Life of Moscheles
With Selections from his Diaries and Correspondence

The 1873 English translation of a biography of the renowned pianist, composer and friend of Mendelssohn, compiled by his wife.

Charlotte Moscheles (Author), Arthur Duke Coleridge (Edited and translated by)

9781108077873, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 October 2014

338 pages, 5 music examples
21.6 x 14 x 1.9 cm, 0.43 kg

Born in Prague, pianist and composer Ignaz Moscheles (1794–1870) studied in Vienna and rapidly became a central figure in European musical life. He lived and worked in London for twenty-five years, leaving in 1846 to become principal professor of piano at the Leipzig Conservatoire at the invitation of his great friend Mendelssohn. As a pianist, he was renowned for his incisive technique rooted in the tradition of Clementi, and also much admired for his extempore performances. As a composer his output was mainly for the piano, and his studies are still in use today. First published in 1872–3, this lively biography, compiled from his diaries and letters by his wife Charlotte, records his dealings with and feelings about many great musicians of the nineteenth century. Reissued here is the 1873 English translation by Arthur Duke Coleridge, founder of the Bach Choir. Volume 2 covers 1836 to 1870, and includes a list of works.

1. Letters from members of the Mendelssohn family
2. Recitals for pianoforte music
3. Historical concerts
4. Ferdinand David
5. Letter to a friend
6. The Philharmonic Society
7. The Bunsen family
8. Operatic arrangements
9. New year in Austria and England
10. Dresden
11. Leipzig negotiations
12. Life and society in Leipzig
13. Commemorations of Mendelssohn
14. Moscheles and his pupils
15. Madame Sontag
16. The new Erard
17. Madame Lind-Goldschmidt
18. Centenary of Mozart's birth
19. Ovation to Concertmeister David
A complete catalogue of compositions by Moscheles
Index of names.

Subject Areas: Classical music [c 1750 to c 1830 AVGC4]