Czerny, Carl 1791 - 1857
Author: Ueda, Yasushi
Last updated：October 12, 2020
Author: Ueda, Yasushi
Carl Czerny: The Embodiment of Modern Diligence
From the late 18th to the early 19th century, the wave of the Industrial Revolution, originating in England, swept across Europe. Citizens, awakened to capitalism, successively founded companies, promoted the mechanization of factories, and established systems for automatic and efficient production and distribution of goods. For those who believed that the development of industrial society would bring an ideal world full of happiness and prosperity, labor became an object of faith replacing God, and a virtue that disciplined life. Carl Czerny is precisely the embodiment of modern diligence produced by early industrial society. During his not-so-long life of 66 years, Czerny, who wrote well over a thousand works, had 861 published works with opus numbers. Today, he is known only as an essential etude composer for piano students, but etudes and finger exercises constitute only a few percent of his entire output. As a composer, Czerny tackled every genre, including at least 12 solo piano sonatas, over 10 symphonies, over 9 string quartets, numerous sacred works, piano concertos, chamber music including piano trios, and countless piano variations, rondos, and character pieces, which constitute the majority of his complete works. Remarkably, despite such a vast output, his large-scale works, such as symphonies, sonatas, and preludes and fugues, exhibit highly concentrated and advanced compositional techniques. Attempts have been made several times to grasp the entirety of his works, but the path has been too arduous, and a complete catalog of his works remains unfinished.
His Pupils and Legacy
Among his pupils were prominent pianists and composers of the 1810s generation. Led by Franz Liszt (1811–1886), S. Heller (1813–1888), Th. Döhler (1814–1856), L. v. Meyer (1816–1883), Th. Kullak (1818–1882), Louis Lacombe (1818–1884), and Th. Leschetizky (1830–1915) were all shining stars who built the golden age of piano playing; notably, Liszt, Kullak, and Leschetizky uniquely passed on Czerny's tradition in education to later generations. Furthermore, Czerny had countless grand-pupils, including many pianists such as H. von Bülow and A. Schnabel, who were active from the late 19th to the early 20th century and significantly influenced today's piano performance practice.
This pivotal musician, who bridged Beethoven and Liszt in both composition and piano performance, is widely known by name yet virtually unknown in his true essence; general piano students who only know Czerny through teaching materials like “Op. 30” or “Op. 40” are merely looking at the feet of a giant who left a significant mark on piano culture.
Early Life and Education
Carl Czerny was born in the same capital of the Austrian Empire, Vienna, on February 21st, approximately nine months before Mozart's death there. As his name suggests, his father was from Bohemia, an immigrant who settled in Vienna with his wife, whom he met in Moravia. Consequently, Czech was spoken in Czerny's home, and German, French, and Italian were acquired later. Czerny, who began piano under his diligent and ascetic father, was kept in an environment isolated from other children, without attending school, and was well-disciplined by his parents. For him, who befriended resignation to pleasure, solitude, and diligence from an early age, facing the piano alone and poring over scores, theoretical treatises, and academic books by past composers became a perfectly natural habit. In 1800, accompanied by his father, he met Beethoven, became his pupil, and often had the opportunity to hear his playing up close. Beethoven used C.P.E. Bach's treatise Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments as teaching material, in addition to pedagogical scales. However, Beethoven, busy with composition, often declined lessons, and during periods without lessons, Czerny diligently played or copied scores by Bach, Scarlatti, Clementi, and Beethoven, honing his compositional skills. By 1800, at the age of nine, he was already proficient enough in piano playing to perform Mozart's concertos in Vienna, and for the next few years, as a child prodigy, he frequented the salons of Mozart's widow Constanze and the aristocracy, performing with leading musicians such as Hummel. As a performer, Czerny publicly performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1806 and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in 1812, and in 1816, he hosted a concert of Beethoven's works for guests at his home. However, Czerny, believing that working as a knowledgeable educator and composer suited him better than becoming a star piano performer, began teaching piano at the age of 15. Soon, many students came to him, and by 1816, he was giving 12 hours of lessons a day, from 8 AM to 8 PM, and developed the habit of immersing himself in composition at night. He continued this demanding work for over 20 years until he stopped teaching in 1836.
A Prolific Educator and His Relationships
Before long, Czerny became known as the foremost piano educator of his time in France, Germany, and England, and future standard-bearers of the piano world gathered under him from various countries. In 1822, Franz Liszt knocked on Czerny's door and, though for a short period, received free lessons while living with him until he moved to Paris the following year. Czerny's lessons covered not only fingering and finger exercises but also all aspects required of a musician, such as interpretation, memorization, and improvisation. Czerny greatly regretted that Liszt was taken to Paris midway through his studies, but Liszt, never forgetting his debt of gratitude to Czerny, dedicated his Études d'exécution transcendante (1851) to him, and Czerny, in turn, dedicated several works (Op. 471, 856) to Liszt. Czerny's home also received visitors other than his pupils. Although Chopin did not become Czerny's pupil, he visited Czerny in 1829 and 1830 and enjoyed playing music together. Chopin does not seem to have been particularly captivated by the Viennese master, but Czerny later dedicated his 8 Scherzos, Op. 555, to Chopin.
