Page "Arthur Rubinstein" Paragraph 19

Rubinstein also had exceptionally developed aural abilities, which allowed him to play whole symphonies in his mind.

" At breakfast, I might pass a Brahms symphony in my head " he said.

" 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.

" This ability was often tested by Rubinstein's friends, who would randomly pick extracts from opera and symphonic scores and ask him to play them from memory.