Xavier MITAL, Moscheles and the styles of the past : the reception in France

Abstract

Like Boëly, Moscheles (1794-1870) belongs to the generation of composers at the
transition between Classicism and Romantism. Pianist, celebrated in Paris as in the
other European capitals, praised by Mendelssohn and Schumann, he is acknowledged as one of the most brilliant talents of his time. His reputation as pedagogue
persuades Fétis, who recognizes him as “one of the main founders of the modern
school of piano” to choose him as partner for his Méthode des méthodes de piano
published in Paris. Formed to the musical demands of the old masters, Moscheles
remains throughout his life occupied by a profound consciousness of the past, as the
historic concerts that he organizes in London between 1837 and 1839 make clear. If
some of his works make reference to the tradition, others introduce a new esthetics,
opening the path for the younger Romantics. After studying the position and the
influence of Moscheles in France, the paper attempts at a better understanding of
the importance given by the composer to the heritage of past centuries and at an
analysis of how this cultivation of the past shines through in the style of several
works.