Godowsky, Leopold
Period: Romantic
Born: Sunday, February 13, 1870 in Wilno, Poland
Died: Monday, November 21, 1938 in New York, New York (USA)
Nation of Origin: Poland
Major Works:
Piano Works:
The Progressive Series of Piano Lessons
Walzermasken
Polonaise in C Major
Other Information:
Godowsky was born in 1870 in Wilno, Poland which is now Vilnius, Lithuania. His father was a medical doctor. As a child he demonstrated unusual talent and he was encouraged by his family to pursue music. He studied piano and composition. He gave his first public piano performance in 1879. At the age of 13, he began two years of study at the High School for Music in Berlin. He first toured the United States in 1884. He then returned to Europe, studied in Paris with Saint-Saëns, and toured France and London. He went back to the U.S. in 1890 where he married Frieda Saxe in 1901. He lived in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. He continued to be active performing in Europe. In 1909 he taught in Vienna. In 1914 he returned to the U.S. where he taught and performed.
General Bibliography:
Blume, Friedrich, with Norton, M. D. (Translator) and Norton, Herter (Translator), Classic and Romantic Music; A Comprehensive Survey, W. W. Norton & Company, November 1970, ISBN: 0393098680
Einstein, Alfred. Music in the Romantic Era, W. W. Norton & Company, December 1947, ISBN: 0393097331
Rosen, Charles, The Romantic Generation, W. W. Norton & Company, April 1995, ISBN: 0674779347
Slonimsky, Nicolas and Kuhn, Laura; Editors, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Gale Group, December 2000, ISBN: 0028655257
Sadie, Stanley and Tyrrell, John; Editors, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Groves Dictionaries, Inc., January 2004, ISBN: 0195170679
Rutherford-Johnson, Tim, Kennedy, Michael, and Kennedy, Joyce The Oxford Dictionary of Music, Oxford University Press, 6th Edition, 2012, ISBN: 0199578109
Links to essays at other sites:
Please note: Each link will open in a new window.
Biographical essay from Wikipedia
Jonathan Mann's Extensive Site
Polish Pianists in the U.S. by Barbara Zakrzewska
