CZERNY, Carl – All Classical Research

Born in Vienna, Feb 21, 1791
Died in Vienna, July 15, 1857

Pronounced “chair-nee”

Austrian pianist and composer Carol Czerny is most famous for his contribution to piano pedagogy (and the fact that he became Beethoven‘s pupil at ten years old).
- Czerny premiered several of Beethoven’s well-known piano works, including Piano Concerto No. 1 and the “Emperor” piano concerto.
- Fun fact – Allegedly, Czerny could perform all of Beethoven’s piano music from memory.
Early in his career, Czerny consciously decided to pursue the stability of teaching and composition over the life of a touring performer. His technical exercises are still a staple of piano students today.
Despite writing around 1,000 compositions in nearly every genre, Czerny’s works are largely forgotten today.
- He organized his works into four categories: 1. studies and exercises; 2. easy pieces for students; 3. brilliant pieces for concerts; and 4. serious music.
As an educator, Czerny taught numerous significant pianists of the next generation, including Franz Liszt.¹
Contemporaries of Czerny include Schubert (a fellow Beethoven Stan), Rossini, and Weber.

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