Famous Piano Performers of Classical Music

Josef Hofmann was born in Poland in 1876. He was a child prodigy, and gave his first recital in Warsaw at 5 years of age. Hofmann continued giving concerts throughout Europe and America as a small boy.

In 1892, Anton Rubinstein took Hofmann as his only private student. Rubinstein arranged the debut concert of his pupil in Hamburg, Germany in 1894. Hofmann became a US citizen in 1926. The height of his career was during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Hofmann was also an inventor and had over 70 patents. A few of his inventions were; pneumatic shock absorbers for cars and airplanes, a windscreen wiper, a furnace that burned crude oil, and a house that revolved with the sun!

Hoffman was famous for his dynamic range of playing, technical brilliance and clarity, and being a performer in total control over the modern grand piano with all its possibilities.

Alfred Cortot (1877-1962)

Alfred Denis Cortot was a French-Swiss pianist and conductor. His most important solo recordings are his poetic interpretations of the Romantic composers Chopin and Schumann, as well as the Impressionistic composer Debussy.

Cortot played a lot of chamber music as well, and co-founded a famous piano trio with Jacques Thibaud and Pablo Casals. Cortot was one of the leading piano teachers of his time and in 1919 he founded a conservatory named École Normale de Musique together with Auguste Mangeot. This is even today a high ranking conservatory in Europe.

Artur Schnabel (1882 - 1951)

Artur Schnabel was an Austrian pianist, who also was a composer and teacher. Schnabel was known as one of the 20th century's most famous piano performers.

He is best known for his interpretations of Beethoven's piano works and for being the first pianist to record all the Beethoven Piano Sonatas, as well as performing the then less known Mozart's piano sonatas, and unknown piano works of Schubert.

Despite the preference of performing the works by Classic and Romantic composers, he was not alien to composing in the new atonal musical language initiated by composers like Arnold Schonberg, who also was Schnabel’s friend.

Schnabel is also famous for some really great quotes, funny and witty. Like this one: “I am the only person here who is enjoying this, and I get the money; they pay and have to suffer." Artur Schnabel.

Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982)

Arthur Rubinstein was a Polish-American pianist. He is highly acclaimed for his performances of the music by many different composers, but the works by Chopin is considered to be his best.

Rubinstein is famous for his Romantic musical interpretations, and is considered one of the Romantic pianists, but in contrast to for example Paderewski, his performances were without any kind of mannerism.

His playing is characterized by the most beautiful singing tone, but performed very natural, without drama or excess. Rubinstein performed all his life, from 3 years until he was 90! He lived a very long life, until 95 years old.

“Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back.”Arthur Rubinstein