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Moriz Rosenthal

Biography (read more)

Moriz Rosenthal was born on 17 December 1862 in Lemberg, then in the Austrian Empire and now Lviv in Ukraine, into a Jewish family; his father Leo Rosenthal taught at the city’s music academy, and one of his sisters was the painter Marie Rosenthal-Hatschek. He began the piano at eight, and in 1872 entered the academy under its director Karol Mikuli, who had been Chopin’s pupil and the editor of his works. Rosenthal said himself that his legato came down to him from Chopin by that route. In 1875 the family moved to Vienna, where he continued with Rafael Joseffy and made his debut in 1876; a Romanian tour followed and he was appointed court pianist there at fourteen. In 1877-78 he worked with Franz Liszt at Weimar and in Rome, and stayed associated with him until Liszt died in 1886.

Then he took himself off the platform. From 1878 to 1884 he read philosophy and aesthetics at the University of Vienna, among his teachers Franz Brentano and the critic Eduard Hanslick, and only returned to concert life in 1886 — with success in Leipzig, an American debut in Boston in 1888 and an English debut in 1895. In 1903 he published a technical manual with Ludvig Schytte, Schule des hoeheren Klavierspiels, and in 1912 he was made Kammervirtuose to the Austrian emperor. He married the Budapest-born pianist Hedwig Kanner in 1922 and taught at the Curtis Institute from 1926 to 1928. As a Jew he left Europe for the United States in the second half of the 1930s — 1936 by the German account, 1938 by the Encyclopaedia Judaica — and took American citizenship in 1941. From 1939 he ran his own piano school in New York, where he died on 3 September 1946.

The recordings are late work. He made about three hours of them between 1928 and 1942, in his sixties and seventies, for Columbia, Edison, Ultraphon, EMI and RCA Victor, with a set of American Piano Company piano rolls beside them. APR gathered the whole of it, restored by Ward Marston, into The Complete Recordings (Recorded 1928-1942), which is where most of what survives here comes from; the Chopin E minor Concerto with Frieder Weissmann and the Berlin State Opera Orchestra is among the recordings that reached disc.

What the records preserve is a manner of playing rather than a set of effects. Reviewing APR’s complete edition, Gramophone singled out the seductiveness of Rosenthal’s manner at the keyboard; what carries it is a graded legato and a carefully shaped single tone, clearest in the Chopin waltzes and the mazurkas, and by his own account that legato reached him from Chopin himself through Karol Mikuli. It is not an unblemished document. The discs were made by a man in his sixties and seventies, and the German Wikipedia article says plainly that they no longer show the technical infallibility of the young Rosenthal, whose virtuosity had once been enough to draw an admiring notice out of Eduard Hanslick.

The lineage is why the recordings matter beyond their own beauty. Rosenthal was Liszt’s pupil and Chopin’s pupil’s pupil at the same time, and Classics Today’s verdict on the APR set places his artistry above that of every other Liszt pupil on record. He handed the inheritance on directly: his students included Charles Rosen, Jorge Bolet and Robert Goldsand, and the Encyclopaedia Judaica entry says he bequeathed to Rosen the legacy of Liszt’s teaching. Both Rosen and Bolet have pages here; this is where the line they came from can be heard.

The recordings also preserve his own music, which survives nowhere else in his hands — the Papillons, and the Strauss paraphrases, Carnaval de Vienne and the Fantasie um Johann Strauss, which were among his most famous concert numbers. Everything else about Rosenthal reaches us secondhand, through the anecdotes and the celebrated malice of his wit. These three hours are the only place the playing itself can still be heard.

Sources:

