Czerny: Piano Works (Download)

• 134 pages (127 containing music)
• Works for the advanced amateur that wants to make an impression
• Introductory essay
• Printed on heavy duty eco-friendly sustainable paper (120 gsm)
• Also available as download

What's it like?

Style. In Czerny's most serious music, he is clearly influenced by his teacher Beethoven. The works in this volume were mainly written as performance pieces for (his) students. The style is reminiscent of Schubert, Hummel and Weber. It is music so characteristic of the transitional period between classicism and romanticism.

Character. Most of the music in this collection was written in the early Romantic brilliant style: many scales and arpeggios in the right hand alternating with a simple figure in the left. It is light and frivolous music with more than enough possibilities to impress an audience. Most works place relatively modest demands on the performer. Two works form an exception: the nocturne is a typical work for that genre, with a simple bel canto melody that becomes more embellished as the piece progresses. The Variations sur un marche anglaise is a work of the utmost difficulty, written for Czerny himself and in its style and atmosphere it seems to be inspired by Beethoven.

Technique. Czerny uses here the techniques he introduced in his opus 299 and opus 740 volumes: many scales, arpeggios and occasionally some other techniques, such as thirds. Czerny's music always excels in how natural it is to the hand.

Originality and quality. Despite the fact that the works in this collection are a dime a dozen, they exude joy and fun. Czerny wrote many such pieces. For each work in this collection, Czerny wrote literally dozens of others. Almost none of these works are ever played, even though they testify to a craftsmanship of the highest order. This collection has been compiled with the amateur who plays either opus 299 or opus 740 in mind.

Difficulty. Music that sounds as difficult as this is usually much more difficult than the works in this collection. The complexity is comparable to the etudes opus 299 and 740. Of a completely different order are the Variations sur une marche anglaise. Here Czerny really gives it his all.

Contents

Nocturne. A simple, beautiful nocturne in a style somewhere between John Field and Frédéric Chopin. Difficulty 6/10

Sonnambula-Rondino. A modest piece that Czerny wrote for a magazine (of which he was the Editor in Chief). Difficulty 7/10

Charmant Variationen. A simple waltz by Strauss is varied. The difficulty is modest, but its effect is powerful. Difficulty 8/10

Invitation à la Danse. A succession of different dance forms in an attractive composition. Difficulty 7/10

Divertissement en Forme de Rondo. With modest technical means, Czerny creates an attractive rondo with themes in which the influence of his teacher Beethoven is evident. Difficulty 7/10

Divertissement Brillant et Facile. This divertissement, in the form of a small rondo (about 5 minutes), uses a scherzando theme varied with very diverse passage work, alternating with a slower theme with accompaniment in the right hand and a drum part in the left hand. The piece builds up to a spectacular climax, in which the scherzando theme suddenly takes an unexpected turn. Difficulty 8/10

Rondo Militaire. A rondo, but in the military style. A dotted rhythm with a theme in thirds and sixths gives the atmosphere of a military march. You can listen to this work in its entirety on the product page. It is becoming a cliché, but here too Czerny builds up to a thrilling conclusion. Difficulty 8/10

Rondo précedé d'une Introduction. A more serious rondo that is preceded by an introduction. This work shows some affinity with the rondos for piano and orchestra by Hummel or Chopin's Krakowiak. The scale is slightly more modest, but the thematic development exudes that freshness that is so apparent in early Romanticism. This is a work that would make a good impression at any recital as an opening or closing. Difficulty 9/10

Variations sur une Marche Anglaise. A theme that everyone knows, the Grenadiers March, is varied by Czerny. Czerny is much more ambitious here than in the other works of the collection: not only pianistically it goes very far, but also musically Czerny tries new things. The variations are difficult, but where the earlier works sound more difficult than they are to play, these variations are in fact extremely difficult to play, without that being immediately obvious to the listener. It is a serious work, which can easily serve as an alternative to Mendelssohn's Variations sérieuses, for example. Difficulty 10/10