IGNAZ MOSCHELES

(Mos'-she-lez)

MOSCHELES was born in Prague, May 30, 1794, and died at Leipzig March 10, 1870. He studied piano with Dionys Weber, and at fourteen played a con­certo of his own in public. On the death of his father he went to Vienna, where he studied counterpoint with Albrechtsberger and composition with Salieri. He also enjoyed the friendship of Beethoven. In 1815 he commenced the tour of Eu­rope, and for a decade was known as a virtuoso pianist. It was during this period that he commenced his intimate friendship with Mendelssohn, who studied piano with him. Moscheles was a great favorite in England, and shortly after his marriage, in 1826, he went to live in London, where for ten years he was busy as a teacher, conductor and composer. When Mendelssohn started the Leipzig Conservatory, in 1848, Moscheles became leading piano instructor. He remained until his death, doing work of incalculable value as teacher and adviser of innumerable students. Much of the solid reputation that Leipzig possessed was due to the splendid work of Moscheles. He composed much in the classical style, and his concertos and studies have a permanent place in the musical world. As a pianist he was renowned for his "crisp and incisive touch, clear and precise phrasing and a pronounced preference for minute accentuation." His diary and the testimony of his pupils show him to have been a kindly, genial man, much beloved by all who knew him.