Wanda Aleksandra Landowska was a Polish harpsichordist and pianist born on 5 July 1879 in Warsaw. She began playing the piano at age four and studied at the Warsaw Conservatory before moving to Paris, where she became a prominent figure in the revival of the harpsichord. By 1903, she had incorporated the works of J.S. Bach into her recitals. In 1925, she established the École de musique ancienne in Saint-Leu-la-Forêt. Landowska achieved a significant milestone in 1933 when she became the first person to record the Goldberg Variations on the harpsichord. After the German Army invaded France in 1940 and looted her home, she fled to the United States with her partner, Denise Restout. In 1942, she performed the Goldberg Variations at New York's Town Hall, marking the first time the work was played on a harpsichord in the twentieth century. She settled in Lakeville, Connecticut, in 1949 and recorded for labels such as RCA Victor. Landowska died on 16 August 1959. Her collected writings, Landowska on Music, were published posthumously in 1964.
