Leonard Rose was part of the celebrated Istomin-Stern-Rose trio

The argument

Leonard Rose helped form the Istomin-Stern-Rose trio in 1961, and the argument for his standing rests on the company he kept and on what he did within it. This trio was made up of some of the most established soloists in their respective instruments, so admission to it was itself a judgement passed by peers of the highest rank. Rose's affiliation with the trio therefore means, on this account, that he was one of the best cellist players to exist, because the evaluation was made by musicians in a position to make it, and made at the time rather than in retrospect. The group's purpose raises the bar further. It was formed to explore and reinvent the fundamentals that defined the piano, cello, and violin repertoire, which is a more demanding brief than performing that repertoire well. The group was wildly famous and well-known for their limited performances due to their schedules as soloists, and it is that double commitment the argument treats as decisive: Leonard Rose's ability to simultaneously balance his career as a soloist along with the best chamber trio is what makes him the greatest cello player of all time, since either role alone would occupy a career. The output supports the reputation rather than resting on it. Rose contributed enormously to the group's success, leading to their prestigious achievements: they had over 200 performances and 19 recorded works, and the group received a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance. Rose was an essential part of the group because of his skills as a cellist. The final piece of evidence is what happened without him. When Rose passed away in 1984, the group disbanded, which proponents read as showing that he was not one interchangeable third of the ensemble but an invaluable musician within it. Therefore, on this view, Rose is the greatest cellist of all time.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Leonard Rose's ability to be a part of a musical group does not make him the greatest cellist of all time. A musician's ability should be measured by their contributions as a solo artist. If an artist's ability was measured by the success of the group, then the Beaux-Arts Trio or Trio di Trieste should have the greatest cellist title, since both groups performed more concerts and lasted longer than the Istomin-Stern-Rose Trio. Therefore, Leonard Rose's achievements while involved in the Istomin-Stern-Rose Trio do not make him the greatest cellist of all time.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Membership of a distinguished group establishes standing among peers rather than pre-eminence over everyone. Being chosen by two celebrated soloists shows he was of their calibre, which the other positions do not deny. [Rejecting P2] The counter-argument on record notes that the ensemble metrics work against the claim: the Beaux Arts Trio and the Trio di Trieste both gave more concerts over longer careers, so if group achievement were the criterion, their cellists would have the stronger case. [Rejecting P3] The trio ending on his death shows that the ensemble was not reconstituted, which is what usually happens when a founding member of a named group dies. It is evidence about the group's identity rather than about comparative cello playing. [Rejecting C] The counter also proposes the criterion the argument avoids — that a player is judged by their own contribution — and on that measure the case would rest on Rose's solo recordings, his tone and his influence as a teacher at Juilliard, none of which the argument mentions.