. Belle Rubenstein for
the Oral History of Music in Pittsburgh project. It's August the 30th,
1991.
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Belle Rubenstein: I think it was at the.
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Levy: When did when did you when do you think you.
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Rubenstein: The 19. About 1914.
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Levy: 1914.
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Rubenstein: I think so. Just about the beginning of the world. World War
one was the World War.
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Levy: World War one started in 1914. That's when you came?
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Rubenstein: Yeah, I think so.
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Levy: And you came from Odessa, Russia. Mhm. Uh. When did you first
become? What was your first contact with music? Did you learn to play the
piano at home or where did you learn to play the piano?
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Rubenstein: Oh. Uh. Let's see. Not.
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Levy: So you were an adolescent and you began to take piano lessons, and
that was your first interest in music, right? About approximately.
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Rubenstein: Yeah, that's. Yeah, I think I was always interested. Right.
Um.
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Levy: But as far as playing an instrument, uh, your first instrument, and
it was the piano as an adolescent.
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Rubenstein: And my family bought a piano. Bought a pit and I bought a very
nice piano. I had very intelligent parents. My father was a cabinet maker.
And he he was the artistic type, kind of a cabinet maker. And he worked
for, uh, uh. Uh. A colonial furniture. Mr. Weberman, do you know that
name?
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Levy: No. It was a colonial art. Furniture? Yeah, yeah. Colonial art
furniture. So you, uh, you grew up and, uh, and then you and then you got
your you carry your interest in music out and your first, would you say
your first real exposure to the music world on any kind of an organized
level was the Y Music Society? Which you said that was a.
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Rubenstein: Oh, um, yeah, I think I was in high school when, um. Uh, I,
uh, was interested and I, I was a member of the Y, and, uh, I think that
that's when they first started the, uh. Oh. Um. I became acquainted with,
uh, with, uh. The executive director of the Y. Um. Well, William Kolodney,
whom I admire immensely.
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Levy: This was when the Y was up in the Hill. Is that right?
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Rubenstein: Um.
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Levy: Or was it on? No.
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Rubenstein: It was on Bellefield Avenue. Yeah. And, um. Uh, and I, I oh, I
admired William Kolodney very much. He was a great man, little fellow. And.
He was the one who started the. He started this Y concert series. And, uh.
And. I.D. Wolf was the chairman.
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Levy: And I.D. Wolf for the people who are listening was was associated
with Kaufmann's. Yeah. Kaufmann's Department Store.
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Rubenstein: Yes. Uh, he was the chairman of this Y. He was very interested
in the. And this and the and this, uh, uh, committee. This Y concert
committee. And that's when we started. And all we had people like, uh.
Well, I was part of it. We had, uh, Ellen, uh, Leonore Elkus. Do you know
that name? She just died.
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Levy: Yeah, she sang at one of the concerts. Yes. I have the program
here.
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Rubenstein: Yes. She sang and, uh, her mother.
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Levy: Was the pianist. Yeah.
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Rubenstein: That's right. And her mother was a great concert, uh, very
fine concert singer and was her mother. And Leonore was on the committee,
and I remember that, um. Uh, one of the meetings, I saw that she was a
pregnant. And I was told that she was carrying triplets. She's going to
have triplets. And. Shortly afterwards. Um. Sure enough. She had triplets.
Uh. I'm not sure. I think one of them, one of them died. But anyway, she.
That was her family at that time. It was so fun.
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Levy: This was back in the 30s, back in the 30s, you, you you were
interested in it before? Uh uh. When you first went on the committee, you
were about 30 years old. Does that sound right when you were? Was I yeah, I
think 1936. I was, uh, well, that's the first notice that I have. It may be
on there sooner, but I have, I have a program here that shows shows 1930.
You may have been on an informally or was it before that?
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Rubenstein: Because. Sure. Because I was just out of high school then.
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Levy: But were you on the committee as such? The formal committee.
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Rubenstein: I was on the committee. Were you. I.D Wolf. Uh uh oh, yes, I
remember that. I used to when I had to go to the. Oh, um, he lived in the
Sewickley, or.
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Levy: Yeah. I.D. Wolf was the chairman. That was in 1930, 1936. And
Charles Rosenbloom was the associate chairman. Yeah.
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Rubenstein: That's right, that's right.
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Levy: Uh huh. The, uh, and uh, it was, uh, wife was on the committee too.
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Rubenstein: Uh.
