1. Wanda Aleksandra Landowska was a Polish harpsichordist and pianist whose performances, teaching, writings and especially her many recordings played a large role in reviving the popularity of the harpsichord in the early 20th century.
10 Facts About Wanda Landowska
1. 2.
Wanda Landowska was the first person to record Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations on the harpsichord in 1933.
3.
Wanda Landowska's father was a lawyer, and her mother was a linguist who translated Mark Twain into Polish.
4.
Wanda Landowska studied composition and counterpoint under Heinrich Urban in Berlin, and had lessons in Paris with Moritz Moszkowski.
5.
Wanda Landowska began her performing career in Paris, where her recitals in that city and other European cities garnered praise from critics.
6.
Wanda Landowska decided to devote her career to the revival harpsichord rather than the piano, against the wishes of her friends, who thought she had a promising future as a pianist.
7.
Wanda Landowska later taught harpsichord at the Berlin Hochschule fur Musik.
8.
Wanda Landowska had her American debut in 1923, touring major cities with four Pleyel Grand Modele de Concert harpsichords, which were huge seven-and-a-half foot long instruments with foot pedal-controlled registers.
9.
Wanda Landowska taught at the Curtis Institute of Music from 1925 until 1928.
10.
Wanda Landowska settled in Lakeville, Connecticut in 1949, and re-established herself as a performer and teacher in the United States, touring extensively.