Backhaus studied piano in Leipzig and in Frankfurt am Main. His first concert appearance took place when he was eight years of age, and in 1905 he won the Rubinstein prize in Paris. He held teaching appointments at the Royal Manchester College of Music (1905), at Sondershausen (1907), and at the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia (1925). After World War II, he settled in Lugano, Switz., but continued to tour and make recordings. His style was described as severe and articulate, yet not without warmth and the most scrupulous regard for the score.