Carl Czerny - Listening to Piano Exercises

Carl Czerny [CHAIR-knee} 1791-1857

Czerny was born the year Mozart died and died the year Elgar was born. He fits into a unique position in terms of efforts and time. Most pianists run across him in terms of his exercises. Here's what I have to say: If you're going to play them, hear them played first and actually play them with some consciousness that these too are music. Specifically, they are piano music that shows us some of the amazing sounds and colors the piano is capable of. Is there anything particularly interesting in any of Czerny's vast output? What of his other serious compositions? They all sound like second rate Beethoven. But how second rate are they? Just because we are all very conversant with the sound and feeling of Beethoven or Schubert doesn't mean that the lesser lights of the first Vienna school aren't worthy of further attention. Through these exercises, we are given a view into the scope of emotional expression those of the times considered the pianos of their times capable of rendering. 

 We present to you, for your amusement, the following from Carl Czerny's vast output, among the composers with the most opus numbers. Imagine all the works of Beethoven reaching from the floor to the top of your chair. Czerny's would reach past the ceiling. Sometimes, just because you publish a lot, doesn't mean that you survive, but in the case of Czerny, who was able to play by heart any of Beethoven's piano sonatas, and from whom most of us can actually trace our piano teachers, he did manage to survive, which is saying quite a lot these days.

Carl Czerny - 40 Studi Op.299 
Version 1  Version 2
 
Czerny Carl - The School of Legato and Staccato 50 Studies for Piano op. 335 complete
 
Czerny Carl - The Art of Finger Dexterity 50 Studies for Piano op. 740 complete
 
Carl Czerny - 30 Studi Op.849

Enjoy!