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Levy: And your husband, of course.
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Rubenstein: No, he wasnt on the committee. He was? Who. I didn't know
that. Oh my goodness. Look. Look at that. What did you get this?
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Levy: Well, I went through some of the back copies of the programs and I
xeroxed my. And that's the first one I was able to find with your name on
it. Now, there may have been an earlier one that I could have missed, but
at least I found that one with your name on it.
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Rubenstein: Oh well, this is later.
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Levy: Mhm. Well.
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Rubenstein: Oh oh, Mrs. Anderson. Well, I'll be darned. Hey, all over the
patrons. Yeah.
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Levy: Um. So the Y started then in 1926? Yeah, that was the first year.
And the first soloist was Efrem Zimbalist. That's right, that's right. Did
you ever meet him?
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Rubenstein: Uh, no. Never met him.
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Levy: And then there were a number. We just have some selected programs in
the early ones. Mischa Levitzki and Joseph Szigeti came in 1927. Yeah.
That's right. Yes. If you if you know any of these people, you tell me what
what you remember of it, okay, okay. And, uh, and of course, uh, in 28, uh,
Segovia. Now, you knew Segovia, but what can you tell us about?
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Rubenstein: Well, he he was a very sweet person, and. Uh, and I was
backstage, and he, uh, he needed a stool for his, uh, for his. He has a
foot, you know, he a foot rest and, uh, no, we didn't have he didn't bring
a stool, so I had to go and try to find one. I found one for him, and we
brought it backstage. A very, very charming man. That's all I remember. And
then he gave a beautiful concert. Then, uh, that evening.
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Levy: He came several times. Oh, yeah. Yes, yes, I think the first one
was, uh, according to this in 1928, and I have that he was also here in
1954, and probably other ones, too. Yeah. And Joseph and Rosina Lévinne.
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Rubenstein: Oh, yeah. Oh, that was a wonderful concert. Um. I don't
remember much about, I don't remember. I met them, but I. That's all. I
don't know anything about them. But that was the very fine. All those
concerts were very great.
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Levy: Erika Morini. 1930. The violinist. Here's one you probably remember
Gregor Piatigorsky.
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Rubenstein: Oh, do I.
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Levy: First time was 1931.
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Rubenstein: Oh, is that so? Piatigorsky. You know, he was a very tall man.
And his his cello looked like a against him. Looked like a violin. You
know.
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Levy: Many people say that, but he used to carry it out with one. Yeah.
And it looked like he was carrying out a viola.
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Rubenstein: Very, very. You know, typically. Well, those Russian men were
all very charming, like Bakaleinikoff. But he was very, very pleasant and
very sweet.
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Levy: Not that he came back in 1932 and Jose Iturbi was there in 31. Jose
Iturbi.
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Rubenstein: Oh, yeah. Oh, that's right, the turbine. Uh huh. Oh, you have
all that there? Yes.
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Levy: Uh, we can we can start with 36, when you were on the committee, and
I think you can you have a recollection of Marian Anderson. Do you remember
that?
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Rubenstein: Oh, do I? Of course.
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Levy: Tell us about.
Rubenstein: When she was so lovely. She was. Uh oh, yes. She came. And at
that time, uh, uh, she could not. They didn't accept her. If she had to
stay somewhere overnight. After the concert. And she could not stay at the
Schenley. They wouldn't have her.
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Levy: The hotels wouldn't wouldn't, uh, they wouldn't accept her. They
called them Negroes then at that time.
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Rubenstein: And they wouldn't accept her. And. Oh, but she gave a most
magnificent. Uh, concert that evening was outstanding. And, uh, during
intermission, I was backstage and, um. May Beegle. You remember the.
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Levy: May Beegle was the promoter. She promoted many concerts.
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Rubenstein: She had. She always had the a, uh, she had a concert series
at, at, uh, Syria Mosque. And she came running in. She had she had, uh, uh,
rejected her in the first place. You know, she didn't she wouldn't accept,
uh, Marian Anderson.
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Levy: Because she was black.
