Friedrich Kalkbrenner (1785-1849), German pianist and composer, studied piano and composition at the Paris Conservatoire and continued his studies in Vienna. There he was taken under the wing of Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven.



He then moved to London, where he was greatly admired. After some concert tours in Germany he settled for good in France in 1824, where he became a partner in a piano company, studied piano-building and achieved renown in the development of piano technique. He also developed a mechanical aid for playing the piano (gloves with extended fingers), which he described extensively but for which he could not succeed in winning lasting acceptance.