Carl Czerny Nikos Athinäos

In 1819 composer and publisher Anton Diabelli got the idea to invite composers from the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire to compose variations on a waltz by his own hand. This was meant to be a monument of the musical art of his time, and a money maker for his publishing house. A lot of composers, 51 in total, answered to his request, and sent their variations, among whom celebrities like Liszt, Schubert, Hummel, Kalkbrenner, Moscheles. The most famous composer of the time, Ludwig van Beethoven, first rejected the idea in scorn, later however wrote his immense Opus 120, comprising no less than 33 variations on the theme, thus outpassing his “competitors” by an immeasurable degree in both invention and profundity.

Practical Method for Beginners, Op. 599. Czerny's piano exercises have been revered since they were created. Together with Hanon's The Virtuoso Pianist and Czerny's own The School of Velocity, Czerny's Practical Method for Beginners on the Pianoforte is among the most widely practiced set of exercises in the piano repertoire.