Leopold Godowsky
American pianist, composer, and teacher
Leopold Mordkhelovich Godowsky Sr. (13 February 1870 – 21 November 1938) was a virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher, born in what is now Lithuania to Jewish parents, who became an American citizen in 1891. He was one of the most highly regarded performers of his time, known for his theories concerning the application of relaxed weight and economy of motion within pianistic technique – principles later propagated by his pupils, such as Heinrich Neuhaus.
As a composer, Godowsky is best known for his Java Suite, Triakontameron, Passacaglia and Walzermasken, alongside his transcriptions of works by other composers; the best-known of these works are the 53 Studies on Chopin's Études (1894–1914).
Read more about this composer on Wikipedia.
Works
- 12 Impressions for Violin and Piano
- 3 Pieces, op. 15
- 4 Pieces, op.16
- 6 Waltz-Poems
- Airs of the Eighteenth Century
- Four Pieces, op. 14
- Four Poems
- Java Suite
- Piano Sonata in E minor
- Prelude and Fugue for the Left Hand
- Six Pieces for Both Hands
- Studies on Chopin’s Études
- Suite for the Left Hand Alone
- Symphonische Metamorphosen Johann Strauss’scher Themen
- Three Concert Studies, op. 11
- Triakontameron, Thirty Moods and Scenes in Triple Measure
- Twilight Thoughts
- Two Waltz Poems
- Walzermasken
Box sets & recent recordings
- Godowsky: Complete Studies on Chopin, Passacaglia, Transcriptions — Leopold Godowsky, Emanuele Delucchi (2022) box set · 71 tracks Spotify
- "061 Classical Nuances": Czardas — Leopold Godowsky, Ernst von Dohnányi, Wilhelm Backhaus, Domenico Scarlatti, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Felix Mendelssohn, Erik Satie, Johann Sebastian Bach, Edvard Grieg, Franz Liszt (2026) box set · 55 tracks Spotify
- Godowsky: The Complete Studies on Chopin's Etudes — Leopold Godowsky, Marc-André Hamelin (2000) box set · 54 tracks Spotify
- Godowsky: Timeless | The Complete Works for Violin And Piano — Leopold Godowsky, Sara Dragan, Kenny Broberg (2025) Spotify
Box sets & recent releases via Spotify — surfaced automatically, not editorial picks.