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Rubenstein: Sure. So when she came, when the Marian Anderson came to the Y
and she heard and she heard this magnificent concert, she came running
backstage and she offered her a. Asked her to come the following season,
and she offered her $500 more than whatever she was getting. And we said,
we're very sorry, Miss Beegle, but we have option on her for next season
ourselves, and you cannot have her. And she was the very downcast and. And
she was very, uh, disappointed that she couldn't get her to come the
following season. Well, she of course, she could, could never get her, uh,
you know, she Marian Anderson. Wouldn't even come to to her, you know,
after. And she didn't have anywhere to stay that evening. And one of our
committee members, Mrs.. Um, I even know who it was. Oh, she was a very
prominent woman in Pittsburgh. He mentioned her name. Anyway, she stayed at
her home. And, um. We were all very delighted. She was a charming, lovely
person and her concert was outstanding. Beautiful. And of course, we
brought her back the following year.
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Levy: You were. You were on the committee. What kind of fees did you pay
people and say back in 1936, do you remember what the fees were?
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Rubenstein: Oh, gee. Approximately, I can't recall. No, because I wasn't
interested at that time about when you.
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Levy: Became a when you became the chairman and you were more involved.
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Rubenstein: Well, later on.
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Levy: We can talk about that later, much later on. Here's an interesting
characterization. In that same year, the brilliant young pianist Rudolf
Serkin.
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Rubenstein: Oh, boy. Rudolf Serkin.
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Levy: This is this is maybe his first appearance in Pittsburgh.
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Rubenstein: It was. Oh, yeah. See, all these people were first.
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Levy: And that he just died last year. And this was 55 years ago. He came
to the Y.
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Rubenstein: Uh huh. Uh huh. And then, of course, he came many times
afterwards. But, uh, we our policy was introduced to introduce these
artists who had never been in Pittsburgh. That was our policy at that time.
And all of these came for the first time to Pittsburgh.
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Levy: Jan Peerce came that year? Yeah. Uh huh.
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Rubenstein: And I remember that the. Uh, Rubinstein when he he came for
the first time to Pittsburgh.
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Levy: Arthur Rubinstein.
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Rubenstein: Yeah, he was introduced to Pittsburgh and he was already up in
years, you know, and he never forgot that. He always remembered that the
that we introduced him to Pittsburgh audiences. Uh. And, uh. And I remember
that, uh, he came. Well, he came very often, and, uh, I remember that we,
uh, the. When he came on one of the cases to Concertize. He always raved
about the fact that we introduced him to Pittsburgh audiences. He always
talks about that.
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Levy: Same thing was true with Milstein. Milstein was his first.
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Rubenstein: You know, Milstein looked like a little boy when he came. He
looked so young. And he he really did. He was, you know, he was short and
he looked like. He looked like a youngster.
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Levy: He didn't speak much English, did he?
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Rubenstein: Uh, no. No, he didn't, but, um. And, uh uh. I remember that. I
was told that the following the day after, um, his concert. You know,
nobody paid any attention to him. He was all alone. He was in Pittsburgh
and he was all alone. And, uh, I think he he went to a movie or something
by himself. Nobody, you know.
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Levy: Nobody entertained.
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Rubenstein: Him, you know? Ridiculous. Uh, that's the way we were that
day. Anyway, I remember that. Uh, he. And then in later times the next time
he came. He was more established, he wasn't so new. And I.
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Levy: He already made his New York debut.
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Rubenstein: Yeah, right. Yeah. And he. And I was at a reception at the
Rosenblums. And they were very, very good friends by that time. Milstein
and I remember that after the that evening. Um. And we sat around and he
told stories and, uh, he was very jolly and he told many stories. Oh, yeah,
we had he was.
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Levy: Milstein. A good friend of. He was a good friend of Vladimir
Horowitz. Yeah. Yes. They palled around together in Germany. Yeah. Right.
Uh, they toured together.
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Rubenstein: Mhm. And, uh. And I remember that we spent the most wonderful
evening. Then he talked and he was full of stories. And, you know, there
was a lot of laughter and a lot of I remember what an evening that was. Uh,
that was the Rosenblum's, uh, at their mansion on, uh. Where was she still
living?
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Levy: Is she?
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Rubenstein: She had a stroke. She's very sick.
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Levy: Well, yeah, there are some others. I'm going to just mention these
names, just to jog your memory, if I if I may. Uh, Eugene List, the
pianist.
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Rubenstein: Oh, yeah.
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Levy: Uh huh. 1938. Yeah. Uh.
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Rubenstein: So, did he die?
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Levy: I don't know, I don't know, he. I sounds right.
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Rubenstein: I think the. Let's see. Um. Wasn't his. His wife a violinist.
Eugene List.
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Levy: You got me there. I it sounds right, but I can't, I can't recall.
