Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. His best-known compositions include nine symphonies, five piano concertos, one violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas, 16 string quartets, his great Mass the Missa solemnis, and one opera, Fidelio. Together with Mozart and Haydn, he was part of the First Viennese School. Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father Johann van Beethoven and by composer and conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe. At the age of 21 he moved to Vienna, where he began studying composition with Joseph Haydn, and gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. He lived in Vienna until his death. By his late 20s his hearing began to deteriorate, and by the last decade of his life he was almost totally deaf. In 1811 he gave up conducting and performing in public but continued to compose; many of his most admired works come from these last 15 years of his life.

As a pianist, Rubinstein was one of the greatest virtuosos of the 19th century. His play was both impulsive and intense, making himself the only serious rival of Franz Liszt.

Rubinstein came from a jewish family from southern Podolia, but moved to Moscow at the age of 5 with his family. Three years later, he received his first music education from Alexander Villoing. Together with his brother, he was taught composition by Siegfried Dehn in Berlin from 1844 to 1847. One year later, he moved to St Petersburg where he laid the basis for a professional music practice in Russia: he was the founder of the Russian Musical Society and the Conservatory of St Petersburg, for which he attracted several renowned western teachers.

The nationalistic composers of the Mighty Five around Balakirev responded disappointed. They saw the admiration Rubinstein had for the German music tradition to be delusional and they distanced themselves from the Rubinstein institute. However, musically their difference were less obvious. For example, Tchaikovsky, who was the most famous composer that came from Rubinstein's conservatory, was influenced by both traditions.
Rubinstein wrote in a romantic, western style. His music remained largely neglected throughout the 20th century, but at the end of the 20th century his music revived with some new recordings made available. He composed five piano concertos. From his 19 operas, The Demon, became his best known work, along with his Melody in F op 3, no.1 for piano. Hans von Bülow called him 'the Michelangelo of music'.