Moszkowski Moritz, Maurycy, *23 August 1854 Wrocław, †4 March 1925 Paris, German composer, pianist, and conductor. Moszkowski came from a Polish-Jewish family. Maurycy Moszkowski studied in Dresden, then at the J. Stern Conservatory, and Theodor Kullak’s Neue Akademie der Tonkunst in Berlin, where, in 1871, Moszkowski retained post as a piano teacher. After his debut, he began his career as a pianist in 1873. He performed in Berlin, Vienna, Paris, Warsaw (November 1879 and 1886) and London (from 1886). On 3 July 1880, his symphonic poem Jeanne d’Arc was successfully performed in the Swiss Valley Park (Dolina Szwajcarska) in Warsaw. For health reasons, for the next few years Moszkowski devoted himself mainly to composing. He conducted a concert in Warsaw on 12 March 1889, performing, among other things, the introduction and ballet music to his opera Boabdil, der letzte Maurenkönig. The profits from the concert were donated to the construction of the WTM building. At the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw on 1 February 1890, he gave a concert as a composer, presenting his Violin Concerto in C Major, Op. 30 and Suite in G minor, Op. 39 for orchestra. The Polish press compared Moszkowski’s and R. Wagner’s art of conducting. In 1892, Moszkowski led a concert in Vienna on the occasion of the International Exhibition, and in 1893 he was appointed (at the same time as J. Falat) a member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. He moved permanently to Paris in 1897, where he continued his performing and teaching career. In 1903, together with E. Grieg, he took part in the unveiling of Wagner’s statue in London. Moszkowski died almost forgotten. Moszkowski’s brother, Alexander Moszkowski (*15 January 1851 Pilica, †26 September 1934 Berlin) occupied himself with music criticism. He was a well-known author of humoresques and satirical poems, collections of which he published under the pseudonym Anton Notenquetscher.
Moszkowski’s orchestral works were included in the repertoire of many ensembles during the composer’s lifetime. However, the most successful were his piano works, maintained in the virtuoso salon style (including Etincelles, No. 6 from Op. 36), which was later used for performance purposes by the greatest pianists, especially Polish, e.g., J. Śliwiński, W. Landowska, K. Jaczynowska, J. Hofman, Moszowski’s student J. Wertheim, A. Rubinstein, but also V. Horowitz and M. Frager. Moszkowski’s Études and Pensées fugitives works remain in the pedagogical repertoire to this day, which is evident from the large number of editions (e.g., Wybrane utwory dla młodzieży, edited by S. Raube, Krakow 4th edition, 1985).
Literature: A.Ch. Kalischer Moszkowski als Opemkomponist, “Nord und Süd” LXII, 1892; R.M. Longyear Schiller, Moszkowski and Strauss. Joan of Arc’s “Death and Transfiguration”, “The Music Review” XXVIII, 1967; J. Skarbowski Maurycy Moszkowski – artysta europejski, published in: Sylwetki pianistów polskich, Vol. 1.: Od W. Lessla do H. Pachulskiego, Rzeszów 1996; G. Hodos, Transcriptions, Paraphtaseds, Arrengements: The Compositional Art of Moritz Moszkowski, D.M.A. Performance, City University of New York, 2004; B. Assenov Moritz Moszkowski, eine Werkmonographie, Technische Universität, Berlin 2009, published as Moritz Maszkowski (1854–1925), Biographie und Werkverzeichnis, Göttingen, Hainholz Verlag, 2010.
