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Austrian composer, pianist, and highly influential piano teacher of Czech origin. Carl Czerny was a pivotal figure in 19th-century piano pedagogy. A child prodigy, he became a prized pupil of Ludwig van Beethoven. Though he retired early from public performance, he dedicated his life to teaching and composition. His legacy rests primarily on his vast output of didactic piano studies (études), notably 'The School of Velocity' and 'The Art of Finger Dexterity', which remain fundamental to piano training worldwide. He taught virtuosos like Franz Liszt and Theodor Leschetizky. Czerny composed prolifically in many genres beyond études, including symphonies, chamber music, sacred works, and arrangements.

• Czerny's father, Wenzel Czerny, was a pianist, organist, oboist, and singer who had studied with Joseph Haydn. Carl began piano lessons with his father at age three.
• He was a phenomenal sight-reader and memorizer. By age 10, he could play nearly all of Mozart and Clementi's piano works by heart. At 14, he famously played Beethoven's 'Appassionata' Sonata from memory for the composer himself.
• Beethoven, deeply impressed by the 10-year-old Czerny's playing, took him on as a student in 1801. Czerny became one of Beethoven's most trusted interpreters, premiering works like the Emperor Concerto (under Beethoven's supervision).
• Despite his early promise as a performer, Czerny largely retired from the concert stage around 1815, reportedly due to stage fright and a preference for teaching and composing.
• His teaching studio became legendary in Vienna. His most famous pupil was Franz Liszt, whom he taught gratis from age 9-12. Czerny also taught Theodor Leschetizky (who later taught Paderewski and Schnabel) and Sigismond Thalberg.
• Czerny composed at an astonishing rate, producing over 1,000 works and assigning opus numbers up to 861. His output includes masses, requiems, symphonies, concertos, sonatas, chamber music, and countless piano pieces, though only the études gained lasting fame.
• He died in Vienna on July 15, 1857, at the age of 66. The cause of death was recorded as persistent diarrhea and exhaustion, likely linked to his intense work ethic and possibly an underlying condition like cancer.