sara was the most gifted harpsichordist in the itzig family, of professional standard. when wilhelm friedemann bach moved to berlin from dresden, she took lessons from him and provided him with some financial support in his old age. through wilhelm friedemann and carl philipp emanuel, she acquired a collection of hand copies of bach manuscripts, including copies of the first and third sonatas (bwv 1014 and bwv 1016). after her marriage to the banker samuel salomon levy in 1784, she ran a weekly musical salon in their residence on the museuminsel. sara herself performed in public, including performances at the sing-akademie zu berlin, from its foundation in 1791 until her retirement in 1810. the collections of bachiana of sara levy and c.p.e. bach became part of the sing-akademie's library, now held in the berlin state library.