Instrumental:
orchestral works:
Serenata, Op. 15, published in Warsaw circa 1880
Jeanne d’Arc, symphonic poem, Op. 19, piano reduction for four hands, published in Wrocław 1879
Aus aller Herren Ländern suite, Op. 23, 6 works, piano reduction for four hands, Wrocław 1885, No. 1 – Dumka, published in Łódź 1896
Suite in G minor, Op. 39, fragment entitled Intermezzo, piano reduction, published in Wrocław 1891
Suite, Op. 47, fragment entitled Preludio and Intermezzo, piano reduction, published in Wrocław 1891
Fackeltanz, Op. 51, 1893
Don Juan und Faust, Op. 56, 6 works, 1896
Suite, Op. 79
Phantastischer Zug, Preludio e Fuga, Op. 85 for string orchestra, piano reduction for four hands, sheet music supplement “Echo Muzyczne, Teatralne i Artystyczne” 1889
Violin Concerto in C Major, Op. 30, piano reduction and violin part, published by Berlin 1883
2 Konzertstücke (Ballade, Bolero) for violin with orchestra, Op. 16
Piano Concerto in E major, Op 59, in an arrangement for 2 pianos, published in Leipzig 1898
piano works:
Scherzo B-flat major, Op. 1
Albumblatt, Op. 2
Moment musicaux, Op. 3
Hommage à Schumann, Op. 5
Fantasie impromptu, Op. 6
3 Moments musicaux, Op. 7
Humoreske, Op. 14
6 Stücke, Op. 15, Wrocław 1875, J. Heinauer 1877, Serenata No. 1, arrangement for violin and piano, published in Warsaw circa 1880
3 Klavierstückein Tanzform, Op. 17
5 Klavierstücke, Op. 18
Allegro scherzando, Op. 20
Album Espagnol, Op. 21
Thränen, Op. 22
Trois Études de Concert, Op. 24, published in Wrocław 1885, No. 1, Kraków 1958
2 Konzertstücke, Op. 27
Miniatures, Op. 28, published in Wrocław 1885
6 Morceaux, Op. 31
3 Morceaux, Op. 34
Huit morceaux caractéristiques pour piano, Op. 36, published in Wrocław 1891, No. 6 Etincelles, Kraków, 3rd edition 1975
Caprice espagnol, Op. 37, published in Warsaw 1900
Scherzo valse, Op. 40
3 Morceaux poétiques, Op. 42, 1886
Cortège et Gavotte, Op. 43
2 Morceaux, Op. 45
2 Etiudy fortepianowe, Op. 48
Suite for Piano in G major, Op. 50
6 Phantasiestücke, Op. 52
Frühling, Op. 57, 5 works, 1896
Tristesses et sourires, Op. 58, published in Wrocław 1896
3 Mazurkas, Op. 60, 1898
6 Arabesques, Op. 61
Romanse und Scherzo, Op. 62
Ecole des doubles-notes, Op. 64, published in Paris 1901, Krakow 1977
Pensées fugitives, Op. 66, No. 1 and No. 2, published in Warsaw 1902
4 Morceaux, Op. 68, 1902
Valse de concert in F major, Op. 69, 1902
15 Etudes de Virtuosité „Per aspera ad astra”, Op. 72, published in Paris 1903, Krakow 1953, 14th edition 1992
3 Morceaux, Op. 73
Pièces mignonnes, Op. 77, published in Mainz 1907
6 Morceaux, Op. 83
3 Morceaux, Op. 86
3 Morceaux, Op. 87
Grande valse de concert G-flar major, Op. 88, 1912
Tanzmomente, Op. 89, 1912
20 Dexterity and Style Études, Op. 91
6 Morceaux, Op. 93, 1916
12 Etudes, Op. 92 for left hand
for four hands:
5 Waltzer, Op. 8
3 Stücke, Op. 11
Spanische Tänze, Op. 12, published in Berlin circa 1890
Deutsche Reigen, Op. 25
4 Klavierstücke, Op. 33
2 Morceaux, Op. 43
Polnische Volkstänze, Op. 55, published in Leipzig 1895
3 Neue spanische Tänze, published in Leipzig 1923
Kaleidoskop, Op. 74, 1905
Le maitre et l’Elève, Op. 96, 1920
***
Suite for two violins and piano, Op. 71
4 Morceaux for violin and piano, Op. 82
3 Pièces de concert, Op. 29 for cello and piano
Vocal and instrumental:
for voice and piano:
2 Lieder, Op. 9, text by W. Sachs
3 Lieder, Op. 13, text by N. Lenau, H. Heine, J. Wolff
5 Lieder, Op. 22, text by Adalbert von Chamisso
3 Lieder, Op. 26, text by C. Wittkowsky
Scenic:
Der Schäffer putzte sich zum Tanz, Op. 44, a scene from Goethe’s Faust, Op. 44 for voice, choir and orchestra
Boabdil, der letzte Maurenkönig, Op. 49, three-act opera, libretto by C. Wittkowsky based on A. E. Bergh, premiered in Berlin, 24 April 1892
Laurin, Op. 53, ballet, premiered in Berlin 1895, published by Bote & Bocks
theatre music