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Rubenstein: I'm pretty sure.
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Levy: And you brought back you had several times you had or you had Raya
Garbousova, the cellist. Mhm. But uh, yeah. And, and Rudolf Serkin came
with his father in law, Adolf Busch.
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Rubenstein: Right. They came together. He was. That's right.
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Levy: He was married to Busch's daughter.
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Rubenstein: Uh huh. That's right. Mhm. Yeah, I remember that.
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Levy: Uh, here's.
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Rubenstein: Rudolf Serkin, who was a very fine, very interesting.
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Levy: Did you get to talk to him at all?
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Rubenstein: Just, uh. Well, I was at a reception, uh, with him.
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Levy: Uh, he appears to be a shy man.
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Rubenstein: He was very, very shy and very, uh. Quiet, but. And, you know,
uh, he was, uh, uh. He he he. He was a. So, um. What's that word? He was,
uh.
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Levy: Uh, introspective.
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Rubenstein: Well, uh, he he seemed to be, uh. He appreciated everything
that was done. He showed his very sweet. Yeah, he showed his gratitude.
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Levy: Uh, here's a very famous tenor. U.C. Beerling.
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Rubenstein: Oh, Beerling. Oh. He was. He was very. Um. He said he was
modest to very. Yeah. Very modest. And he had. He was quiet. He was. His
voice was just beautiful. And I don't know much about. I don't remember
much about him, but I remember meeting him.
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Levy: With Zino Francescatti?
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Rubenstein: Oh, yeah. Oh, wait. Wait. Francescatti. Um, we had, um, was
he the one.
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Levy: He came the first time in 1939? Mhm.
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Rubenstein: Yeah, well, I that's all I remember about him, that he gave a
beautiful concert, and then I met him. Oh, boy.
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Levy: Well, you had several times. You had Grunsky and Babbitt. Oh, yeah.
They were. Yeah. One of the greats in the world today.
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Rubenstein: Yeah. Oh, absolutely.
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Levy: Um, there are a number of books just trying to go over the more
prominent ones. Uh, and of course, Zinka Milanov, the great soprano.
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Rubenstein: Oh, Zinka. I have to tell you about her. Okay. Um. She was a
very sharp, you know, she was, uh, you know, uh, very self conscious about
herself, you know. She's, uh, she's a big artist, you know. I didn't like
her. I didn't like that type. But anyway, uh, so I was backstage, and, uh.
She, uh, had, um. Uh, I think she had a man. Uh. Accompanist. I'm not sure.
Anyway, they needed somebody to turn pages. So that. So they called this
friend of mine who was a who was a pianist. And she's very good looking
gal. And Zinka Milanov didn't like the idea that this attractive girl was,
uh.
00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:05.000
Levy: She was going to compete with her on the stage.
00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:20.000
Rubenstein: Right. And she looked at her and she says, um. Uh, does she
sing, too? She was very nasty, and I never liked her ever since. I never
liked her.
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:21.000
Levy: That's funny.
00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:24.000
Rubenstein: She was so.
00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:26.000
Levy: It was rather self-centered, huh?
00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:28.000
Rubenstein: Oh, yeah.
00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:33.000
Levy: Yeah. You're going to be a soprano. I think that's probably. That's
not uncommon among sopranos.
00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:48.000
Rubenstein: Oh, sure. But I'll never forget that she was she she resented
the fact that she was on the stage turning pages for her.
00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:53.000
Levy: Here. Here's one that you we've talked about before, Larry Adler and
Paul Draper.
00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:54.000
Rubenstein: Oh, yes.
00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:55.000
Levy: What do you remember?
00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:59.000
Rubenstein: Well, you know, at that time the.
00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:03.000
Levy: Larry Adler played the harmonica and Paul Draper, of course, was a
tap dancer.
00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:12.000
Rubenstein: Yes. And and that was just about the time when all the
upheaval was with, uh, with the McCarthy.
00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:25.000
Levy: Well, that was a little later. He appeared. They appeared several
times. They I think several. The first one was during the war in 1944.
Yeah, yeah. And then and then Adler got in the business after the war.
00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:28.000
Rubenstein: Oh, yeah. Well, that's right, that was not the first time.
00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:30.000
Levy: That's right. You recall their performance?
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.000
Rubenstein: Oh, sure. It was great. It was wonderful.
00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:37.000
Levy: Adler played classical music on the harmonica, didn't he.
