Biography
Carl Czerny (1791-1857). Austrian composer and pianist. A pupil of Hummel, Salieri and Beethoven, his father detected in him a gift for teaching. He began teaching at age 15, and was soon in great demand. Among his pupils were Queen Victoria or Franz Liszt, whom he introduced to Beethoven.
Educational works only form a minor part of his output. He composed 24 masses, 4 requiems, 6 symphonies, 11 sonatas and about twenty string quartets. Czerny is particularly known for his technique-oriented collections for piano. Some, like Les Heures du matin, op. 821, are non-specialised, while others deal with specific technical aspects like velocity (op. 299), embellishments (op. 355), left hand (op. 399) or staccato (op. 335).
