Moritz Moszkowski

Moritz Moszkowski

Moritz (Maurice) Moszkowski (23 August 1854 - 4 March 1925) was a German Jewish^[1] composer, pianist, and teacher of Polish descent. Ignacy Paderewski said, "After Chopin, Moszkowski best understands how to write for the piano". Although little known today, Moszkowski was well-respected and popular during the late nineteenth century.

He was born in Breslau, Prussia (now Wrocław, Poland) and studied music in Breslau, Dresden and Berlin, under Theodor Kullak and others. He was a teacher in Berlin for many years. His pupils included Frank Damrosch, Józef Hofmann, Joaquin Nin, Ernest Schelling and Joaquín Turina. After a successful career as a concert pianist and conductor, he settled in Paris in 1897, where his students included Vlado Perlemuter, Thomas Beecham and, informally, Gaby Casadesus. In 1899 the Berlin Academy elected him a member. He died in Paris, in obscurity and poverty.

He wrote over two hundred small-scale piano pieces, which brought him much popularity–notably his set of Spanish Dances Op. 12 for piano duet (later arranged for solo piano, and for orchestra ^[2]). Today he is probably best known for his fifteen Études de Virtuosité, Op. 72, which have been performed by virtuoso pianists such as Vladimir Horowitz and Marc-André Hamelin. Many of his small but brilliant piano pieces, such as Étincelles (Sparks), are used as encore performances at the end of classical concerts.

Two études attributed to Paul de Schlözer and published by him as Op. 1 (his only known published work), are believed by some historians to have actually been written by Moszkowski. The similarities between de Schlözer’s Étude No. 2 in A flat, Op. 1, No. 2, and the 11th of Moszkowski’s 15 Études de Virtuosité, Op. 72, also in A flat, are striking. However, it may be that these similarities themselves gave rise to the legend that the de Schlözer pieces were written by Moszkowski. The story goes that they were written by Moszkowski, who lost the manuscript in a card game to de Schlözer, who published them as his own works.^[3]

He also wrote larger scale works including the Piano Concerto in E major, Op. 59 (1898), the Violin Concerto in C major, Op. 30, two orchestral suites (Opp. 39, 47), and a symphony titled Jeanne d'Arc, Op. 19.

He wrote the opera Boabdil der letzte Maurenkönig, Op. 49, on the historical theme of the capture of Granada. It was premiered at the Berlin Court Opera on 21 April 1892, and appeared in Prague and New York the following year. It did not stay in the repertoire, but its ballet music was very popular for a number of years. He wrote a three-act ballet Laurin in 1896.

His Suite in G minor for 2 violins and piano, Op. 71 has been recorded by such duos as Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman.

His complete list of works is at List of compositions by Moritz Moszkowski.

His wife was the sister of Cécile Chaminade. His brother Alexander Moszkowski (1851-1934) was a famous writer and satirist in Berlin.

The orchestral opening to his Piano Concerto

In the second movement, the piano plays a variation of the main melody

Media

Selected discography

• The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol. 1 - Moszkowski and Paderewski (Piers Lane)
• Moritz Moszkowski: Piano Music Vol. 1, 2 & 3 (Seta Tanyel)

See also

• List of compositions by Moritz Moszkowski

Notes

External links

• Hyperion Recordings: includes audio samples
• Moritz Moszkowski Suite for 2 Violins & Piano, Op.71-Sound-bites and discussion of work
• Free scores by Moritz Moszkowski in the International Music Score Library Project