Moszkowski, Moritz

1854-

 

Pianist and composer; born at Breslau, Silesia. He studied first at Breslau and the Conservatory in Dresden, then at Stern's Conservatory and Kullak's Academy in Berlin, in which city he has lived for over thirty years. His first concert, given in Berlin in 1873, was brilliantly successful and was followed by many others in Berlin, Paris, Warsaw and London. In 1897 he went to Paris to live and in 1899 he was made a member of the Berlin Academy. Although primarily a writer of chamber-music, he has produced an opera, Boabdil and a ballet, Laurin. His piano compositions are full of gaiety and life and are very popular Among them are Spanish dances for piano; Concertstucke for violin and piano; a Humoresque; a Tarantella; his piano composition for four hands, entitled From Foreign Parts, in which he portrays vividly the characteristics of various nationalities, Spaniards Hungarians, Russians and Italians. He has also written two orchestral suites, Jeanne d'arc, a symphony in four movements; and Phantastischer Zug for orchestra.

 

His brother, Alexander, born at Pilica, Poland in 1851, is musical critic  of the Deutsches Montagsblatt and joint editor of Berliner Wespen at Berlin and has also written several humorous booklets.