Carl Czerny (1791-1857)was a precociously gifted Austrian pianist, best known for his piano studies, especially those collected in his Complete Theoretical and Practical Pianoforte School.



At the age of ten he became a pupil of Beethoven. He made his first public appearance in Vienna in 1800, when he played Mozart's C minor Piano Concerto. Czerny later gave up the life of a travelling virtuoso to become a composer and piano teacher. He counted Sigismond Thalberg, Franz Liszt and Stephen Heller among his numerous pupils.



Czerny's chief compositions were in the form of exercises and studies, of which he wrote a very large number, up to his Opus 861, Studies for the Left Hand. His other piano music consists of Sonatas and Sonatinas, with various medleys, variations and other shorter pieces. He wrote music for piano duet and up to four players, with many arrangements and transcriptions. With his usual facility, Czerny also wrote a certain amount of organ music, of which the Prelude and Fugue is a characteristic example.



Czerny's symphonies, overtures and concertos are generally unknown, some of which remain unpublished. Czerny wrote a certain amount of chamber music, generally in a form involving the piano in some way, whether in piano trios or piano quartets, including one work for four pianos. Even less well known must be Czerny's church music, which includes settings of the Mass, Graduals, Offertories and other liturgical works.