He was the younger brother of Anton Rubinstein and a close friend of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Born to Jewish parents in Moscow, where his father had just opened a small factory, Rubinstein showed talent at the keyboard early on.

Tchaikovsky wrote his Piano Trio in A minor in Rubinstein's memory after he died from tuberculosis[2] in Paris.

[1] Nikolai Rubinstein was generally regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his time, although now his reputation is overshadowed by that of his brother Anton.

He instead opted for a restrained classicism more in line with the musical values of Clara Schumann than Franz Liszt.

"[4] One of Nikolai's pupils, Emil von Sauer, wrote a comparison of the two brothers' playing styles in 1895: It is difficult to say which was the better pianist.

[5]Nikolai Rubinstein's best-known piano students were Sergei Taneyev, Emil von Sauer and Alexander Siloti.