Peter K. Moran

Peter K. Moran [P.K. Moran] (30 June 1767 – 10 February 1831) was an Irish pianist, composer, and music publisher – probably the earliest classical composer from Ireland to emigrate to the United States.

Moran was probably born in Dublin and studied with Philip Dwyer (died 1802) and Philip Cogan (1750–1833). He appeared at concerts in Dublin between March 1799 and June 1816 His earliest compositions were published in Dublin from c.1796 and reprinted there until the late 1820s.

In 1817, Moran emigrated to the USA with his wife, a singer. While Kinkeldey described him as a "Boston musician", the Moran couple was evidently very active in New York's concert life, even their daughter making her début as a singer and pianist in 1820, aged five. Moran was organist at Grace Episcopal Church (c.1823–7), and St John's Chapel (1828–31), performed for the Handel and Haydn Society in 1820 and for the New York Choral Society's first concert in 1824. He also played the cello in the García Opera Company in New York in 1825, performed with the Philharmonic Society, and was concertmaster of the Musical Fund Society.

From 1822 to 1823 he ran a piano and music store and published about 25 pieces, including 16 of his own compositions and arrangements. Some of his Dublin-published music was reissued in New York, where he was second only to James Hewitt as the city's most prolific composer of piano music.

Moran died in New York City.

Moran evidently was an able pianist, judging from the scores of his piano music. He made a name for himself with rondos and variations on original or popular tunes. Several of his works were expressly written "for harp or piano-forte", suggesting that he played the harp as well. After his emigration he also became popular as a song composer, with The Carrier Pigeon (1822; also arranged as a rondo for piano, c.1825) that had many editions. Other well-known pieces by him (for harp or piano) include his variations on Kinlock of Kinlock (1825), Swiss Waltz (c.1810), Stantz Waltz (c.1817), and Suabian Air (c.1817). He also arranged many traditional airs, and religious works by Handel and others.

Many of Moran's works were still listed as for sale in the Board of Music Trade Catalogue in 1870.

Piano solo

Piano 4-hands

"Harp or piano-forte"

Songs