Josef Hofmann, born Józef Kazimierz Hofmann, was an American pianist and composer of Polish origin. Born in Podgórze near Krakow, he grew up in a musical family: his father, Kazimierz, was a pianist, and his mother sang in a Krakow operetta company. His father began teaching him music when he was three, and Hofmann soon appeared in public as a pianist and composer.
After touring Europe, Hofmann made his United States debut at the Metropolitan Opera on November 29, 1887, performing Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto and improvising on themes suggested by the audience. Financial support from glass manufacturer Alfred Clark enabled the family to return to Europe so Hofmann could continue his studies. He studied for a time with Moritz Moszkowski and later became Anton Rubinstein’s only private pupil. From 1894, he performed again as a mature artist; after hearing Hofmann play his Fourth Piano Concerto in Hamburg, Rubinstein ended their lessons, saying he had nothing more to teach him.
By the turn of the century, Hofmann was among the best-known and most sought-after pianists in the world. His tours took him to Britain, Russia, the United States, and South America. In 1914 he moved to the United States, became a citizen, and continued performing. From 1924 to 1938, he directed the newly founded Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, which developed into an internationally recognized school.
Hofmann’s concert career continued into the early 1940s; his final concert was in New York in 1946. He was known for his brilliant technique, rhythmic imagination, and exceptional memory. His large repertoire focused mainly on music from the first half of the nineteenth century, from Beethoven to Liszt. He frequently performed Chopin, especially the waltzes and mazurkas, but rarely played music by his contemporaries, including Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, which was dedicated to him. Hofmann made a phonograph recording in 1887, among the earliest musicians to do so, and later recordings were made mostly at concerts.
Hofmann composed about a hundred works, published under the pseudonym Michel Dvorsky, and wrote two books on piano playing, Advice to Young Pianists and Piano Playing. Several works were dedicated to him, including piano concertos by Moszkowski, Sergei Lyapunov, and Rachmaninoff. In later life, he pursued work in sound recording and mechanics, receiving dozens of patents for improvements to piano mechanisms and automobile features.