Beyer, Ferdinand 1806 - 1863
Author: Makihira, Yuka
Last updated：March 9, 2019
Author: Makihira, Yuka
A composer, arranger, and pianist active in 19th-century Germany. Although Beyer authored the widely known piano method book Vorschule im Klavierspiel op.101 (Beyer Piano Method Book), little was actually known about his life. However, his enigmatic persona was revealed in The Mystery of Beyer: The Piano Method Book that Became Japanese Culture (written by Hiroshi Yasuda, Ongaku no Tomo Sha, published in 2012 [paperback edition with the same title by Shinchosha Bunko in 2016]).
Beyer was born on July 25, 1806, in Querfurt, a town in the southern part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, close to Halle, the birthplace of Handel. For a long time, Beyer's birth year was believed to be 1803, but research by Hiroshi Yasuda, the author of The Mystery of Beyer, revealed that he was born in 1806. According to this book, since his maternal grandfather and mother were organists, Beyer also enrolled in a theological seminary in Leipzig, where he seemingly received musical training. Subsequently, in 1837, he moved to Mainz, a city in west-central Germany. Mainz is known for being home to the headquarters of the music publisher Schott (established in 1770). It is likely that Beyer's settlement in Mainz was not unrelated to the presence of Schott. After Beyer's works were first published by Schott in 1838, he continuously composed and published music without interruption until his death. Records show that Beyer's works were published not only by Schott in Mainz but also by Simrock in Bonn, and Breitkopf & Härtel and Hofmeister in Leipzig. From this, it is not difficult to infer that Beyer was a popular composer of his time. Many of Beyer's works ranged widely, including arrangements of popular opera tunes for piano, arrangements of songs by German composers, and arrangements of songs from other countries. Furthermore, many of his original compositions and arrangements included gallops (a two- or four-beat dance with leaps), which were highly popular in the mid-19th century. And perhaps due to the increasing number of piano players and the need for methods for beginners, he published Vorschule im Klavierspiel (Beyer Piano Method Book) through Schott in 1850, thereby etching his name into music history. Beyer seems to have earned a substantial income from these publications, achieving considerable success as a composer of his era. Although Beyer was active in Germany, regrettably, there is no entry for Ferdinand Beyer in the MGG (Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart - Music in History and the Present), which is considered one of the world's foremost German music encyclopedias. However, Beyer's Piano Method Book remains a great achievement in contemporary piano education, proving that Beyer was by no means merely a forgotten popular composer.
He died in Mainz on May 14, 1863, at the age of 56.
Author : Miyamoto, Yumi
Last Updated: August 1, 2007
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Author : Miyamoto, Yumi
German composer and pianist. Although he composed piano pieces and chamber music, today he is known only for his Vorschule im Klavierspiel Op. 101 (Preparatory School for Piano Playing), widely recognized as the "Beyer Piano Method".
Works(141)
Piano Solo
rondo (6)
pieces (24)
etude (5)
fantasy (17)
variation (8)
other dances (6)
divertimento (5)
Paraphrase (2)
Various works (39)
Educational works (1)
Piano Ensemble
pieces (2)
etude (5)
fantasy (3)
variation (2)