Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff, born in 1895 in Jüterbog, Germany, established himself as a prominent figure in the Germanic musical tradition throughout the twentieth century. An accomplished pianist, composer, and educator, he produced a vast recorded legacy that spanned over six decades, emphasizing spontaneity, lyricism, and a distinct, singing quality in his interpretations of major classical works.
Early Development and Training
Born into a musical family, Kempff received his initial training from his father, a royal music director and organist. He enrolled at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik at age nine, studying composition with Robert Kahn and piano with Karl Heinrich Barth. After further education at the Viktoria gymnasium, he launched a professional career that saw him perform a major recital in 1917, featuring Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata.
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Kempff’s international career included extensive touring, with notable appearances in Japan, London, and New York. He is widely recognized for his extensive recording history, covering works by Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms. His work on the complete sonatas of Schubert and Beethoven remains central to his output. Between the 1920s and 1960s, he recorded Beethoven’s piano sonatas multiple times in various formats, including shellac, mono, and stereo, alongside concertos performed with the Berlin Philharmonic.
Composition and Teaching
Beyond the piano, Kempff served as the director of the Stuttgart College of Music from 1924 to 1929. He was a co-founder of the summer courses at Marmorpalais Potsdam in 1931 and later established the Fondazione Orfeo in Positano, Italy, in 1957. As a composer, he created works across multiple genres, including a three-act comic opera titled Famile Gozzi and a symphony that premiered at the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 1929. He also produced numerous Bach transcriptions.
Final Years
Kempff’s public career concluded in Paris in 1981, following his final performance. Retirement for health reasons, specifically Parkinson’s disease, preceded his death in 1991 at the age of 95 in Positano. Throughout his life, he received honors including the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art and the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, while remaining an active member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts.
Fast facts
- Born: 1895, Jüterbog, Germany
- Died: 1991, Positano, Italy
- Primary Instruments: Piano, Organ
- Notable Masterclass location: Casa Orfeo, Positano
- Composition premiere: Second Symphony, 1929, Leipzig
- Awards: Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art, 1984
Questions readers ask
Which composers were central to Kempff's recorded repertoire?
Kempff was best known for his interpretations of Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert, though he also recorded extensively from the works of Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms.
Did Kempff hold teaching positions?
Yes. He directed the Stuttgart College of Music from 1924 to 1929 and founded annual masterclasses at Casa Orfeo in Italy, which he led until 1982.
Achievements
- Instruments: piano and organ