Scholarly Contributions and Editions
Czerny, who did not receive formal schooling, translated Louis Adam's Méthode de piano (1805), used at the Paris Conservatoire, and Anton Reicha's composition treatises into German to acquire unbiased knowledge regarding piano performance and composition. In the 1830s, he also edited J. S. Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, keyboard works including D. Scarlatti's sonatas, and Beethoven's piano sonatas. Keyboard works from the 17th and 18th centuries, including those by Bach, were not widely known at a time when domestic salon music was popular. However, Czerny not only questioned their value but also sought to position himself within the “great” tradition of keyboard instruments by composing sonatas and fugues himself. Today, “Czerny editions” of Bach and Beethoven, with added phrasing and metronome markings, are a focus of researchers' interest as valuable sources providing many insights into 19th-century performance practices.
The Pedagogical System
Czerny, through his careful observation of past and present piano performance practices and his diligence, was an educator who single-handedly established a pedagogical system capable of rivaling national institutions like the Paris Conservatoire. Czerny's magnum opus, Complete Theoretical and Practical Piano Forte School, Op. 500 (3 volumes, 1839), the culmination of his teaching methods, and Various Etude Exercises – An Encyclopedia of Brilliant Passages (4 volumes, c.1843), which compiled excerpts from works by composers ranging from Bach and Handel to Beethoven, Liszt, Heller, and E. Wolff, demonstrate his vast knowledge and insight into keyboard works of all eras. What can be found there is not the image of a sadistic educator forcing dry, mechanical passages, but rather Czerny's figure as a highly intellectual spirit with logical, systematic thinking, who sought to elevate students into well-rounded individuals through piano music.
Later Life and Enduring Legacy
From the mid-1850s, his health rapidly deteriorated due to the accumulation of long-term overwork. In his later years, becoming more reclusive than before, he nevertheless remained diligent and did not cease composing. It is said that multiple staves were always on his desk, and he would write part of one work, and while the ink dried, he would proceed with another. In 1857, he developed multiple illnesses, and his hands became immobile due to gout, finally forcing him to stop composing. Not many months later, Czerny passed away on July 15th. His estate, according to his will, was bequeathed to several artistic and charitable organizations, including the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna and a school for the deaf. Today, major materials such as the autograph manuscript of his autobiography and numerous autograph scores are preserved by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna, but their value has only recently begun to be recognized. Once one comes to know Czerny as the artist who wrote his first symphony at 15 and subsequently deepened his mastery of handling piano, orchestra, and chorus with ease, his etudes will undoubtedly appear in a completely different light.
Author : Asayama, Natsuko
Last Updated: May 1, 2007
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Author : Asayama, Natsuko
Viennese pianist, piano teacher, and composer. He studied under Beethoven at the age of 10 and gained high renown as a pianist through his performances of Beethoven's piano works. Hanslick called him "the greatest pianist since Hummel," but he gradually withdrew from the stage and became active as a teacher and writer. His pupils included Thalberg, Liszt, and Beethoven's nephew, Karl.
Works(703)
Concerto (5)
concerto (4)
Works with orchestral accompaniment (8)
Key: E-Dur Playing time: 14 min 40 sec
Introductions, Variations et Presto sur un Thème favori de l'Opéra "La Norma" (Bellini) Op.281
Playing time: 17 min 10 sec
variation (2)
Introduction, Variations and Rondo on C.M. von Weber's Hunting Chorus from "Euryanthe" (Weber) Op.60
Playing time: 23 min 50 sec
Variations de Concert sur la Marche des Grècs de l'Opéra "Le Siège de Corinthe" (Rossini) Op.138
Key: F-Dur Playing time: 16 min 00 sec
Piano Solo (32)
etudes/studies (2)
sonata (13)
rondo (118)
sonatina (7)
scherzo (5)
pieces (11)
eｘercise (14)
etude (78)
toccata (3)
prelude (2)
inpromptu (14)
Impromptu sentimental sur le thème de l'Opéra "La Gazza ladra" (Rossini) Op.523
Playing time: 9 min 00 sec
fantasy (58)
variation (100)
cadenza (2)
fuga (4)
polonaise (3)
waltz (8)
gallop (3)
nocturne (4)
romance (3)
caprice (6)
divertimento (4)
funeral (1)
Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un Eroe de L. van Beethoven Op.146
Key: c-moll Playing time: 7 min 30 sec
character pieces (31)
Paraphrase (7)
Various works (15)
Piano Ensemble (20)
sonata (6)
rondo (27)
pieces (10)
etude (10)
fantasy (24)
Dix grandes Fantaisies concertantes sur des motifs choisies des Opéras classiques et modernes Op.797
Playing time: 40 min 20 sec
variation (31)
other dances (3)
nocturne (3)
divertimento (6)
march (6)
funeral (1)
Marcia funebre sulla morte d'un Eroe de L. van Beethoven Op.146
Key: c-moll Playing time: 7 min 30 sec
character pieces (3)
Paraphrase (5)
Various works (7)
Quatuor concertant pour 4 piano sur des motifs favoris de Diabelli Op.230
Playing time: 26 min 00 sec
Chamber Music (6)
variation (4)
Various works (1)