A German composer, pianist and conductor whose family came from Poland; born 23 August 1854 in Wrocław; died 4 March 1925 in Paris.
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Moszkowski's family moved to Dresden in 1865 and he enrolled at the local Conservatory. Having moved to Berlin in 1869, he first studied piano under Eduard Frank and composition under Friedrich Kiel at the Stein Conservatory and then piano under Theodore Kullak at his Neue Akademie der Tonkunst. He started teaching at the Akademie at the age of seventeen, and in 1872 took a piano class which he was to run for the following twenty-five years.
Maurycy Moszkowski's career as a pianist began when he was nineteen, with a concert in Berlin in the presence of Franz Liszt. More concerts followed in Berlin, Vienna, Paris, London and Warsaw, the repertoire consisting chiefly of classical and romantic music and including a lot of Frederick Chopin as well as Moszkowski's own compositions. Warsaw first heard his symphonic poem Jeanne d'Arc op. 19 in July 1880.
In the second half of the 1880s his ailing health made him discontinue giving piano concerts and devote himself to composing and conducting. He promoted music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner and Spanish composers (he had a special affection for Spanish music) as well as his own works. In 1889 he conducted an introduction and ballet music for his opera Boabdil, der letzte Maurenkönig op. 49 in a Warsaw concert whose proceeds helped to construct the building of the Warsaw Music Society. In February 1890 he conducted his Violin concerto in C major op. 30 and Suite in G minor op. 39 for orchestra at the Warsaw Teatr Wielki, followed by a concert in Vienna on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition in 1892. In 1893 he was made (with the painter Julian Fałat) member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin. He settled in Paris in 1897 and was made member of the French Academy of Fine Arts in 1899. He took part - with Edvard Grieg - in the ceremony of unveiling Richard Wagner's monument in London in 1903.
The progressing illness put an end to Moszkowski's career, and World War I made him broke as he had invested significant amounts of money into German, Polish and Russian bonds. A concert was held in New York's Carnegie Hall in 1921 with fifteen of the world's finest pianists performing to offer him emotional and material support.
Major compositions:
- Albumblatt op. 2 for piano
- 3 Moments musicaux op. 3 for piano
- Hommage à Schumann op. 5, fantasia for piano
- Fantaisie Impromptu op. 6 for piano
- 3 Moments musicaux op. 7 for piano
- 5 Waltzer op. 8 for piano for 4 hands
- 2 Lieder op. 9 for voice and piano, words by W. Sachs
- 3 Stücke op. 11 for piano for 4 hands
- 5 Spanische Tänze op. 12 for piano for 4 hands
- 3 Lieder op. 13 for voice and piano, words by Nikolaus Lenau, Heinrich Heine and J. Wolff
- 6 Stücke op. 15 for piano (1875)
- 2 Konzertstücke op. 16 for violin and piano
- 3 Klavierstücke in Tanzform op. 17 for piano
- 5 Konzertstücke op. 18 for piano
- Jeanne d'Arc op. 19, symphonic poem (1876)
- Album Espagnol op. 21 for piano for 4 hands
- 5 Lieder op. 22 for voice and piano, words by Adelbert von Chamisso
- Aus aller Herren Ländern op. 23, 6 pieces for piano for 4 hands
- Three concert etudes op. 24 for piano
- Deutsche Reigen op. 25 for piano for 4 hands
- 3 Lieder op. 26 for voice and piano, words by C. Wittowsky
- 2 Konzertstücke op. 27 for piano
- 5 Miniatures op. 28 for piano
- 3 Piéces de concert op. 29 for cello and piano
- Violin concerto in C major op. 30 (1885)
- 6 Morceaux op. 31 for piano
- 4 Klavierstücke op. 33 for piano for 4 hands
- 3 Morceaux op. 34 for piano
- 8 Morceaux caractéristiques op. 36 for piano (1886)
- Caprice espagnol op. 37 for piano
- Suite in G minor op. 39 for orchestra
- Scherzo-Valse op. 40 for piano
- 3 Morceaux poétiques op. 42 for piano (1886)
- 2 Morceaux op. 43 for piano for 4 hands
- Der Schäfer putzte sich zum Tanz op. 44, scene from Johann Wolfgang Goethe's Faust for solo voices, choir and orchestra
- 2 Morceaux op. 45 for piano
- Suite op. 47 for orchestra
- Two concert etudes op. 48 for piano
- Boabdil, der letzte Maurenkönig op. 49, opera in 3 acts after C. Wittowsky (1892)
- Suite in G major op. 50 for piano (1892)
- Fackeltanz op. 51 for orchestra (1893)
- Laurin op. 53, ballet in 3 acts after E. Taubert and E. Graeb (1896)
- 4 Polnische Volkstänze op. 55 for piano for 4 hands
- Don Juan und Faust op. 56, 6 pieces for orchestra (1896)
- Frühling op. 57, 5 pieces for piano (1896)
- Tristesses et sourires op. 58 for piano (1896)
- Piano concerto in E major op. 59 (1898)
- Three mazurkas op. 60 for piano (1898)
- Ecole des doubles-notes op. 64 for piano
- 3 Neue spanische Tänze op. 65 for piano for 4 hands (1900)
- Pensées fugitives op. 66 for piano
- 4 Morceaux op. 68 for piano (1902)
- Concert waltz in F major op. 69 for piano (1902)
- Suite op. 71 na 2 violins and piano
- Fifteen virtuoso etudes "Per aspera ad astra" op. 72 for piano (1903)
- 3 Morceaux op. 73 for piano
- Kaleidoskop op. 74 for piano for 4 hands (1905)
- 10 Piéces mignonnes op. 77 for piano (1907)
- Suite op. 79 for orchestra
- 4 Morceaux op. 82 for violin and piano (1909)
- 6 Morceaux op. 83 for piano
- Preludio e Fuga op. 85 for string orchestra (1911)
- 3 Morceaux op. 86 for piano
- 3 Morceaux op. 87 for piano
- Grand concert waltz in G flat major op. 88 for piano (1912)
- Tanzmomente op. 89 for piano (1912)
- 20 Dexterity and Style Études op. 91 for piano
- 12 Etudes op. 92 for piano for left hand
- 6 Morceaux op. 93 for piano (1916)
- Le Maître et l'Élève op. 96 for piano for 4 hands (1920)
Author: Małgorzata Kosińska, Polish Music Information Center, October 2006