ate his
capacity as to be held up as models of all the rest.
The second upon the list is Xaver Scharwenka, born at Samper, January
6, 1850. He was educated at the Kullak School, in Berlin, and at the
age of eighteen was appointed teacher in Kullak's Academy. His first
concert appearance was made at the age of nineteen in the
Sing-Akademie, with great success, and his reputation as a
distinguished and accomplished player was almost immediately
established, and was strengthened by numerous appearances for years.
In 1881 he opened in Berlin the Scharwenka Conservatory, which is still
in existence, his older brother, Philip, upholding there the family
name.
Scharwenka made a very marked impression on the musical world by his
earlier compositions, an impression which perhaps has not been fully
reinforced by some of his later works, which seem, somehow, to be
wanting in those qualities of spontaneity and innate grace of style
which distinguished the earlier pieces. The best work from his pen,
undoubtedly, is the first concerto for piano, which is one of the
cleverest works in this department of recent years. He is the author
of a large amount of chamber music and pieces of different sorts. The
most popular of all his compositions is the well-known "Polish Dances."
One of the most meritorious is the theme and variations on the program
below.
I. J. Paderewski, the famous piano virtuoso, is so well known that
particulars are, perhaps, not necessary in his case. He was born
November 6, 1859, at Polodien. He has written a considerable number of
pieces for the piano and for chamber instruments, and a little for
orchestra. His music is melodious and sentimental, occasionally
brilliant. Opinions differ very much in regard to the essential
originality of his melody, numerous resemblances existing between his
successful pieces and others which have been popular some time earlier.
At any rate, he is an interesting personality, with a certain natural
grace and style which entitle him to consideration. The most highly
esteemed of his compositions are the three upon the list below,
although no one of the pieces of his which attained American popularity
is here included.
The most distinguished of this entire group is Moritz Moszkowski, the
well-known composer and pianist, who was born August 23, 1854, at
Breslau, the son of a Polish father. He had his early musical training
at Breslau and Dresden, and later at Berlin, w
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