People who don’t have much time to read biographies of composers think that case of Mozart who started composing when he was five years old is unique. But many wunderkinds were born since then – take Leopold Godowsky. By the age of five he had written several pieces and was accomplished violinist and pianist – mostly self-taught, by the way.
Godowsky is mainly known for his transcriptions of Chopin’s etudes; he attempted to make them more difficult and had success in that. He was one of the most respected pianists – his skill was admired both by listeners and colleagues. Busoni, for example, thought that no one but Godowsky contributed to piano technique and writing to such an extent after Liszt. For all that he did Godowsky deserves a greater recognition than he already has.
A Night in Spring, one of his classical pieces, is available for download here: A Night in Spring, Op.15 No.2
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