Wanda Landowska: The Polish Virtuoso Who Single-Handedly Resurrected the Harpsichord

Music · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the early 20th century, the harpsichord was a forgotten relic. Wanda Landowska changed that, single-handedly reviving the instrument through relentless research, iconic recordings, and a fierce belief in authentic performance. She famously challenged her critics: You play Bach your way, and I will play him his way.

Born in Warsaw in 1879, Landowska was a child prodigy who eventually turned her back on a promising piano career to champion the harpsichord. Her revivalist mission was rooted in deep musicological study; she toured European museums to examine original keyboard instruments and commissioned new, powerful harpsichords from Pleyel and Company. These instruments, such as the seven-and-a-half-foot models she toured with in 1923, were heavily built and incorporated modern piano-construction techniques, including a 16-foot stop that provided a deeper, resonant sound.

Landowska’s influence extended beyond performance into the creation of new repertoire. Composers like Manuel de Falla and Francis Poulenc wrote concertos specifically for her, effectively reintroducing the harpsichord to the modern orchestra. In 1925, she established the École de Musique Ancienne in Saint-Leu-la-Forêt, which became a global hub for early music scholarship. Her 1933 recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations was a landmark achievement, marking the first time the work was recorded on the instrument for which it was originally composed.

Her life was marked by the turbulence of the 20th century. After fleeing Nazi-occupied France in 1940, she arrived in New York in 1941 with almost no assets, having lost her instruments and manuscripts to looting. Despite this, she quickly re-established her career in the United States, settling in Lakeville, Connecticut, and continuing to perform until 1954. Her legacy remains complex; while some critics praised her poetic insight and artistic fury, others, like Sol Babitz, argued her rigid adherence to the written score could sound mechanical. Regardless, her role as the pioneer of the harpsichord revival remains undisputed.

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