Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760–1812)
Bohemian virtuoso pianist, a star of the London and Paris concert stages, whose music already foreshadows Romanticism.
Born in Bohemia, Jan Ladislav Dussek (Dusík in Czech) had an international career as a pianist: the Netherlands, Germany, Paris and then London, where he lived in the 1790s and played Broadwood pianos with an extended range.
He was one of the first pianists to place the instrument sideways on stage so the audience could see his face. Later he served Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, himself a composer, and then Talleyrand in Paris.
His music, often songful and harmonically bold, uses the pedal and the sonorities of the new piano in a way that anticipates Schubert, Weber or Chopin. His sonata “Élégie harmonique”, written after the death of Prince Louis Ferdinand, is particularly striking.
His Sonatinas Op. 20 are still studied by students and are a charming alternative to those of Clementi and Kuhlau.
Piano sheet music (17)
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (I) (Opus 46 no. 1 (Craw 17)) — movement 1 · level 5
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (II) (Opus 46 no. 2 (Craw 18)) — movement 2 · level 5
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (II) (Opus 46 no. 2 (Craw 18)) — movement 1 · level 5
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (III) (Opus 46 no. 3 (Craw 19)) — movement 2 · level 5
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (VI) (Opus 46 no. 6 (Craw 22)) — movement 5 · level 5
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (I) (Opus 46 no. 1 (Craw 17)) — movement 2 · level 6
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (I) (Opus 46 no. 1 (Craw 17)) — movement 3 · level 6
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (I) (Opus 46 no. 1 (Craw 17)) — movement 4 · level 6
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (I) (Opus 46 no. 1 (Craw 17)) — movement 5 · level 6
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (III) (Opus 46 no. 3 (Craw 19)) — movement 1 · level 4
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (IV) (Opus 46 no. 4 (Craw 20)) — movement 2 · level 4
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (IV) (Opus 46 no. 4 (Craw 20)) — movement 1 · level 4
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (V) (Opus 46 no. 5 (Craw 21)) — movement 1 · level 4
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (VI) (Opus 46 no. 6 (Craw 22)) — movement 2 · level 4
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (VI) (Opus 46 no. 6 (Craw 22)) — movement 3 · level 4
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (VI) (Opus 46 no. 6 (Craw 22)) — movement 4 · level 4
- Six sonates faciles pour le Piano Forte (VI) (Opus 46 no. 6 (Craw 22)) — movement 1 · level 4