Life Ignaz Moscheles

1 life

1.1 career
1.2 faith , family
1.3 mendelssohn , london period
1.4 leipzig years

life
early career

moscheles born in prague affluent german-speaking jewish merchant family. first name isaac. father played guitar , keen 1 of children become musician. hopes fixed on ignaz s sister, when demurred, piano lessons transferred brother. ignaz developed passion (then revolutionary) piano music of beethoven, mozartean bedřich diviš weber, teacher @ prague conservatory, attempted curb, urging him focus on bach, mozart , muzio clementi.

after father’s death, moscheles settled in 1808 in vienna. abilities such able study in city under albrechtsberger counterpoint , theory , salieri composition. @ time changed first name isaac ignaz . 1 of leading virtuosi resident in vienna during 1814-1815 congress of vienna , @ time wrote enormously popular virtuosic alexander variations, op. 32, piano , orchestra, later played throughout europe. here became close friend of meyerbeer (at time still piano virtuoso, not yet composer) , extemporized piano-duets highly acclaimed. moscheles familiar hummel , kalkbrenner. among virtuosi of 1820s, hummel, kalkbrenner, cramer, herz , weber famous rivals.

while in vienna moscheles able meet idol beethoven, impressed young man s abilities entrusted him preparation of piano score of opera fidelio, commissioned publisher artaria. @ end of manuscript, before presenting beethoven, moscheles wrote words fine mit gottes hülfe ( finished god s ). beethoven approved moscheles s version, appended words o mensch, hilf dir selber ( o man, thyself! ). moscheles s relations beethoven prove important both @ end of beethoven s life.

faith , family

moscheles married charlotte emden (henri lehmann,1837)

moscheles still practising jew in vienna in 1814-15. wife notes member of congregation in vienna, , wrote vienna jewish community oratorio celebrating peace. throughout life, many other musicians of jewish origin, remained close other musicians of similar descent such felix mendelssohn, anton rubinstein, joseph joachim , ferdinand hiller. remained in contact patrons of jewish origin such eskeles family in vienna, leo family in paris, , rothschilds in england. married charlotte embden, daughter of hamburg jewish banker , cousin of heinrich heine, in hamburg synagogue in 1825. nonetheless, after settled in england moscheles became member of church of england.

his children, 2 sons , 3 daughters, baptised @ birth , , wife baptised in 1832. parents painters felix (1833-1917), second son, , serena anna moscheles (1830-1902), second daughter , wife of georg rosen. rosen orientalist brother of friedrich august rosen, friend of mendelssohn, moscheles. granddaughter jelka rosen, painter, married composer frederick delius. moscheles travelled extensively in europe pianist , conductor, settling in london 1825-1846 became co-director of royal philharmonic society in 1832. never disavowed jewish origins , took family visit relatives in prague, of whom had retained jewish allegiances.

mendelssohn , london period

after viennese period there followed moscheles sensational series of european concert tours—it after hearing moscheles play @ carlsbad boy robert schumann fired become piano virtuoso himself. moscheles found warm welcome in london, in 1822 awarded honorary membership of london academy of music (later become royal academy of music). @ end of year wrote in diary feel more , more @ home in england , , had no hesitation in settling there after marriage. moscheles visited of great capitals of europe, making first appearance in london in 1822, , there securing friendship of muzio clementi , johann baptist cramer. moscheles student of muzio clementi.

in march 1823 moscheles paid long visit bath in somerset , started work on piano concerto no. 4 (op.64). on excursion bristol, coleridge says that, moscheles delights in view of bristol channel , adds, can finer first view of welsh mountains clifton? enchanting panorama? place write adagio; blue mountains form such grand background bright channel. piano concerto had first performance, in london, shortly afterwards, on 16 june.

before in 1824 had accepted invitation visit abraham mendelssohn bartholdy in berlin give lessons children felix , fanny. comments on meeting them were: family of have never known. felix, boy of fifteen phenomenon. prodigies compared him? ...he mature artist. elder sister fanny extraordinarily gifted. shortly afterwards wrote: afternoon... gave felix mendelssohn first lesson, without losing sight moment of fact sitting next master, not pupil.

thus began relationship of extraordinary intensity lasted throughout , beyond mendelssohn s life (he died in 1847). moscheles instrumental in bringing felix london first time in 1829 - abraham entrusted felix care visit. moscheles had prepared it. in london, apart becoming regular , successful performer, musical adviser soirées of rothschilds, had become invaluable aid sir george smart , philharmonic society, advising them of talents of european musicians encountered on own concert-tours. when smart himself toured europe in 1825 looking new music , musicians society, moscheles furnished smart list of contacts , letters of introduction, including both beethoven , mendelssohn. (in prague, moscheles s brother acted smart s guide). smart visited mendelssohns in berlin , impressed both felix , fanny. led mendelssohn s invitation conduct @ society on 1829 visit.

in 1827 moscheles acted intermediary between philharmonic society , dying beethoven. helped persuade society send beethoven desperately needed funds during composer s illness. in return, beethoven offered write society (uncompleted) tenth symphony.

mendelssohn s great success in england 1829 until end of life reflected on friend. although moscheles s music being looked on little old-fashioned, heavily in demand music teacher , included amongst pupils many children of rich , aristocratic classes. appointed pianist prince albert , sinecure nevertheless confirmed status.

moscheles never ceased promote music of beethoven , gave many recitals of music: in 1832 conducted london premiere of beethoven s missa solemnis , translated a.f. schindler s biography of beethoven english. exponent of piano recital - concert of music piano alone, innovation of disputed between liszt , moscheles. moscheles notably reintroduced harpsichord solo recital instrument. performed in concert mendelssohn in london (and elsewhere) - 1 great favourite of both musicians bach s concerti multiple keyboard instruments. on these occasions mendelssohn , moscheles renowned vying each other in impromptu cadenzas. performances of three-harpsichord concerto given, on 1 occasion thalberg @ third keyboard, on clara schumann. moscheles appeared conductor, of beethoven.

the leipzig years

moscheles in leipzig

although throughout period moscheles continued write music , travel on concert tours, depended heavily on teaching income, , placed him under considerable stress. when therefore mendelssohn established conservatory @ leipzig in 1843 keen attract friend moscheles there colleague, promising him ample time in schedules concertising , music-making. after several years, moscheles gladly accepted position in 1846. became longstanding , prominent member of conservatory faculty, teaching piano there several decades.

the conservatory became in effect shrine mendelssohn s musical legacy. critic , pianist edward dannreuther, studied under moscheles @ leipzig between 1859 , 1863, later wrote:

[…] whispered 2 old grands in pianoforte-room of conservatorium wont rehearse mendelssohn’s d minor concerto alone themselves, 12.30 on sunday night until cock-crow! force of habit, probably.

it fell moscheles lead counter-attack on wagner after latter s snide attack on mendelssohn (and meyerbeer) in notorious article das judenthum in der musik ( jewry in music ), did requesting resignation conservatory s board of wagner s editor, brendel. mendelssohn, moscheles believed music had reached golden age during period bach beethoven, , suspicious of (although not antagonistic towards) new directions such shown wagner, liszt , berlioz. nevertheless, personal relations of these (except perhaps wagner) remained cordial. mendelssohn legacy in britain meant leipzig conservatory had high reputation amongst english musicians , amongst studied there during moscheles s time arthur sullivan , charles villiers stanford.

moscheles died in leipzig on 10 march 1870, 9 days after attending last rehearsal leipzig gewandhaus orchestra.