Repertoire

Etude Nouvelle in A Flat and Etude in C Major Op. 10: No. 1 (2020 Remaster)— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Concerto in E minor, Op. 11: Allegro maestoso— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Concerto in E minor, Op. 11: Romance. Larghetto— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Concerto in E minor, Op. 11: Rondo. Vivace— Frédéric Chopin
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Prelude in B minor, Op. 28 No. 6— Frédéric Chopin
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Prelude in G major, Op. 28 No. 3— Frédéric Chopin
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Etude in C major, Op. 10, No. 1— Frédéric Chopin
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Etude in G flat major, Op. 10, No. 5— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in C sharp minor, Op. 63 No. 3— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in G major, Op. 67 No. 3— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz in C sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz in E minor, Op. posth.— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz in A flat major, Op. 42— Frédéric Chopin
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My pieszczotka (My Joys) . Song of Chopin— Franz Liszt
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Musical Snuff-Box, Op. 32— Anatol Liadov
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Carnaval de Vienne. Humoresque on Themes by Strauss— Composer not established
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Tarantelle in A flat major, Op. 43— Frédéric Chopin
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Fantasie um Johann Strauss über die Walzer— Moriz Rosenthal
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Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, Op.11: I – Allegro maestoso— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, Op.11: II – Romance (Larghetto)— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, Op.11: III – Rondo (Vivace)— Frédéric Chopin
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Fantasie um Johann Strauss II (1)— Moriz Rosenthal
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Waltz in D-Flat Major, Op. 64 No. 1 “Minute”— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in G Major, Op. 67 No. 1 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz No. 14 in E Minor, Op. Posth, B. 56 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in B Minor, Op. 28 No. 6 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in B Major, Op. 28 No. 11 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in A Major, Op. 28 No. 7 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in F Major, Op. 28 No. 23 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in B Minor, Op. 28 No. 6 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in B Major, Op. 28 No. 11 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in A Major, Op. 28 No. 7 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in F Major, Op. 28 No. 23 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 63 No. 3 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in A-Flat Major, Op. 24 No. 3 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in G Major, Op. 67 No. 1 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 63 No. 3 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in A-Flat Major, Op. 24 No. 3 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in G Major, Op. 67 No. 1 (3)— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op. 42 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op. 42 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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6 Chants polonais, S. 480 (After F. Chopin) (Arr. M. Rosenthal for Piano) : No. 1, The Maiden’s…— Franz Liszt
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6 Chants polonais, S. 480 (After F. Chopin) (Arr. M. Rosenthal for Piano) : No. 1, The Maiden’s…— Franz Liszt
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3 Nouvelles études, Op. Posth., B. 130: No. 3 in D-Flat Major— Frédéric Chopin
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Étude in C Major, Op. 10 No. 1 “Waterfall” (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in B Minor, Op. 28 No. 6 (3)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in A Major, Op. 28 No. 7 (3)— Frédéric Chopin
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Étude in G-Flat Major, Op. 10 No. 5 “Black Keys” (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in B Minor, Op. 28 No. 6 (4)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in A Major, Op. 28 No. 7 (4)— Frédéric Chopin
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Étude in G-Flat Major, Op. 10 No. 5 “Black Keys” (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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6 Chants polonais, S. 480: No. 5, Meine Freuden (After F. Chopin) (1)— Franz Liszt
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Mazurka in B-Flat Minor, Op. 24 No. 4— Frédéric Chopin
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Berceuse in D-Flat Major, Op. 57 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 64 No. 2 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in C Minor, Op. 28 No. 20— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in C Major, Op. 28 No. 1— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in G Major, Op. 28 No. 3 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in E-Flat Major, Op. 28 No. 19— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 64 No. 2 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz No. 14 in E Minor, Op. Posth, B. 56 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Papillons (1)— Moriz Rosenthal
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Mazurka in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 63 No. 3 (3)— Frédéric Chopin
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Étude in G-Flat Major, Op. 10 No. 5 “Black Keys” (3)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 63 No. 3 (4)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 63 No. 3 (5)— Frédéric Chopin
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Étude in G-Flat Major, Op. 10 No. 5 “Black Keys” (4)— Frédéric Chopin
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Étude in C Major, Op. 10 No. 1 “Waterfall” (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in G Major, Op. 67 No. 1 (4)— Frédéric Chopin
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Images, Book 1, L. 110: No. 1, Reflets dans l’eau (1)— Claude Debussy
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Images, Book 1, L. 110: No. 1, Reflets dans l’eau (2)— Claude Debussy
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Iberia, Book 2: III. Triana— Isaac Albéniz
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A Musical Snuffbox, Op. 32— Anatol Liadov
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Preludes in B-Flat Major, Op. 46 No. 1— Anatol Liadov
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Carnaval de Vienne sur des thèmes de Johann Strauss (1)— Moriz Rosenthal
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Fantasie um Johann Strauss II (2)— Moriz Rosenthal
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Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11: I. Allegro maestoso— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11: II. Romanza. Larghetto (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11: III. Rondo. Vivace— Frédéric Chopin
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19 Hungarian Rhapsodies, S. 244: No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor (Cadenza by M. Rosenthal)— Franz Liszt
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Liebesträume, S. 541: No. 3, Nocturne in A-Flat Major— Franz Liszt
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Berceuse in D-Flat Major, Op. 57 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Carnaval de Vienne sur des thèmes de Johann Strauss (2)— Moriz Rosenthal
