Musique ancienne

work by Lew and Landowska

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July 1, 2026

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Musique ancienne is a study of 17th- and 18th-century music co-authored by Wanda Landowska and her husband, Henry Lew. Landowska was a Polish harpsichordist who played a significant role in the revival of the harpsichord in the 20th century. Influenced by Lew's expertise in folklore, she researched early music and keyboard instruments in Paris. She published Musique ancienne in 1909, focusing on the music of composers like Johann Sebastian Bach and François Couperin. Landowska also established a school for early music near Paris and inspired modern composers.1

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Wanda Landowska
…1909 published, with her husband, Musique ancienne, a study of 17th- and 18th-century music. She remained until the beginning of World War II the principal exponent of 17th- and 18th-century harpsichord music, particularly that of Johann Sebastian Bach and François Couperin, on whose works she wrote several studies. In 1925…
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…1909 published, with her husband, Musique ancienne, a study of 17th- and 18th-century music. She remained until the beginning of World War II the principal exponent of 17th- and 18th-century harpsichord music, particularly that of Johann Sebastian Bach and François Couperin, on whose works she wrote several studies. In 1925…
Read More