Moszkowski studied piano at Dresden and Berlin, where he gave his first concert in 1873. In 1879 he settled in Paris. His two books of Spanische Tänze, Opus 12, were published in 1876 for piano duet and later in many different arrangements. They were long popular as examples of national music in a light style. Other attempts with national idioms were less successful. His opera Boabdil der Maurenkönig (1892; “Boabdil the Moor King”) was known chiefly for its ballet. He also wrote concerti and chamber music.