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6 Chants polonais, S. 480: No. 1, Mädchens Wunsch (After F. Chopin) (1)— Franz Liszt
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Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op. 42 (3)— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2 (3)— Frédéric Chopin
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Étude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 25 No. 7— Frédéric Chopin
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3 Nouvelles études, Op. Posth., B. 130: No. 2 in A-Flat Major— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in A-Flat Major, Op. 50 No. 2 (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Études in G-Flat Major, Op. 10 No. 5 “Black Keys”— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op. 42 (4)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in B Minor, Op. 28 No. 6 (5)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in G Major, Op. 28 No. 3 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in A-Flat Major, Op. 50 No. 2 (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in G Major, Op. 67 No. 1 (5)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in B Minor, Op. 33 No. 4— Frédéric Chopin
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Waltz in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 64 No. 2 (3)— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2 (4)— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne in D-Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 2— Frédéric Chopin
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6 Chants polonais, S. 480: No. 1, Mädchens Wunsch (After F. Chopin) (2)— Franz Liszt
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Mazurka in A-Flat Major, Op. 50 No. 2 (3)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in D Major, Op. 33 No. 2— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in B Major, Op. 63 No. 1— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in G Major, Op. 67 No. 1 (6)— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka in A-Flat Major, Op. 24 No. 3— Frédéric Chopin
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Prélude in F-Sharp Major, Op. 28 No. 13— Frédéric Chopin
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6 Moments musicaux, Op. 94, D. 780: No. 3 in F Minor. Allegro moderato— Franz Schubert
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Soirées de Vienne, S. 427: No. 6, Allegro con strepito (After F. Schubert)— Franz Liszt
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Papillons (2)— Moriz Rosenthal
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Carnaval de Vienne sur des thèmes de Johann Strauss (3)— Moriz Rosenthal
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Chaconne in G Major (Early Version of HWV 430) : IV. Air “Harmonious Blacksmith”— George Frideric Handel
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Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58: I. Allegro maestoso— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58: II. Scherzo. Molto vivace (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58: III. Largo – Cantabile— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58: IV. Finale. Presto, non tanto (1)— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58: II. Scherzo. Molto vivace (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58: IV. Finale. Presto, non tanto (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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6 Chants polonais, S. 480: No. 5, Meine Freuden (After F. Chopin) (2)— Franz Liszt
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Tarantelle in A-Flat Major, Op. 43— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58: III. Largo (Incomplete)— Frédéric Chopin
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Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11: II. Romanza. Larghetto (2)— Frédéric Chopin
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Carnaval de Vienne sur des thèmes de Johann Strauss (4)— Moriz Rosenthal
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Nocturnes, Op. 9: No. 2, Andante in E-Flat Major— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturnes, Op. 9: No. 2, Andante in E-Flat Major— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat, Op. 9, No. 2 (Recording: March 1935)— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturnes, Op. 9: No. 2, Andante in E-Flat Major— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat, Op. 9, No. 2 (Recording: May 1936)— Frédéric Chopin
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Prelude No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 28— Frédéric Chopin
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Berceuse in D-Flat, Op. 57— Frédéric Chopin
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Prelude No. 13 in F Sharp, Op. 28— Frédéric Chopin
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Prelude No. 3 in G, Op. 28— Frédéric Chopin
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Prelude No. 7 in A, Op. 28— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat, Op. 9, No. 2 (Recording: March 1935)— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne No. 8 in D-Flat, Op. 27, No. 2— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat, Op. 9, No. 2 (Recording: March 1935)— Frédéric Chopin
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Polish Song, Op. 74: V. Zyczenie ”Young Girl’s Wish”— Frédéric Chopin
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Iberia, T.105, cahier 2: 6. Triana— Composer not established
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Prélude in A Major, Op. 28 No. 7 (5)— Frédéric Chopin
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Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2— Frédéric Chopin
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Fantasie um Johann Strauss II— Moriz Rosenthal
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Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, S. 244 No. 2— Franz Liszt
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Hungarian Rhapsodies, S. 244: No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor— Franz Liszt
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Mazurkas, Op. 50: No. 2 in A-Flat Major— Frédéric Chopin
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6 Chants polonais, S. 480: No. 5, Mes joies (Remastered)— Franz Liszt
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6 Chants polonais, S. 480: No. 5, Mes joies (Remastered)— Franz Liszt
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6 Chants polonais, S. 480: No. 5, Mes joies— Franz Liszt
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Mazurka No. 39 in B Major, Op. 63, No. 1— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka No. 41 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 63, No. 3— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka No. 42 in G Major, Op. 67, No. 1— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka No. 23 in D Major, Op. 33, No. 2— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka No. 17 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 24, No. 4— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka No. 25 in B Minor, Op. 33, No. 4— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 50, No. 2— Frédéric Chopin
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Mazurka No. 16 in A-Flat Major, Op. 24, No. 3— Frédéric Chopin
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Prelude in A major, Op. 28 No. 7— Frédéric Chopin
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Trois nouvelles études, B. 130: No. 2 in A-Flat Major— Frédéric Chopin
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Étude No. 6 in G Sharp Minor, Op. 25— Frédéric Chopin
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