Clauss-Szárvady, Wilhelmina (1834–1907)

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Clauss-Szárvady, Wilhelmina (1834–1907)

Czech pianist, known throughout 19th-century Europe for her renditions of Bach and Beethoven. Name variations: Wilhelmine. Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on December 13, 1834; died in Paris, France, on November 1, 1907.

Wilhelmina Clauss-Szárvady studied in Prague. When she began to tour in 1849, her playing caused a stir; some spoke of her as being the artistic rival of Clara Schumann . The feared Viennese critic Eduard Hanslick wrote in 1855 of the "characteristic reflective quality" of her pianism. Clauss-Szarvady's great reputation was based mostly on her playing of Bach and Beethoven, though she played some Chopin as well.

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