Alfred Edward Moffat

Who was Alfred Edward Moffat?

Alfred Edward Moffat was a Scottish musician, composer and collector of music. He was born in Edinburgh on 4 December 1863. His father was John Moffat, a photographer, and his mother was Sophia Maria Knott.

He was educated at Edinburgh Collegiate School in 27-28 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. Moffat studied musical composition in Berlin for five years under Ludwig Bussler. He remained in Berlin for another six years writing for German music publishing firms. He returned to London in the late 1890s, and devoted himself to the rediscovery of British violin players of the late 18th century and earlier. Most significantly, he edited the Schott's Kammersonaten [Chamber Sonata] series, and instigated Novello's Old English Violin Music series. He was also a Member of the Court of Assistants of the Royal Society of Musicians. He died in Fulham, London on 6 June 1950 aged 86.