The number of years that Moscheles lived in London and Leipzig were almost the same, but his experiences in the two cities could not have been more different. Moscheles and his wife certainly enjoyed as comfortable a life in Leipzig as they did in London, although on a different scale. Charlotte mentions that their flat in Leipzig was smaller than 3 Chester Place, but she adds that it was still sufficiently spacious to accommodate social and musical gatherings; in other words, they continued to maintain the same lively social interactions with friends and colleagues. According to Moscheles’ descendant Agnes Weiske, in Leipzig they lived “in a house surrounded by rambling gardens, ‘Gerhard’s Garten.’ It actually belonged to Goethe’s friend Wilhelm Gerhard.” Weiske also tells us that the house was “near the Rosenthal Park, [where] all the Moscheles children would skate … during the winter.”

There were, however, some profound changes in Moscheles’ professional life during this period. As the first professor of piano at the Leipzig Conservatory his teaching schedule was full and satisfying, and far less hectic than in London, which Moscheles vividly described as a “steeplechase.” The most dramatic change during Moscheles’ final years, however, was in his performing career and the number of compositions he wrote; both witnessed a significant decline. Moscheles had previously mused about retiring from the concert stage; by moving to Leipzig he, in essence, accomplished this goal. It was not entirely his choice, however, nor did Moscheles particularly like the change and what it implied. He continued to perform and travel, but Moscheles’ life in Leipzig can best be characterized as far more quiet—a combination of teaching, listening to music, playing with friends and colleagues during informal evenings at his home, and enjoying his children and grandchildren.

Moscheles and Charlotte departed London for Leipzig on or before 26 September 1846; they certainly wouldn’t have left earlier than that, since their eldest daughter Emily married Antonin Roche de la Baume on 10 September. A letter from Mendelssohn sent from Leipzig on 8 October indicates that Moscheles had written to him from the “steamer” they had taken across the Channel.