Portuguese pianist, teacher, and writer on music.

Career Summary

Da Motta studied piano with Xaver Scharwenka in Berlin, later with Liszt in Weimar and Hans von Bülow in Frankfurt, was based in Berlin until 1915, then became Director of the Geneva Conservatory 1915-17, subsequently Director of the Lisbon Conservatory 1919-38. He was widely respected as an interpreter of J. S. Bach and Beethoven. He was a friend of Busoni. He also wrote books and articles on a wide range of subjects, and contributed to major music journals of his day.

Da Motta and Schenker

An exact contemporary of Schenker, in 1914 da Motta wrote a review of Schenker's Beethovens Neunte Sinfonie and Die letzten fünf Sonaten von Beethoven ... op. 109 for the Vossische Zeitung that Schenker described as "quite the best thing written up to now about The Ninth Symphony and Op.109" (WSLB 217, June 12, 1914), and as "extraordinary" (WSLB 218, June 18, 1914) (OC 2/p. 39).

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