Ru
EnE. Khananov
Moritz Moszkowski as a pianist
The present article, for the first time in Russian, addresses an important aspect of the creative biography of the Polish-German composer Moritz Moszkowski (1854–1925) – his career as a pianist. Based on an analysis of a number of foreign sources, it presents information that sheds light on the events, environment, and circle of influences that shaped Moszkowski as a pianist. Previously unexplored in Russian musicology, this topic allows for a more complete understanding of Moszkowski’s artistic profile and a reconsideration of the role of his performing career in relation to his piano études.
Given the brevity of Moszkowski’s career as a pianist (lasting only eight years, from 1872 to 1880, and ending due to the development of several occupational illnesses), as well as his stage fright, the article challenges the widespread view that places him among the ranks of virtuoso pianists such as Friedrich Kalkbrenner or Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Correlation with Moszkowski’s compositional output, particularly the fact that the majority of his études were written after his forced retirement from the concert stage, likewise suggests that his études should not be regarded merely as a means of demonstrating external virtuosity.
The article concludes that Moszkowski’s piano work was characterized by a distinctive and, in some respects, tragic form of artistic altruism. The brilliant virtuosity of his études arose not from self-display but was conceived primarily for the benefit of other musicians – both his own students and pianists of subsequent generations.
Key words
M. Moszkowski, piano étude, pianism, virtuosity, performing activity, Romanticism.
For citation
Khananov E. Moritz Moszkowski as a pianist. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2026. No. 2. Pр. 52–60.