00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:50.000
Rubenstein: Did he. He played a double. Uh, the a the Bach uh, the that we
were playing the double double concerto. He was playing both uh, both uh,
by both parts.
00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:53.000
Levy: Parts, parts. And it was double violin concerto.
00:24:53.000 --> 00:25:38.000
Rubenstein: I was never yeah. The violin. I'll never forget that. I was so
I was overwhelmed when he played that. I couldn't believe it. He was great.
He was a real great artist on that harmonica. And when he played that
double concerto, that Bach double concerto, I. I'll never forget that. I
couldn't believe that he could do that. And it was wonderful. And then, of
course, Paul Draper danced. Uh, that was a beautiful concert. But later on
they were in politics and they that, uh, that McCarthy. Did them in.
00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:42.000
Levy: The, uh, Adler had to leave the United States. He did. He went to
Great Britain. Didn't.
00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:43.000
Rubenstein: Right.
00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:45.000
Levy: Like an exile. Yes.
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:47.000
Rubenstein: That's right. Yeah. He stayed there, too.
00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:49.000
Levy: He didn't part. Draper came back to Carnegie Tech.
00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:54.000
Rubenstein: Yeah. That's right. Yeah. He did. Uh huh.
00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:58.000
Levy: Here's the here's one young fella who died young, William Kapell.
00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:00.000
Rubenstein: Oh, yeah.
00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:04.000
Levy: And not too bad. He wasn't around long enough for many people to
have much memories of him.
00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:05.000
Rubenstein: Well, I.
00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:07.000
Levy: Think he died. He died in an airplane accident?
00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:17.000
Rubenstein: Yes. It was a plane accident. Oh, he was a wonderful. Oh, boy.
You have all the the data there.
00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:38.000
Levy: Trying to think of some others. William Primrose, violist. Yeah.
Donald Dixon, the baritone. There were others, but they I guess many of the
people that came performed. And then we never heard of them again. That's
right. Because you had the policy of presenting young talent. Yeah. Not it
wasn't necessarily established a talent.
00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:57.000
Rubenstein: Oh, yeah. Well, look at, uh, well, uh, the story of Isaac
Stern. I'll tell you about that one. Okay. Um. It was at that time.
Passamaneck. Was the executive director. And he our committee.
00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:58.000
Levy: It was Herman Passamaneck.
00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:39.000
Rubenstein: Yeah. Herman. Herman. Our committee was his baby. He he
concentrated on that. He did. He did all the, uh, the, uh, clerical. He had
his secretary do, uh, the clerical work for us. And, uh, he he was just
great. He helped us. Uh, he helped the committee. That was his great
interest. And, um. Uh. Which side was a wait. What was. What did you
mention right now?
00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:47.000
Levy: Uh, we were talking about developing the talent.
00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:55.000
Rubenstein: I had something in mind. Wait. Um. He was. He was going to
leave.
00:27:55.000 --> 00:28:01.000
Levy: Herman Passamaneck was going to leave. Yeah. This is back in the
40s. Yeah, 50s.
00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:02.000
Rubenstein: Oh, well, I don't know.
00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:03.000
Levy: Whatever.
00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:17.000
Rubenstein: Whatever. And, um. That was the beginning of the end of, uh.
Oh. And, uh. At that time. Rosenbaum.
00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:18.000
Levy: Mort Rosenbaum.
00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:19.000
Rubenstein: Mort Rosenbaum.
00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:21.000
Levy: He came and took his place.
00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:56.000
Rubenstein: No. He gave. No. Uh, yes, he did. He he gave he turned it over
to Mort Rosenbaum, the educational department. And that was the worst thing
that could have happened. And I was chairman at the time. And the. The
program chairman at that time was Herman Recht. Another character. And
Herman Recht and Mort Rosenbaum became a team. You know, they.
00:28:56.000 --> 00:29:01.000
Levy: This is after 1953 when you became chairman. Yeah. Mhm.
00:29:01.000 --> 00:30:01.000
Rubenstein: Um. Mort Rosenbaum. Took over and he was the most horrible
character. He gave me such a bad time. He was dreadful and. I think that I
resigned from there. It was awful. After Passamaneck turned everything over
to him and he and Herman Recht. Seem to have an open line between them.
They constantly were in touch with each other and they were, uh uh. Making
plans and, uh, and, uh, our committee was going down, down, down. And the
two of them were running this, uh, business committee.
