Carl Czerny (1791–1857)
A pupil of Beethoven and the teacher of Liszt, Czerny wrote a huge number of studies that still form the backbone of piano training.
Born in Vienna in 1791, Carl Czerny had his first lessons from his father and became Beethoven’s pupil at about the age of ten. He knew Beethoven’s music intimately: he performed it, gave the Vienna premiere of the « Emperor » Concerto in 1812 and left valuable writings on how to play it.
Rather than pursue a concert career, Czerny devoted himself to teaching and composing. His pupils included Franz Liszt, whom he taught as a child, and Theodor Leschetizky. He died in Vienna in 1857.
His catalogue runs past 850 opus numbers: sonatas, symphonies, sacred music, brilliant variations… but above all collections of graded studies, from Op. 599 for beginners to The Art of Finger Dexterity Op. 740, by way of The School of Velocity Op. 299.
What pianists learn from Czerny: evenness, equal fingers, passing the thumb, speed without tension, and fluent reading of standard figures (scales, arpeggios, Alberti basses) that they will later meet in Mozart, Beethoven or Chopin.
Piano sheet music (32)
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 13 · level 2
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 14 · level 2
- Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 1 · level 4
- Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 6 · level 4
- Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 9 · level 4
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 3 · level 4
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 10 · level 4
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 15 · level 4
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 19 · level 4
- Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 2 · level 4
- Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 3 · level 4
- Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 4 · level 4
- Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 5 · level 4
- Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 7 · level 4
- Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 8 · level 4
- Melodic Study Op. 840 No. 10 · level 4
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 1 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 2 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 4 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 5 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 6 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 7 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 8 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 9 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 11 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 12 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 16 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 17 · level 3
- Eight-Measure Exercise Op. 821 No. 18 · level 3
- The School of Velocity Op. 299 No. 1 · level 4
- The School of Velocity Op. 299 No. 2 · level 4
- The School of Velocity Op. 299 No. 3 · level 4