Photo credit: William Meyers
Although Moshe Cotel spent many years as Chair of the Composition department at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, he often quipped that his best student was his cat, Ketzel.
One day, while Moshe was practicing his daily Bach fugue, Ketzel jumped onto the piano and began walking down the keyboard as if stalking an invisible mouse. Moshe grabbed his pencil and paper and transcribed the notes exactly as Ketzel played them. Moshe entered Ketzel’s “Piece for Piano, Four Paws” into a competition from the Paris New Music Review, where it received a prize and was subsequently performed all over the world. While the contest submission had included a note explaining the piece’s origins, all entries were judged blindly and the judges did not know it was written by a cat until after they had awarded the honorary mention.
Ketzel’s prize-winning composition made international headlines and led to an award-winning children’s book, Ketzel,The Cat Who Composed by Lesléa Newman. Kirkus Reviews named it “Truly, the cat’s meow,” and Publishers Weekly, in a star review, called it “a lovely tale of cross-species affection and creativity.” Ketzel won the 2016 Massachusetts Book Awards Picture Book/Early Reader Award and the 2016 Gold Sydney Taylor Book Award Younger Reader Category and was selected by Julie Andrews to be featured on her podcast for children.
Listen to the world premiere of Ketzel’s piece, followed by commentary from Moshe Cotel about the music theory behind her remarkable composition
Ketzel – Selected Press Highlights
New York Times obituary for Ketzel: Noted Composer, Who Leapt into Atonality, Meows her Last
New York Times spotlight of Ketzel’s prize-winning composition, 1997
Julie’s Library, podcast features Julie Andrews reading Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed
National Public Radio – world broadcast premiere of Ketzel’s piece and interview with Moshe Cotel (1998)
Play Ketzel’s composition
If you would like to learn to play Ketzel’s piece at home, you can download the sheet music below. All rights reserved. For public performances, please reach out for permission here.
Moshe Cotel 