Moritz Moszkowski Collection

Moritz Moszkowski was born in Wrocław, Poland in 1854. He demonstrated musical talent early on, beginning his musical training at home until 1865. Moszkowski then moved to Dresden, and began musical study at conservatory. In 1869, Moszkowski moved to Berlin to continue his studies, first with Eduard Franck and Friedrich Kiel, and then with Richard Wüerst and Heinrich Dorn.

In 1873, Moszkowski appeared as a pianist for the first time and launched a touring career shortly after. Within two years, he had achieved great success and was performing his own music in front of well-attended and prestigious audiences. Moskowski maintained a successful career as an exceptional concert pianist, devoted teacher, competent conductor, and brilliant composer.

In 1884, Moszkowski married Henriette Chaminade, the younger sister of Cécile Chaminade. They had two children together. Several years later, the family moved to London where Moszkowski was awarded honorary membership in the Royal Philharmonic Society.

In 1897, Moszkowski moved to Paris, enjoying a successful career as a teacher and composer. By 1908, Moszkowski was suffering from poor health and had become a bit of a recluse. His career slowed greatly over the following decades, and poor financial decisions made at the beginning of World War I caused devastation. Former students of Moszkowski, such as Josef Hofmann and Bernhard Pollack, came to Moszkowski’s aid during these difficult years. Unfortunately, Moszkowski died of stomach cancer on March 3, 1925, before the majority of the aid raised by his friends and admirers could reach him.

As a composer, Moszkowski was quite prolific. He wrote over 200 small scale works for the piano, in addition to two piano concertos. Moszkowski also composed an opera, a symphonic poem, three orchestral suites, a violin concerto, and more.